DeLuca Family Chaos

Don't forget to brush twice a day

2011-12-25T15:22:00.002-06:00

and you can have a smile like mine....

Ugliest Christmas Present EVER!!

2011-12-25T15:19:00.002-06:00

Marc is planning on going back to school in the near future. We will be living in a small house, with possibly no space for an office. I bought him a small desk to refinish so that he can have a small corner wherever we live. I wrote him a mushy note about how I will support him in all he does, and the desk, which will be painted in the dark grey of his choice, will stand as a testament that I will always make a place for him...

The box is always the best part....

2011-12-25T15:16:00.001-06:00

Hair today....

2011-12-25T15:07:00.003-06:00

Sofia has WILD hair...

Merry Christmas to ALL and to ALL a GOODNIGHT...

2011-12-24T21:16:00.001-06:00

A Day At The Park

2011-12-04T16:57:00.003-06:00

There is a park near to our house and the kids love to go...

Hawai'i

2011-07-11T01:24:00.003-05:00

I don't have time to post a lot of pictures, and we only have half because Marc's sister Gina took just as many on her camera, but here is just a few of our amazing vacation. We are moving to Texas in less than two weeks, and when things settle down, (do they ever?!), I can post more and catch up...

brothers are the best.....

2011-03-04T15:04:00.002-06:00

Sofia's first food

2011-03-04T14:59:00.002-06:00

She was not impressed....

Sofia's Halloween Costume

2011-03-04T14:54:00.003-06:00

They don't do Halloween here very big, so we bought the kids fun pajamas instead. Sofia was the cutest skeleton ever.....

Giovanni's Baptism

2011-01-07T15:54:00.001-06:00

Just for laughs....

2010-09-25T16:30:00.001-05:00

I promise, I DO brush her hair....

Bridenstine cheeks, I mean girls.......

2010-09-25T16:25:00.001-05:00

Daddy's girl

2010-09-25T16:24:00.001-05:00

Summer Sunday's

2010-09-25T16:12:00.002-05:00

I like to take pictures of the kids before church to capture them at their "Sunday Best".

Grandmas' fashion statements......

2010-09-25T15:55:00.001-05:00

My grandma's give me quite the accessories. Julie gave me the flower and Jannet gave me the bracelet. But I am so cute, I can make anything look good....

Subway Art HOW TO

2010-07-28T09:26:00.002-05:00

Just for you Becky...

I outlined how I wanted this project to look on a word document. I just kept trying different fonts and layouts.

I took an old piece of plywood and cut it to size and painted it the color I wanted the letters to be.

Here in England, vinyl lettering is harder to come by, and I didn't have the patience to wait to order any from the states. I bought regular sticky letters from our local car supply place. I laid them out to make sure I liked the look. The guys at the store were really nice to help me find all the letters and even suggested getting the bigger letters for DELUCA.

Then, I made lines, obviously not particularly straight, and put the letters on the board. About five coats of spray paint later, I peeled off the letters and VIOLA!! this is what I got.

Subway Art

2010-07-25T16:10:00.002-05:00

Cannot figure out how to flip this image. Again, my IT guy is across the ocean. The boys, and I must admit, myself, have been having a hard time with some basic values, so I wanted a reminder in the house. I wrote our last name down the middle and found words that I wanted us to daily strive for. It turned out pretty great, except if you look closely, I cannot follow a straight line.

Sibling LOVE

2010-07-25T16:01:00.005-05:00

I decided to take pictures of the kids after their baths tonight. I actually blow dried Sofia's hair to avoid post-bath hair. Pretty dang cute kids if I do say so myself. Sorry the first pic of Sergio is sideways. Marc is gone, so just be glad for photos...

conitnuing saga of a bad hair day...

2010-07-25T16:01:00.001-05:00

Jump up

2010-07-25T15:58:00.002-05:00

For some reason my kids have always liked to be held in a standing position. This can get really tiring for a mom's arms. So I put them in a jumper at a young age. I tighten the length up so that they are not even touching the floor. This is Sofia on her first go. You can tell she loves it.

Sunday best...

2010-07-25T15:49:00.001-05:00

EASTER EGGS

2010-07-17T16:58:00.003-05:00

Here in England, it is rare to find white eggs. Because you cannot really dye brown eggs, they paint them for Easter. The boys school has a contest every year and you have to make your own basket. A couple of recycled take out containers and some pipe cleaners, and you have baskets. Sergio did two Humpty Dumpty eggs because he was obviously an egg. Giovanni just painted lines, without tracing them first. Giovanni actually won the contest....

Desk project

2010-07-17T16:51:00.002-05:00

You have to actually click on the pictures to see the difference a little paint can make.

AFTER

BEFORE

Footstool project

2010-07-16T12:53:00.003-05:00

AFTER

BEFORE

A million dollars

2010-07-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

I have offered all my kids a million dollars to keep their blue eyes. So far, the boys both gave up the cash. I am hoping that Sofia holds out.......

bad hair day part two

2010-07-10T17:20:00.003-05:00

We give Sofia baths at night, just before bedtime. Her hair is curly when wet, but dries straight......

Bad hair day part one

2010-07-10T17:14:00.001-05:00

This is what Sofia's hair looks like just after her bath...

Fourth of July Family

2010-07-10T17:10:00.002-05:00

The boys have an American flag on the wall in their room, so I thought it would be a good picture before church on the Fourth of July. (Which they do NOT celebrate here, in case you were wondering.) Sofia was not amused with life in these pictures...

Sofia, Sofia, and more Sofia

2010-07-10T17:04:00.002-05:00

My mischievous grin:

My silly laugh:

Patriotic and not amused with photo time:

Gotta love that hair:

This is what I look like just before I talk:
(and I talk alot...)

Camping out

2010-07-10T16:58:00.002-05:00

So, since it didn't affect me, I decided to start a family tradition. We, and by we, I mean Marc and the kids, are going to sleep out for the Fourth of July. So without further ado....here is the FIRST ANNUAL DELUCA FAMILY FOURTH OF JULY CAMP OUT.

Oh, and did I mention, sleeping out on the trampoline?!

New pics of Sofia and the boys

2010-05-08T15:57:00.001-05:00

Here are some new pics of the boys and Sofia. Yes, her hair does this naturally....

SOFIA GRACE

2010-05-05T11:14:00.003-05:00

She is finally here! Sofia Grace (yes we changed the middle name from Rae) was born on the 3rd of May at 9 AM. She weighed 9 pounds and 14.9 ounces. NO, we were not expecting her to be our biggest so far. She has a ton of black hair and chubby cheeks. She is really mellow. WE ARE ALL REALLY EXCITED.....

Nursery ready for ... Grandma

2010-05-01T13:33:00.002-05:00

Marc's mom is coming for a month to help us out. I am putting her in the nursery because the baby will sleep in a bassinet in our room for at least a couple months anyways. My mom has been begging for pictures of the nursery, so here they are. It is somewhat of a hodge/podge of a nursery, but we are only here for two more years, so I am not investing any money into a theme.
The dressers were originally in the boys room, but I replaced them with shelves because the boys don't do drawers very well. I painted them and then glued fun old buttons to the knobs. We are using the short one for a changing table. I found the rocking chair at a thrift store and it is the best made piece of furniture that I have ever bought. I recovered the footstool with some fabric that I found on clearance. I found the fun antique mirror at an antique fair. The alphabet quilt on the wall was made by Marc's great grandmother.

For you mom........37 weeks

2010-04-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

What to Expect When You Are Expecting.....

2010-04-01T05:49:00.002-05:00

When I was pregnant with Giovanni, eight years ago, I had ALOT of questions for my doctor. He would patiently ask me at the end of every appointment what my questions for that month were. I would read my list and he would answer all of them. He finally told me at about month 5 or 6, "go home and throw away your prenatal book." What he didn't know was that I didn't actually have one, I just had a lot of questions. But I understood his point. Life doesn't go according to any book. I have fairly text book pregnancies, but I do not labor. Let me say that again, I DO NOT LABOR. Under no circumstance, or drug, will my body respond to the natural laws of child birth. Marc likes to tease me and say that there are no working exits in my womb. My children need to come equipped with a parachute or emergency slide.
Well, it has been long enough since my last pregnancy and I have limited access to my doctor here, so I decided to buy "What to Expect When You Are Expecting" and read a bit on the internet. I has been useful to let the boys know what is the general size of the baby and what she was doing that month, i.e. growing fingernails, or learning to hiccup. But other than that, pretty useless. This morning I checked what a 35 week fetus should be doing and it told me this, "Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore." REALLY?!! This girl likes to hula dance. She still turns completely around and yes, her preferred position is hammock style. She lays across my belly, not up and down like a normal kid. I am hoping this means a smaller baby. But yet again, I have no reference for what to expect. Giovanni was a week late and only 6lb3oz. Sergio was a week early and 9lb3oz.
I have decided no on knows what to really expect when going through any major life change. Marc compares pregnancy to getting on an airplane, not knowing ahead of time where or when you get off and then getting hijacked by a kicking, heartburn inducing terrorist. Lovely. And yet we keep having babies.............

"Stoopid projects...."

2010-02-03T14:59:00.002-06:00

On the movie Meet The Robinsons, which I highly recommend, one of the kids is always keeping the other kid awake working on inventions. I love how the little kid complains and says that he was awake all night because of those "stoopid projects." There is just something in the way that he emphasizes the word stupid.
Well, today I did about five "stoopid projects". Some were small and a couple were bigger. I cannot find the cord for uploading pictures from our camera, but when Marc finally gets home this weekend, I will post some pictures. I have finished quite a few projects while he was gone this month. I recovered our dining room chairs, redid an old desk for a changing table, redecorated the boys' bedroom, painted two dressers for the nursery, repainted a high-chair, and lots of little projects to make our house more me.
I am once again swearing off projects. I think that I inhaled too much spray paint today and need to go rest...................

"It doesn't have to be perfect..."

2010-02-01T15:23:00.002-06:00

thought you would like to know.......
I have been talking to Giovanni about not having to have things perfect. You have to understand that he is almost a clone of his father. They can be a bit OCD about certain things. So I have been talking to Giovanni about not stressing about things being perfect. I have told him that his bed doesn't have to be made perfectly straight and flat. We have talked about lots of things that aren't perfect, but we can do a good job. Marc has been gone for the month for some training which culminates this week with two big tests. Well, it was Giovanni's turn for prayers tonight. This is what he said, "Please bless Dad on his test. Help him to get some answers right, and some answers wrong. It doesn't have to be perfect." So, after that all I can say is GOOD LUCK to Marc.

For Mom- Grandma NUT!

2010-01-26T06:37:00.002-06:00

Here is the sonogram photo from yesterday. See her cute little nose....

Decade in Review: 2008-2010

2010-01-26T06:25:00.005-06:00

I was trying to review the last ten years of our lives. I somehow got these out of order. They are in three posts, but a bit backwards. I get my computer skills from my mother. Which isn't saying much.......

2008

We found out right after Marc got home from Iraq that we were pregnant again. YEAH! We also found out that our plans to leave the Army were not as appealing as going to England for three years with the Army. We quickly signed up for three more years with the Army. We started to make plans and get ready to take our family to England. In the midst of all the planning, we had a horrible week. I got really sick, I wrecked our car, and I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks. Luckily, we were too busy to wallow in sadness. We were in England less than three months after we even knew we could go. The boys both started school and got to wear matching uniforms.

2009

This last year was really quite boring. We just tried to settle in and get used to a new country, a new house and being together as a family. We spent lots of time watching movies together and just enjoying each others company. Marc and I are continually entertained by Giovanni and Sergio. They are really funny and not afraid to let you know what they are thinking.

2010

I know that this year is not over yet, it has hardly started. We do know at least one thing that will happen this year. After a really scary start to this pregnancy, we are having a girl at the beginning of May. We couldn't be more excited to finally have another baby. Sofia Rae DeLuca will be a welcome addition to our family. Marc and I will have been married ten years at Christmas time and plan on taking the whole family on a trip to Italy....we will see how this year turns out.

Decade in Review: 2004-2007

2010-01-26T06:03:00.004-06:00

2004 might possibly be my least favorite year of the last ten, even over the 15 months Marc was in Iraq. We moved to California in the beginning of the year. I quickly found out I was pregnant again. Marc was in school ALL DAY. He woke up at 4AM and went to work out with the Army. He would sometimes come home for a quick shower and breakfast. He was at school/work until about 6PM. He would eat a quick dinner with us or would take his dinner into his office to do homework. We had to be in bed by 8PM because of his schedule. It was probably good to go to bed so early because Giovanni NEVER slept past 6AM the whole time I was pregnant. In fact the last three months he woke me up at 5AM because daylight savings time never works on his body. We BARELY survived that year...but at least we got our happy Sergio at the end.

2005

We moved to El Paso and I soon started to call it HELL Paso. Although I did not like it at first, I grew to LOVE it and would even consider retirement there, (don't tell Marc, he still HATES it.) It was dry and barren, but there is something to be said for a climate where you can send your children out to play any time of day at any time of the year. The only thing I don't miss is the WIND.....

2006

We knew deployment was inevitable. Marc spent most of the beginning of the year gone to training to prepare to deploy. He deployed just after Halloween. It was hard to say goodbye, but I think that ignorance was bliss. We had no idea what to expect and we just tried to keep moving forward.

2007

Marc was gone the whole year. It was difficult. He ended up doing something much more dangerous than the desk job we were expecting. He did learn how to wash his clothes in a box lined with a garbage bag. (Which is what he is doing in this photo.) I prayed, payed our tithing and just kept busy. Our church family became our family. I took many trips to visit family to break up the time, but we made El Paso our home. We came to love the small zoo, and most of the drive-thru workers in our area knew me personally from our many meals eaten out. I hated to cook for one adult, so we often, and by often I mean, OFTEN ate at restaurants. Marc survived both emotionally and physically. His worst injury was from running into the latrine door in the dark. He still has a scar. We are permanently changed from these 15 months but I don't think we would take them away if we could. We are better for our service.

Decade in Review: 2000-2003

2010-01-26T05:47:00.002-06:00

I stole this idea from my good friend Kim. We have actually had quite an eventful decade considering that I think our lives are quite boring..........

2000

I spent most of the year on my mission in Uruguay. It was a life changing experience. I will definitely never take flushing toilets for granted. This picture is of one of my favorite Guayans. Susana is quite a lady. She made us earn her trust, and we laughed alot together.

I got home from my mission just in time for BYU fall semester. Marc had taken a semester off and so we both returned to Provo at about the same time. Hanging out as friends soon turned into a short engagement and a Christmas wedding. Best decision of his life........

2001

Marc and I quickly settled into married life, and by settled, I mean somewhat scratched and clawed. We often describe our personalities as a "back fire" aggrement. In forest fires they build small back fires to contain the other fire. Marc and I are both firey personalities, but we definitely contain each other well. We went to Italy for a month in the summer of 2001. It was a great trip.

2002

Giovanni was born in the fall of 2002. It was fun to become a mother, but I really enjoyed watching Marc become a father. Marc also graduated this year from BYU and we moved to Seattle right before our second anniversary.

2003

We moved in with Marc's parents and Marc worked while we really prayed about our future. We decided to join the Army. We stayed with his parents until all of his training was done and we would move to Monterey, California. Giovanni went from a tiny baby to a VERY active toddler. He loved to hide inside this bookcase.

Life derails you...

2010-01-24T15:19:00.004-06:00

This picture was taken less than six months after Marc got home from Iraq. It was Fourth of July 2008. We were in front of the White Sands National Park, which I highly recommend, if you are ever in that area. We spent the day sledding on the soft white sand and then went into Alamogordo for fireworks that night. It is one of my favorite memories.
Now that I have two years distance on the 15 month deployment, I can look back on it with less emotion. I have been thinking lately about how it changed me, Marc and our family. I know that none of us will ever be the same.
I was talking to Julie, my mother-in-law, the other day about how I used to be so good about remembering birthdays and sending thank you cards. She asked me what happened and all I could think of was, "Marc went to Iraq." I know we came out stronger, braver and better for our service, but I often wonder what bits of ourselves we lost.
I have said before that I know, I can see in Marc's eyes, that he is different. I just forget that sometimes, so am I. I didn't see the horrors of war, and because of people like Marc, I probably never will. But I cannot help thinking of what parts of self I may have lost. I had such plans for my future when I didn't have any life experiences, or kids. Now I understand that life itself derails our plans. The key is to just have enough faith that God knows what he is doing with us.
I may not be who I thought that I would be at 32 and a half, but progress is something. I have moved forward.

between you and God...

2010-01-17T02:50:00.000-06:00

I just found this amazing quote on someone else's blog. Had to have it. Need to read it daily and live it...

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating and building, others could destroy overnight. Create and build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you have anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
--Mother Teresa

It's a GRIL....

2010-01-06T16:03:00.000-06:00

I mean, IT'S A GIRL!!! Sergio has told me all along that I need to have a girl because I am "out of numbers." Translation- out numbered. Tonight he told me that I am half way to being "in numbers." If this little girl entertains us half as much as the two crazy boys we already have, we are in for quite a lifetime...

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T05:04:00.003-06:00

We didn't officially have a "white Christmas." It snowed a couple of days before and it stuck around a bit. I forced Marc out with the boys in the snow. Marc is TERRIFIED of being cold, so it took him about 30 minutes to get decked out in all the warm weather and waterproof gear the Army has issued him. Then they had a great time on the trampoline.
We got the boys a couple of science experiments for gifts and they thought that the coolest part was the safety goggles. We also watched a lot of movies and snuggled on the couch. The boys particularly loved "The Three Amigos". After it was done, they went and dressed up as the three amigos. They got their bathrobes for coats, beach hats for sombreros and each had guns and a horse. It was really entertaining as they ran through the house shouting and shooting.

Homesick.........

2009-12-31T04:54:00.002-06:00

but I am not sure for what. Marc and I were talking yesterday and realized we are both homesick. I couldn't even admit it without tearing up. I know most people think we are brave living so far from home and family. Maybe we are, most days, but some days, you just want what is familiar. I realized this is probably why I have been so BAH-HUMBUG about the holidays. (That and Marc has to leave again for all of January on Sunday.)
As I have thought about what exactly we are homesick for, I am not quite sure. I know we miss things like Sonic size drinks, drinks with ice, drive-thrus, tasty food, well organized roads and highways, being able to call people when you want without having to worry about time zones, and countless other things that made our lives easier in the USA. I know we miss these things, but I don't think that is what we are really homesick for. I am sure it really boils down to being able to feel connected to those we love. Our friends and families. And yes, I think that ultimately, we are homesick for our connection with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
I think that at this new start time of year, I am going to try and reconnect better with those relationships that really bring peace into our lives and meaning to our days....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2009-12-24T14:58:00.004-06:00

Marc loves to tell a story about when his brother Joseph was in high school. Joseph went to visit a friend and the father of that friend was hanging Christmas lights. Apparently annoyed, Joseph wished the man a "Merry Christmas!" The man's reply was "Merry Christmas. I am spreading Christmas frickin' Cheer. Merry Frickin' Christmas!" I think it is a funny story, mostly because I can picture it. I realize that there are traditions and customs that we follow at Christmas time. I think we can let the carrying out of those traditions rob from the original purpose of those traditions.
During a holiday dedicated to the most charitable person in all of mankind, our Savior Himself, should we be running around so crazy that we are too tired or stressed to be courteous to our fellow man, or worse, our own family?! Do you think he would want us to take the next six months paying off the "Joys of the Holidays" because we couldn't just simplify. Why do we feel the need to overcomplicate things?
Christmas really is a simple holiday, even if you do include Santa. We celebrate the "birthday of Jesus" as Sergio likes to say. We give gifts because "Heavenly Father gives us gifts" answers Giovanni. The whole point of this holiday is to celebrate the greatest love of all time. To remember that if it weren't for Jesus Christ, we would have no purpose and no hope.
After we put the boys to bed tonight, both boys suddenly called out for us. I just assumed it was the first of many on such an exciting night. They just wanted to remind us to put out the plate of cookies for Santa, and to not forget the carrot for the reindeer. I sadly told them that I didn't have a carrot, but could put out extra cookies. Giovanni, after thinking a bit, said, "You can put an apple. Horses like apples, I bet reindeer do too." I thought that was smart and started to close the door, Giovanni again called out that I should include a note to Santa. I was a bit annoyed because he has already made a couple of lists and I was beginning to worry that he had missed the point of the holiday. He then told me that I needed to write a thank you note to Santa to thank him for coming and bringing us our nice presents.
I was so relieved. That is really what this season is about, especially if you count Thanksgiving. We have a great opportunity to be grateful. To remember all of our blessings and truly thank God for them.
So Merry Frickin' Christmas. I hope it was simple and peaceful...

School pictures 2009

2009-12-01T13:31:00.002-06:00

England has a couple of traditions that I really like. I LOVE that my kids go to school in uniforms. It really saves on the fights in the mornings and I like that all kids, no matter their economic status have the same clothes. I also like that they take sibling pics at school. I know that both boys are really chees-ing it up in these pics, but don't we all have a school pic like this in our albums?!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

2009-11-26T01:53:00.003-06:00

They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in England. Why would they celebrate the pilgrims leaving?! I am sure they have some sort of "celebrate the harvest" holiday, but not that I have noticed. As soon as the Halloween decorations are down, Christmas goes up. I love Christmas, but I am grateful for Thanksgiving. I think we all need a holiday to help us to stop and really think about what we are thankful for. I also like, that for the most part, Thanksgiving is a giftless, dedicated to food (and Marc would add football), family and friends get together. I like that. It is hard to over commercialize Thanksgiving.
Marc and I were sitting on the couch last night and I asked him what he was thankful for this year. He said he was thankful to be home for thanksgiving (he missed two in a row in Iraq). I told him that is what he said last year, he said it is still top on his list.
I sat and thought for a minute and I said that I was thankful for Marc. Not because he is such a great husband and father, which he is. I am thankful for Marc because I am lucky to have a daily reminder that there really are people in the world who are willing to risk EVERYTHING for freedom. He will forever be changed by what he lived and saw in Iraq. I may never know just what because he still cannot talk about some of it, but I can see in his eyes the change. He knows what is worth fighting for and what is not anymore.
So, this year, as I go over to his boss' house for turkey and all the fixin's, I will sit with just a few of the soldiers that have allowed me my life of freedom. It really is the soldier that allows us freedom of religion and freedom of speech. This year, in a selfish world, I am thankful for all people who put their own needs behind the greater good...wasn't that what the pilgrims left for in the first place?!

Vacation PT2

2009-11-05T10:34:00.004-06:00

Here is the second set of pictures. There are none of our London trip. Marc and I are both BAD at remembering to take photos.

Vacation PT1

2009-11-05T10:28:00.001-06:00

My parents were here for two weeks. I have to say, this is probably the best vacation we have ever had with my parents. My mom and I didn't have one fight. We went to the ocean and did a couple of carnival rides on the boardwalk. Giovanni had about three birthday parties by the end. My dad was bound and determined to build a lego plane from pieces scattered in five different bins. My mom found some long lost, and long dead, ancestors and got to visit their graves. Marc and I got a two day, kid free, vacation to London. It was an all around great trip. YAY!!

PROJECTS

2009-11-05T10:21:00.003-06:00

Leave it to my mom to actually get pics of some of my projects. I painted two old dressers for the boys. I spray painted the handles bright red. I had to rearrange their whole room to get the dressers to fit. Now, I think I might steal them for the nursery and think of something else for the boys. The last pic is of my latest project. Originally it was for the boys too, but I think I will make it Marc's dresser. We could all use more storage here. England has a closet shortage.

this little piggy...

2009-09-30T15:19:00.000-05:00

So, Marc is home. YEAH! I have stopped spotting. YEAH! My parents come in less than three weeks. YEAH! And, Marc has (probably) SWINE FLU?! YUCK! I am just trying to decide if I feel pregnant, or sick. One may never know. I have tried to think all day about what we should name this soap opera that is our life. Any suggestions?!

the learning curve of life

2009-09-26T04:12:00.002-05:00

So, to give you an update, all is going well. My hormones are "going up at the appropriate level" and the bleeding has stopped. I hesitate to post this for fear that the Karma police will step in and take something good away. Why is is that we think that there is some giant scale in life that has to be balanced?! We think that if we get a really big blessing, that there must be some big trial or bad thing waiting. For right now, I am just enjoying the good that seems to be coming. Marc should be home on Monday night. They tried to extend him AGAIN another three weeks, but the silver lining is that the registration on his car plates expires. He cannot stay in Germany with expired plates. I will never be more happy to pay that fee than I will this week.
I have been pondering alot about life lately. Too much time on my hands while I "took it easy." I am surprised at how much of life we miss living because we are busy being angry, offended, worried that we offended someone, or just worried that if we start to enjoy life, we will be hit with real trials. I remember on my mission, when I had only about a month left. I told my mission president that it was too bad that I was done, because I was finally starting to figure it out. He said that that is how life is. I have come to understand some of that. I wish that the lessons we learned from life could be learned before we need them. The very trial that teaches us patience is the trial that could have gone better if we were already patient. Maybe someday, the learning curve of life will make more sense to us. For now, we just need to pray and hope that we can at least pass the course.

Trying to learn patience, QUICKLY!!!

2009-09-20T12:31:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows me, instantly knows a couple of things: I am not quiet or shy, (sorry Mom), I am too independent, and I am NOT patient. Well, this is the month that I am beginning to understand patience. Marc has been in Germany for around a month. We have been trying to have another baby for more than three years. With an Iraq deployment and two miscarriages, I was beginning to really question if we would ever have any more. Well, I thought I was pregnant. I don't just mean hoped, I mean just sort of KNEW. Then I started to spot and thought, "O WELL, guess I'm not." Then I went to the doctor for some thyroid problems and he ran a pregnancy test, POSITIVE. Well, I explained that I was already bleeding and didn't expect to keep the pregnancy. I went home and couldn't even muster the hope to pray to keep it. After two weeks of bleeding with positive pregnancy tests, I finally got into a doctor (long story that would make you HATE SOCIALIZED MEDICINE)by going to the American Air Force ER that is almost three hours away. After a LONG wait watching an ENTIRE NFL Football game, I got into the doctor and they did an ultrasound. It is absolutely AMAZING that they can see a thing the size of a raisin, with a heartbeat. They told me I was officially six weeks and one day pregnant. The raisin didn't even have arms or legs,but it had a heart beat. So I am taking it easy and trying to have faith in God's plan.

My mother-in-law, Julie, who is more like a second mom, sent me this quote:
"Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable."
-- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I realized that no matter what happens, I was not showing enough faith in Heavenly Father. So, to sum up, I am trying to be patient and just enjoy where we are now, and be worthy of whatever blessing may come next. Maybe someday I might just actually call myself a patient person, (but probably not in a quiet, ladylike voice).

life update

2009-09-09T07:43:00.002-05:00

I have no pictures to post, actually I have a lot to post and take, but cannot get the card to work. We have had a busy summer. A whole lot of not much. We went for rides and played with friends and went to Cadbury World (a tame version of Willy Wonka). We finally started school here in England. The boys are both in full time, so I am going to have a lot of time on my hands. So far, all of the projects that I had to do have been put off. I am taking it easy while I go through my third miscarriage. We are disappointed, but the doctors are on top of things and we will hopefully get things worked out.
I redid the boys room. I moved them upstairs to the third floor and have added some fun touches. The theme for their room is maps and red white and blue. I got an old red metal trunk at a junk sale and decoupaged maps all over it. It might just be one of my best projects yet. I am currently recovering my dining room chairs, but cannot decide on a covering. I was leaning towards fabric, but then remembered how lovely vinyl is to clean. I will post pictures. So far, out of five rooms and three floors, I just need to finish the boys' room and our junk/guest room.
Marc is in Germany and when he gets home, we will post some pics.
Love to all.

Our New House

2009-06-25T15:16:00.002-05:00

I have yet to take any inside fully decorated pictures, but here is the house the Army has provided us with. It has AMAZING views of the cathedral. I told Marc I am probably the only woman in the world who is complaining that her house is too big. I know that we are told we will be blessed if we do the right thing but what do we do if we feel the blessing is too much?!

Our British Vacation

2009-06-25T15:02:00.003-05:00

Marc's parents came over for two weeks. We went to Scotland, Legoland and just hung out. We definitely needed a vacation from our vacation, but it was great. Marc took time off for the first time in forever and we just did fun things.

LIFE...

2009-06-17T06:11:00.002-05:00

I guess since the last post says that we were mostly moved in at two weeks and it has been four weeks, we have lived in this house for six weeks. I don't know that I have made much more progress. We have been really busy. Marc had to study for and PASSED his promotion board, I got released from Relief Society, I got called to be Primary music leader, Marc's parents came for vacation, we went to Scotland, we went to Legoland, and we are now resting. For those of you who may not believe that God has a sense of humor, just look at my new calling. I am in charge of an hours worth of music time for the kids 3-12 at church. I HAVE NO MUSICAL ABILITIES!!! I am nothing if not enthusiastic, but I am definitely not qualified for this. We took lots of pictures of Scotland and Legoland, and I will post pics of the new house, but for now just trust that we are surviving. We may not be thriving, but we are surviving.

We are officially moved in...

2009-05-16T10:58:00.002-05:00

We we have been here in the new house for just two weeks and we are about 95% moved in. It is easier if you are just moving across town than if you are moving across the ocean. Marc stole my computer, after he killed it and then fixed it, and so I don't know how to do pictures on his laptop that is in my office. I will post more pictures later. We really like the new house. It has a better flow and is really easy to keep clean. The other house had a lot of charm, but like most old houses, it was nearly impossible to keep clean. Marc is closer to work and the boys are closer to school. We have a garage for the first time in our 8 1/2 years of marriage. We are happily settling in and only have about five boxes left to unpack.

MONKEYS...

2009-04-23T14:28:00.003-05:00

We went to a "safari park", which means that you drive through the enclosures that the animals are in. It felt very much like Jurassic Park, especially when the double gates for the tigers and lions had to open one at a time to ensure that the animals did not escape. The boys thought it was too cool. We rolled our windows down when we could, and Marc almost didn't roll his up fast enough to avoid the BIG BROWN BEAR sneaking up on us. The picture of the monkey on the car is our car. He is sitting on the mirror eating a cracker that just "magically" appeared on our windshield (stuck there with squirt cheese I might add). In the other monkey enclosure, you could walk around and almost touch them. We had to keep our pockets closed because they apparently are kleptomaniacs. The cheekiest monkey stole gum from our friends pocket and wasted the whole pack. At the end of the day, we got to watch the keeper feed and care for the falcon. It was good it was after Easter, or the boys might have been traumatized to see baby chicks treated that way.

Update with no Pics

2009-04-10T03:04:00.001-05:00

Ok, I forget you can post without having pictures. We have been super busy lately. We found out we have to move into a different house as of May 1. It is actually good because we found a place that will sign a three year lease. We have exactly three years left here so we are really excited. The boys can stay at their school and Marc has less commute time. I get to decorate all over again, which I actually love. I will post some pics of the new house and decorating style soon.

the "Master" bedroom

2009-03-11T09:18:00.004-05:00

This is the first time in over eight years of marriage that Marc and I have a real bathroom off of our bedroom. We also have enough space to put a couch. I have to say, the couch was a freebie, I got a cute slipcover off of Ebay and added some pillows from the thrift shop. Our bed is the ONLY piece of furniture in our house that didn't come from a garage sale, thrift shop, costco or IKEA. The only reason we didn't get our mattress from costco was because I found a better deal. Every piece of furniture, including the headboard and our laundry basket is previously owned. Now you know why I said, "NO MORE PROJECTS."

rub a dub dub, two crazies in a tub

2009-02-28T13:31:00.003-06:00

I have decided that I live with crazy people. Giovanni had a grocery store blue bouncy ball, you know that kind that are always in those towers of bungee cords?! Well today was actually nice enough to go outside. So they were outside playing and accidentally kicked the ball into a thorn bush. When he came inside crying to show me the damage, he noticed that the hole got bigger with some help. We ripped it in two pieces and of course, what better hat than half a broken ball?!
When they took their baths, they thought they looked like swim caps. So here are my two future olympic hopefuls....

my new "desk"

2009-02-28T13:21:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I will admit that I am a paper stacker. I get important papers and put them in a stack. I study new topics and put them in a stack. Well, the stack desperately needs to be sorted. I have a ton of space, but no real surface to work on. I decided weeks ago that I needed a new table top to sort things. I wanted it to be large, but easy to store. I thought about a regular folding table, but found this instead. It is a drop leaf table that has a drawer in each side underneath. It is only about ten inches wide when completely closed so can be pushed against a wall or behind a couch. It needs a bit of TLC, but in no way is "another project". I hope this gives me the push to actually sort all my junk.

junk store finds

2009-02-28T12:46:00.003-06:00

I go to thrift stores here quite often. They call them "charity shops" because they all donate their proceeds to a different charity. Well, here are some pics of my latest finds. I got two chairs, and an end table all for 5 pounds each.

School Pictures

2009-02-19T14:18:00.005-06:00

MY BOYS

SERGIO age 4

GIOVANNI age 6

The boys have to wear uniforms here in England. I think it is GREAT. It has saved many fights in the mornings over what to wear. The schools here have a tradition that when siblings are at the same school, they can take school pictures together. Too cute.

Family Pictures

2009-02-19T14:13:00.003-06:00

The picture where we are all dressed in grey was the day before Marc left for Iraq. The picture with me in red is about two weeks after he got home. What a difference a year and a half make...

our "British" kitchen

2009-02-05T14:38:00.004-06:00

Our house's original foundation is about 300 years old. It has had two additions and recent remodeling. Luckily for us, our landlord must have seen many American kitchens when he remodeled our kitchen. (Plus he was inspired to make it red and black for ME!) We have a double oven, and a huge eating area by British standards. You must know, this is what sold us on the house. We have a lot of counter space, an island, and our big fridge and the mini fridge that came with the house. Most of our friends here could fit three of their kitchens in ours. Needless to say, we feel really blessed to have such space.

our "sitting room"

2009-02-05T14:20:00.003-06:00

Right next to our living/family room, is our sitting room. Keep in mind that neither room is very big and would be better as one but cannot because the wall that supports the stairs is what also divides these two rooms. Anyways, since we have a room, we have to decorate it, right? We inherited a beginner piano for the boys and keep our coat "closet", wardrobe in here.

can't live without him, can't keep the office clean with him

2009-02-05T14:09:00.003-06:00

Marc has been out of town for a month. His wonderful Mom came for 2 1/2 weeks to save my sanity. While she was here, I finally got Marc's office cleaned and organized. I was so proud of myself and how clean it was and how Marc has a place for all his military junk. Well, I knew it wouldn't last, but I am still impressed with how fast it was messed up. Mind you, he hasn't even been home a week, and he is still "unpacking."

BOYS WILL BE, ARE, MUST BE BOYS

2009-01-16T15:27:00.004-06:00

I don't know if I am prepared to be the mother of these two boys. I found two power ranger suits today on total after Christmas clearance. I don't know what possessed me to buy them. I don't even let them watch the show because whenever I do the next three days are full of karate, crying and cursing. Well, I got them for them and I was like I had just given them THE greatest gift. They immediately put them on and of course I had to lovingly, loudly, remind them of the, "No kicking your brother" rule. Good luck figuring out who is who.

Serg on the right. Vanni on the Left

Giovanni

Sergio

"resting" after a long days work

NO MORE PROJECTS!!

2009-01-16T15:14:00.004-06:00

I say this everytime I paint something. Today, I decided we needed a footstool. Marc and I like to snuggle on the couch and watch movies. I have really long legs and like to put them up on something. I have been using some old short barstools, but they make my legs go numb because they are just too high. Anyway, short story long, I found this cute black leather storage box, put some wheels on it and it actually is the perfect height. At least there was no paint involved.

new living room

2009-01-12T11:14:00.006-06:00

I went into a thrift shop here the other day and saw a great black leather 3 seater couch with a matching chair that was in GREAT condition. We have had the same futon for almost the whole eight years we have been married. I made a horribly low offer on an already reduced price and the guy agreed, with delivery set for the next week. I came home and realized that I would have to rearrange the whole room to accomodate the bigger couch. I also decided to paint an old cabinet to make a new entertainment center for the new TV Marc contributed to our new room. It has two drawers for remotes and I cut a whole in the back for the wires to go through so that we could close the doors on the DVD, Wii and cable box. I think that it turned out great. So here are the pics, I will have to find a before pic. Don't tell Marc. He is out of town until the first of Feb and I thought I would see how long it takes him to notice the new living room. (By, the way, the couches, cabinet and paint still cost me less than what Marc paid for the TV, and he got a great after Christmas deal!!!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-02T12:27:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics of the boys rooms. That is right, they have room's' here. This is the biggest house we have had since we got married. The first picture is their bedroom. They have maps of the world, the US and Great Britain on the wall. The second picture is the toy room. It is the room right across the hall from their bedroom. The next picture is my favorite room in the house. It is the attic room off of the toy room. I bought a scrap of carpet, put up some dollar store posters of the ABC's and it is their secret hideout room. The last pic is just too cute. Happy New Year.

School Plays

2008-12-18T15:46:00.005-06:00

The boys school here is technically a Church of England school. This means that they are still allowed to talk about God and Christ and all things religious. They don't teach doctrine, but we like that they are a school with faith based beliefs. They still have school plays here and obviously they still have a Christmas Play and can still call it a Christmas Play. The school has four grades. Nursery is our preschool. Reception is our Kindergarten. Year one and year two are equivalent to our first and second grades. Nursery and reception had its own play about the stable and Christ's birth. Year one and year two read The Night Before Christmas. Sergio was a sheep in the stable and Giovanni was one of the reindeer that pulled Santa's sleigh. The British are really creative and they can make almost anything from cardboard and glue. They just had the kids dress in all white, brown, grey or black. Then they wore masks that actually sat on their heads like hats so when they looked down, you could see the animal. It was too fun to watch the boys. Sergio was less than enthusiastic, but Giovanni loved it. Here are some pics. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night......"

BOYS,BOYS,BOYS

2008-12-18T15:28:00.004-06:00

While we were at the Christmas Market, the boys played with the walkie-talkies. Here are my two budding spies. (Or is it criminals?!)

Our lovely Lincoln

2008-12-18T14:46:00.007-06:00

Our town is rich in history. Every year it has a Christmas Market. People come from all over Europe to buy anything from ornaments to cheese to junk to gloves. It is so big that they have to shut down that part of the city for three days. It starts at the cathedral and winds right through the castle grounds. My mom was lucky enough to be here for it. It was sooo cold that we had to buy Giovanni wool socks and carry him for a couple of hours. We got hot chocolate and sat and watched all the people. Here are some pics of the cathedral and the castle. The cathedral is the HUGE one and the pic of the castle is at night.

MORE PICTURES

2008-12-18T11:49:00.003-06:00

PICTURES

2008-12-18T11:32:00.003-06:00

Here are some pics of the boys. You can definitely see their personalities by how they play on the playground. Giovanni is definitely our climber and Sergio, well, he is just a tank. It is fun to watch them be so different.

One last "first post"

2008-12-16T18:42:00.004-06:00

Here is my most favorite recent picture of the boys. (obviously since it is also at the top of my blog) Marc took them to see Thomas the Train and he actually remembered to take the camera and take pictures.

This was our family picture from last year at Christmas time. Marc had been home from Iraq less than three days. Next week, Marc and I have been married for eight years. I am so grateful to be married to him. No matter what, I know that he would do anything for our family. Even go to the ends of the earth. I cannot believe the things we have done, most on a whim, and I am more surprised by the things we have survived.
Merry Christmas to all.....

peace on earth

2008-12-16T18:28:00.003-06:00

This is the cathedral in our city. You can see it from all over. The original foundation is ancient. Parts of the outer building dates back to 1072 AD. We feel so blessed to be here. Marc was just saying how we feel we are here to heal from the effects of deployment. He more than I. I received an email long ago about the wonderful people who gave their all to build these amazing buildings. The email told the story of a man who spent days carving a bird into one of the roof supports that would be covered. When asked why he would go to so much trouble for something that no one would see, he responded by simply saying, "God sees." The email was meant to inspire moms who are often forgotten and taken for granted. It explained,
* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

As I talk to Marc and his friends that served and fought for freedom, I think of this. Whether or not we agree with the politics in this world, we need to remember to pray for those still fighting for freedom. Especially at this time of year, we should not only be praying for peace on earth but peace for those who have sacrificed dearly for our freedom.

Ode to Texas

2008-12-16T14:33:00.004-06:00

Marc doesn't agree or even understand, but I am homesick for Texas. Some of you may remember that I hated it too when we first got there. I even called it Hell Paso. But now that we are somewhere TOTALLY different, I actually miss it. The weather was great. Here it gets dark at four in the afternoon and even on sunny days, everything is wet from the rain. In El Paso we could go to the park all year round. I miss tons of stuff about America and El Paso. Mostly what I miss is friends and family. We have always had such good friends. Our best friends in El Paso are Matt and Christina Harrison and their sweet daughter Chloe. Christina and I kept each other going through 15 months of deployment. We would get together almost every week. One of our favorite things to do was to go to the El Paso Zoo. It was a pathetic zoo by most big city standards. It was perfect for three children under five. They could walk it without getting tired or cranky. We almost always stopped at the McD's around the corner with the playground to really wear them out. Then we would go home for about five minutes peace...

One of my other favorite things about El Paso was being able to drive to White Sands, New Mexico. If you ever have any reason to go... GO! It is one of the most fascinating things you will ever see. The sand, or rather gypsum, really is white and for as far as you can see. It was our last vacation before moving to England.
I am getting homesick just going through the pictures. How grateful I am to have learned to have loved such a wonderfully interesting place.

photos from England

2008-12-16T14:05:00.002-06:00

Marc took the boys to see Thomas the Train. These are pics of them riding a train. The last picture is them on their first day of school. They look too cute in their school uniforms.

this is why......

2008-12-16T10:48:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I am trying to do this and the stupid picture won't upload. I am pretty sure that this is not a good experience to set me on my way in the blogging world. I will try again.

FINALLY...

2008-12-16T10:46:00.000-06:00

Ok, so after much begging from friends, and guilt from family, here is our blog. I cannot promise how often or how interesting my blogging will be, but here goes....