Taking It One Day At A Time

Halloween =D

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

We took Kirsten to the "Trunk or Treat" they had here on base Friday night. She fell a sleep in the car on the way, so when we got there and woke her up she didn't know what to think seeing all the people in costumes. She just stared at everything with a confused look on her face. We did the little train ride they had and walked around for a little while. We enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to get out and do something together as a family. We were also going to take Kirsten out trick or treating on Halloween night, but it didn't work out =( Ben went in to school to do his homework and planned to be home around 6pm. It ended up taking a lot longer then he thought and he didn't make it home till like 8:30. If I would of known he was going to be late I would have went with someone else, but I kept thinking, he's just running a little late and would be here any minute. Their not allowed to have there phones in the building, so that's why he didn't call. We still had a good night together after he got home and we have plenty of years to take Kirsten out on Halloween. The important thing is that we were able to spend time together and that's what matters most. Kirsten did not like wearing her costume but she was so cute!! Here is some pics of her in her costume as a little lamb and a couple of the pumpkin Ben carved.

A little update on our family

2009-11-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

Wow! Its been a while since we've been on here. Well, Ben finished basic training as a honor grad. I made the trip to Great Lakes to see his graduation accompanied by my sis Marie and niece Alexis and Kirsten of course. It was a long ride and I was very grateful to have them ride along with me. It was really neat to see the graduation and to see Ben again after 2 months. We both had lost some weight during our separation and couldn't wait for the other to see. I was almost back to pre-pregnancy weight and Ben had went down a couple of pant sizes too and was more fit. He was so handsome in his dress whites. It was a very exciting trip, but I dreaded coming back home and having to wait another 1 1/2 weeks to be with Ben again. We are now living in Goose Creek, SC while Ben attends Nuclear Power School. We will be here about 2 years. The town of Goose Creek really sucks, but I hear downtown Charleston is really nice. We haven't made it there yet because of Ben's very busy schedule. He spends at least 14 hrs at school each day so we barely get to see him. It gets frustrating at times, but I am so proud of him and for all his hard work. Ben will graduate A school in December and then go to power school for 6 months. Some wives out here tell me that he will be home even less then now during power school. I don't like to hear that and I am not looking forward to it. I know that heavenly father will help us both get through it and everything will be okay.

Kirsten is doing well and is growing so much. Ben sees it more then I do because he's not here with her as often as I am. We really had a scare a little over a week ago when she spiked a fever and had a febrile seizure. We didn't know that was what it was at the time. She was choking on her tongue and couldn't breathe so we called 911. It was very frighting to see her go through that. I am still freaked out by it all and very paranoid now. The doctors tell me she is at risk to have another one every time she runs a fever. I really hope it doesn't happen again and I pray every night that it won't. Other then being more clingy then usual and wanting to nurse all the time now, she's doing a lot better. I love watching her play with her toys or dance any time she hears music. She absolutely loves Elmo and gets so excited when sesame street comes on. She can be in another room and hear it coming on and runs in here to start dancing and watch it. There is this teddy bear she likes to carry around too and it is just adorable.

All is well with us here in Goose Creek and we can't wait to come home to visit family and friends. Here are some recent pics of Kirsten and a couple of Ben in his work uniform.

It just hit me....

2009-06-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my family and I moved in with my parents before I report to Basic Training for the Navy on July 1st. And this past week it just hit me....I am leaving in less than 30 days to go to a place I have never been, to do something I have never been, and to be something I have never been before!! It is kinda scary. I have never been without my family before, never slept away from them, and I have always been able to be there for them. A freedom that I often took for granted. And now that I am coming closer to my time it is becoming all so real to me. It is hard to express in words what I feel....Happy to finally be apart of something (career wise), excited for something new, Sad to miss out on so much of what will happen with my daughter and family, Sad to not live so close to family, thrilled to see new things, experience new places, and to have opportunities knocking at our door. It is all so bittersweet!!
Being in my parents home again is surreal and kinda strange. I feel like a kid at times watching TV with my dad. Nothing in particular, just being in a familiar place and remembering that the best times that I had were bonding with my father in front of the TV. We had some good ones in the garage or on outings. But, those were usually kinda rare. I am also taken back to my childhood when I talk with my mother in her kitchen. Just talking about anything. That was always the place that I seemed to open up to her the most. The real difference is that I have a family of my own and I can see my parents watching me with them and it almost seems as if they are going back in time with me. When we all used to be younger like my family is now. Maybe to what used to be. Wishing to be there and that time would stand still to allow those great moments to last forever. Isn't it odd that our greatest moments aren't always the ones that we are in. But, the moments that we reflect upon that make them great. I also have some sad moments too...It is one of those "It just hit me" moments. When I realize that the time that I have now with my parents may be the most I get to see them and be with them before this next step in life. As I leave the "nest" again.
Our daughter Kirsten is so sick. She has been running a fever for days. And at times completely inconsolable. I have found myself crying with her wishing her pain would stop. And then I find her, the woman that I love. My wife, my best friend, right there to comfort our daughter which in turn comforts me. It is in moments like these that I realize how blessed we are and how successful we will be in a new place with only each other and no immediate family to fall back on. She is a rock and a wonderful, loving person. I am grateful that God gave her to me, blessed my life with her. She has brought me so much. From my Step-son Brandon to our Daughter Kirsten. What joys they are in my life and what great teachers they are to me. I hope that I have not bored you to death. If you have enjoyed reading please let us know we would love to read your comments or critiques if you have them.

Just a few updated pics =)

2009-05-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Kirsten in her pretty pink dress looking at her little book.

I love this outfit on her and she loves playing in her tunnel.

Sooooo cute!!

Busted!

Brandon sporting a mohawk while making funny faces, lol.

Brandon trying to look mean while sporting his mohawk, he's so silly.

It's been a while......

2009-03-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how long its been since I have written anything. A lot has happened since big sis came to visit! Big sis moved in with us! lol. Marie wanted to move back up here from NC, so we let her and the kids stay with us until they could get on their feet. Now it's 3 months later and she just got into her own place. I am so happy for her and happy to have my house back =D It was hard having another family live with us, but we all handled it pretty well. I pray that everything works out good for her and her family. Ben has started a new job since the last time I wrote. He now works in construction and he finally has a set schedule. I love that he is home with us more and through the night! This job is just temporary though. Ben will leave for bootcamp on July 1st of this year for the Navy =( It will be a major adjustment for our family, but he has my support. We both feel that it is the best decision for us at this time. Brandon is doing good. I now have weekly visitation with him and he will live with us for most of the summer. It is such a blessing to have more time with him. I hope sometime in the future he will be living with us primarily. It was really hard for him to have his cousins live here with us, but he got through his frustrations of it all. Kirsten is growing so fast and it is such a joy watching her learn new things. She is crawling a little now and she sits up on her own really well. I started her on solids at around 5 1/2 - 6 months because she would watch us eat and try grabbing our food to put in her mouth. I have been wanting to post some pics of her for a while now. I also have a video where she scooted from the middle of the living room floor all the way to her daddy in front of the sink in the kitchen. She was so cute!! I didn't catch the very beginning, but I caught most of it. I was geeking, so don't pay attention to me in the background, lol. I sound so silly, hehe. I took Evelyn's idea of making a collage of some of the pics, thanks Evelyn! And for me, I plan on continuing my education for a degree in computer science with taking online courses starting this summer. I'm still not working right now, but my uncle said he is finally picking up more work, so he might need me to start back soon. The good thing about working with him is the fact that he will let me bring Kirsten to work with me. That is so awesome!! I am really not ready to leave her for more then a couple of hours. I also received my calling recently to teach 6 year olds (CTR6):o That really scares me as I have not done anything like this before. It will definetly be a learning experience for me. Other then that I just enjoy being at home with Kirsten and helping others when I can. I need to go for now I want to watch a movie with my hubby before we go to bed ;) Tata for now, lol. I will leave you with some pics of us and a cute video that took FOREVER to upload, lol.
Kirsten enjoying some peas and mashed taters :p and she sure made a big mess :o I think she got more on her then in her mouth, lol =D Kirsten playing with her toys :) I'm normally not very photogenic, but this one came out pretty good I think. I really love this pic of me and my Kirsty Bear!! My two angels! It looks like Kirsten is trying to make Brandon smile. I loved this pic & the one above it so much I had them printed off so I could frame them. Kirsten really loves sucking her thumb!!

Kirsten & daddy! The flash causes her to close her eyes, lol.

Awwwwwww!! Need I say more =)

Here is the video I was talking about earlier. This is the first and only time we seen Kirsten do this so like I said, don't pay attention to me geeking, lol =)

Big Sis Came to Visit =)

2008-11-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to write about my sister Marie coming for a visit for some time now, but it has been hard to get any free time to do so. Kirsten is napping so I have a little bit of free time to be on the computer. My sister and two out of four of her kids came up from Bailey, North Carolina to visit us and it sure was a crazy weekend. My cousin Cathy and her daughter Jessie drove them up here and I thought that they were going to stay with her dad in Chesapeake, but found out they needed to stay at our house as well. We really had a full house that weekend. Everytime Kirsten would fall asleep for a nap someone would start yelling and wake her up, poor baby :( Despite not getting her naps she was in a suprisingly good mood for the whole weekend. This was my sister's first time seeing Kirsten, so I was excited to show off my beautiful baby girl :p Kirsten just loved Marie. She had Kirsten talking and giggling. I really enjoyed seeing them together. Their was some annoyances that weekend, but over all it was a good weekend and I was grateful that Cathy was able to bring them up for a visit. Here is some pics of our weekend together :)

Marie and Kirsten :)

My beautiful niece Alexis :)

Alexis and Brandon acting crazy =)

My cousin Jessie, I just realized I didn't get any of her mom Cathy :o

One of my other beautiful nieces Kasey and my beautful baby girl :)

Alexis and Kirsten :)

Her arms were wrapped around the lil bear till I grabbed the camera ;)

Kirsten and Momma :)

There wasn't any really good ones of Marie and Kasey or her other two kids since they weren't here, so these pics are from other visits.

Kasey :)

My nephew, Marie's son, Patrick and Brandon stuffing thier faces :p

My beautiful big sis Marie :)

From left to right, My neices Qwenlyn (my lil sis's daughter), Linda, and Kasey (both Marie's) =)

My beautifil "goth" lil sis Jennifer with her baby girl Azaelah :)

More beautiful nieces, Qwenlyn and Azaelah (Jen's daughters). They are older now, but I don't have any recent pics. I keep forgetting my camera when I go visit :)

That's all for now. Kirsten is starting to wake up, so I need to go. I'll write more and post more pics as I am able to.

Kirsten is Sleeping in her Crib :)

2008-11-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

When Kirsten was born she would not sleep in her bassinet. Due to our living arrangements at that time we did not have her crib set up to see if she would like sleeping in there instead, so she has been sleeping with us for the past 3 months. Ben wants her to sleep in her own bed, like she is supposed to, so that we can cuddle and stuff. He has been telling me I need to start putting her in her crib for naps so she will know that it is her bed and get used to being in there. When Kirsten is sleepy she gets cranky, like her momma (lol), so yesterday when she got cranky I knew she was ready for a nap. I decided to take Ben's advice and lay her in her crib for a nap. She fussed for about 10-15 mins and I just would go in and put her patsie back in her mouth and she finally went to sleep. She slept for about 30 mins and I was happy thinking it's a start. We normally go to bed between 11-12 and around that time she started getting cranky so I asked Ben to lay her in her crib to see what she does. Ben laid her down, turned her mobile on, and shut the door. She went to sleep! We didn't hear a peep out of her! I was so suprised that it was so easy. I mean I thought we would have to let her cry :( which will make me cry :( for a few nights or weeks even before she will just lay down and go to sleep. She is such a good baby. We are so blessed to have her and we love her so much. She slept until around 4:45 and then she woke up hungry. I then put her in bed with me since daddy left for work at 4:00, hehe:) I sneaked in and got a pic of my precious lil angel after she fell asleep.

So much to do and so little time to do it in...and a liittle about Kirsten

2008-11-03T22:50:00.001-08:00

We had lots to do this weekend and of all those things. Brandon completed his project today!! It looked so good. He had to do a 3D layout of the state of Virginia and label all the mountains, rivers, and color it. It really turned out great. I think Barbara was more nervous than Brandon was because she told me "I don't know if I can do this. I don't remember ever doing this in school." It was just so cute because you would've thought that she was being graded for the project. Here's some pics of the project=)

The Finished project and we think he did good. Hope he gets an A!!

Being the working stiff that I have become I had to cut my time with Brandon short cause I picked up some much needed extra hours at my part-time job today.
Kirsten is just so Beautiful. She is giggling more than ever and loves it when mommy and daddy play with her. She is just so precious. And when we are at the table eating she will half cry half not, as if she were complaining about us not giving her our full attention. Then, when I look at her (cause she usaully is doing it to get my attention) she'll stop complaining and look back with her big round Hazel eyes ("like her daddys" Barb says). Like a deer would looking into the headlights of an oncoming truck. Suddenly she'll scrunch up throw her hands to her mouth smiling as big as she can and giggle at Daddy. I love it so much I just melt inside.
Barbara is excited to start a business that she has been introduced to. And every chance she has she is asking if we can start it up. With all that we have going on she comes back and tells me we should wait. She also has to have a puppy!! And not soon I mean she wants one like there will never be one available to us, ever!! It seems everyday I have been at work this past week she has been texting me that there is a new puppy that she fell in love with and just has to have. I love it though she is just so cute. I swear I am falling in love with her more and more each day. Well, I really should be getting to bed. Especially since my wife is sitting right next to me and will start asking questions about what I wrote and interrupt my train of thought. lol!!

My "Unicorn"

2008-10-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Finally the car is running. I had a genious idea to put some aftermarket parts on to make it faster and ran into some problems. I just recieved a part yesterday that resolved the problem right away. I couldn't believe it! It was just too easy. I hadn't made the expense for the part because I wasn't prepared for the cost of the part and thought that I could use a similar part and make it work. Well, it ended up burning up several spark plug wires which forced my hand to get the right part and new spark plug wires. Oh well!! It is running like a Mustang should. I can't wait to see what it does in the quarter mile. I have been talking about my car at work for the past month and I can finally show off one of my joys. It has been fun!!

Kirsten in the Step & Play:)

2008-10-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

My grandma gave Kirsten this activity center called a Step & Play Piano just recently when we went to visit and Kirsten just loved it. I was thinking it would be another month or so before she would be able to sit in it, but we tried it that night just to see what she would do and she really liked it:) It was such a joy to watch her in it and to see her face just light up when the music and lights came on. Her daddy showed her how to push the buttons and she tried, but she wasn't pushing hard enough. So she used her toes, even though they barely reached the keys on the bottom, and just lit up with excitement when she saw the lights. I couldn't figure out how to change the size to be able to upload it in the blog, (if anyone knows how please let me know), so here is the link to watch it on utube. Just copy and paste in your address bar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efjo-ub4x1U

2008-10-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

"My latest"

I have also been busy with my '93 Mustang LX 5.0 (what a mouthful!) I am waiting on some parts and it has been quite the adventure working on this car! I have always wanted one of the "Foxbody" style Mustangs since I was 16. After selling my '95 Mustang I purchased this one 'cause I just had to. Well, after buying I parked it so I could do some work on it. Extensive work. And it has taken almost 3 months to get it to where it is now. This Wednesday it will be up and ripping and roaring!! I am really excited. I just had to write about it. There is more to tell I just don't want to write too much to bore anyone with the specifics of what I have done to it.

If you know anything about these cars you will be able to tell what has been changed. There is other work that has been done to it and it would take a real enthusiast to take a look around the engine compartment to notice the changes that have been made.

Hello from Virginia Beach!!

2008-10-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! A lot is happening and has happened. Right now my wife is eating waffles while trying to keep Kirsten happy cause I just set her down. At first she was happy and talking away (talking like most 2 month old's talk) and then as she was giggling it turned into frustration!! She can be such a goober. But, she is such a gem!!!
Let me sum up the latest of what has happened with us. We have a new addition to our family, Kirsten Nevaeh. She was born on 8/8/08 @ 8:51pm, weighing in at 8lbs 13oz, and 20in. long. We are so blessed to have such an angel apart of our lives. She is full of so much energy and spirit. Every since she was born we have really been blown away by how she has grown. In her first weeks watching her we noticed that she was very observant and worked very hard to lift her head up and look around. And now she does things ranging from standing with very little help from mommy and daddy to talking and giggling. It is just so amazing to see your own child do things so unexpectedly. I have no idea when a baby is supposed to do things as they grow and I am not trying to compare with any of those known averages. It just floors me to see Kirsten grow as she is and to be a welcome part of it all. It is truly amazing that our Father in Heaven would entrust to us his children when we are imperfect beings. Being given such a perfect being unspotted and unmarked from the world. It truly is one of the many things that testifies to me of the reality of our Savior and the atonement that was provided. Without it, it wouldn't be possible for us to have such joy and such a blessing as children. We truly are blessed to have her. She is such a bundle of joy!!
Soon after having Kirsten we moved just at the end of August. My wife and I were house sitting for a friend of ours for five months and we knew that we would need to move after that time was up. And thought that it would be a good idea to use this opportunity to save and prepare for a home to rent. (We are not yet in the position to buy a home). We were very blessed and found a 3 bedroom home just a few streets away from my parents and even more streets away from my brother Josh and his family. At the time that we found this house I was working a job that provided very little of our needs and wouldn't have provided us with this new need of a 3 bedroom home. I applied at the beginning of July with DECO Security services which would give me a $4 an hour increase in income!! To make a long story short I got the job just 3 weeks before the move. And now since starting the job we have been given another raise of $2 more and hour. It really has been amazing to receive the blessings of the gospel.
We are now in our new home. It isn't new by any means, just new to us. We have a big yard, two climbable trees (Brandon loves them! Although he hasn't spent much time in them.), 3 bedrooms, our own things (it was nice using someone's things. Especially when they are so nice. It just wasn't the same as having our own things.) Last but certainly not least a GARAGE !! Yess! Finally a GARAGE that I can call my own! A place of refuge, a place that a man can be a man! Get dirty and greasy working on my car(s), talk loud, shout a little if I want to! Let the air compressor run while giving manly grunts and filling the air with familiar smells that make a garage a mans garage. Well, it isn't really all my/man space. (sigh) Of course there are the usual problems that you run into with any move. Space filled with boxes and boxes of stuff that got packed. And wondering why they were packed away when they are still in the garage almost a month later. Anyways enough about the garage.
Barbara is very busy keeping the house together while caring for our little one. And Brandon does what he can every other weekend to disrupt the order of the house or to help out. Depending on which mood he is in. While my family is at home I am usually at work especially since I went back to my old job part-time @ 32 hours a week! (actually most if not all companies look at the work week and when you are working 32 hours you are technically working full-time!) It is only a temporary thing while we get some of our other things in order. Barbara keeps me sane by babying me and loving me like she does. Because of all she does I am able to carry the work load while Barb carries the real weight of it all. She is amazing!! I couldn't do it without her and frankly I don't know how I did. Brandon is 10years old now. And the boy won't stop growing!! (not that we want him to. It is just getting hard to keep the boy clothed!!) He is in the 4Th grade and has been quite a challenge for his teacher and us (his 4 parents). Whenever he is home he seems to do well. He had just really been a pill at school! He started out the first couple of weeks pretty rough constantly getting marks against him almost daily and losing privileges. But, who didn't act up like he has when we were kids? He is such a good boy though! Always asking to hold Kirsten or if he can help with chores or any work I might be doing on a car. He is very smart too!! Always seeing where he can sly by his parents and get where he wants to go. He really enjoys riding his bike in the neighborhood and taking the occasional trip to Grandma's to walk the dogs or give Grandma a hard time. The love of his life right now is video games. If given the chance he will stay glued to the game and waste his days away. I do enjoy playing video games with him occasionally (I write occasionally when what I really mean is every time). It really breaks our hearts when he has to go. We really miss him when he is at home with his Father and Stepmother and look forward to having him with us again.