X-Mas Time has Ended

*** Added Dec 31st-- I was reading this post and wanted to clarify something. On X-Mas morning when we woke up Daddy was already on MSN IM waiting for us, so we turned on the video webcam and even with the crappy connection he was able to hear/watch us open gifts. This made his absence EVEN MORE strongly felt as we could sometimes (again crappy connection) hear him, but he just wasn't "here" you know. We were thankful for the little bit that we got though! While I am here again, I would like to wish you a happy new year, but I REALLY hope your new year does not involve driving on the 1st. We will be staying up watching movies, though I doubt it if anyone makes it to midnight! DADDY-- We are so glad the new year brings you home!***
Well Silent readers, X-mas has come to an end. We had a good one, but we definitely felt Daddy's absence. The tree DID in fact make it!!! YEA!!!! However, as some of you may know, while I LOVE LOVE LOVE X-Mas decorations, once the 26th comes, I am sick of 'em. So, all my stuff is already packed away. The kids loved all their gifts. I updated the picture page. I didn't get as many as I usually do on X-Mas, but it was hard "running the show" and "being the photographer." So, if you go to the picture page at:
http://groups.msn.com/PilchFamilyPhotos
You will see a few of the old ones I wanted to leave up a little longer, and some new ones. The first few pic's are of the big kids playing Halo2 online with my brother Michael. Even though it is butt early in the morning (about 0730) they are dressed nice because later we went to Ramstein for yummy brunch! The pic's where AJ is wearing a pink "Daddy loves me" shirt is her 11 month b-day. Then there are some pics of the kids with their gifts for Hanukkah from Michael. Then there is a pic of them on X-Mas eve and finally some X-Mas day pics.

Daddy is coming home soon and we are getting very excited around here. I feel like I have so much to do before he gets here and I'll never get it all done! Then, in less than FOUR MONTHS we are moving away from here. We will miss our friends that is certain! Prayers for our patience during this time and for my husbands safety would be greatly appreciated.

Hope your holiday season is going well, and I hope you don't have any driving to do on Jan 1st!

P.S. I decided to add the picture of the kids on X-Mas eve to the top of this post!

Jingle Bell Jog and More

Well, I had every intention of making this post LAST Saturday, but I was having technical errors at the picture page. I finally have it all sorted out so now I can tell you about last Saturday and more. As you can see I was in another race. It was the Jingle Bell Jog and I did MUCH better this time!!! I am soooo proud. It is a 5K and I did it in 27 min. and 42 seconds!!! In the above picture you see me running MY full-out (that is why I look way less than pretty) and I did pass her just before the finish line. I love running these races and again I have to thank my friend Dara and her kids for watching my kids and watching me and cheering me on! This was a pay race, so I actually have a number, and I was not fast enough to win a trophy. Oh and we ran with a jingle bell tied to our shoes. I did not think it would bother me (noise wise) because this race I listened to music while I ran. Well, the noise of it did not bug me, but the spot where the little bell hit my foot went numb by the end of the race.

Anyway, in other "news" we got a live X-Mas tree!!! All by ourselves!! The kids picked out a good one and they decorated it with me. However, I think I have already killed it. We got it on Wednesday and I watered it that day. I forgot to water it on Thursday. On Friday morning, it seemed dry (I can't feel the bottom of the tree stand). So, I am afraid it dried out and died. I did water it Friday morning and it "seems" like it has drank some of the water but I'll let you know if it makes it to X-Mas. I don't really have high hopes that it will.

Okay about the pictures on picture page (NOTE: same place, NEW link)

http://groups.msn.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

The first picture is Avery opening her very first present ever and loving it. In our family an elf comes about 2 weeks early and gives presents to good little boys and girls. His name is Twinkle. Anyway, that is her Twinkle gift. My brother told me that his Hanukkah gifts are on the way, so the kids will get to open those as soon as they get here. Which reminds me HAPPY HANUKKAH!!! Last night was night two. Anyway, back to pictures.... the next few pictures are before/during and after photo's with the tree. In the picture with the 2 girls, if you look closely, Avery has her first ponytail, sticking straight up! Then there are the pictures of me in the race. The race was before the tree and other pictures, but that is the order in which they loaded. The pictures were taken with two different Camera's and I think the quality difference is HUGE. Unfortunately, MY camera is the suckier one. Tristan was sweet enough to take a picture of my backside after I crossed the finish line and was slowing down. Nice boy...lol.

Well, guys that is it for the update, but let me tell you what I am doing today 'cause I am so dang excited!!! We are going to Ramstein (sp?) this morning, which is about an hour away, and we are eating the BEST brunch!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that place. In the same area there are two PX/BX's and they are already having big sales on X-mas deco and I LOVE shopping for x-mas decorations! So, we will be eating and shopping the day away!

Goodbye all, and I hope there are some super fun sales in your near future!

Messy Girl, Messy Life

Hello, hello! I do not have much to share so this will likely be short. Unbelievably, things are slowing down around here. I got so much holiday stuff done early that I don't have a lot to do right now. We put up our X-Mas and Hanukkah decorations FINALLY on Dec. 1st. Usually we do it the day after thanksgiving, but I wanted to do a detailed cleaning first (although house is a mess again). I LOVE LOVE LOVE X-Mas decorations! For those of you that haven't heard it, one of my many corny jokes is this: I was looking for the first red-headed Christian that would marry me. Why? So I could have red-headed babies and be able to put up X-Mas decorations. I SOOOOOO do NOT love love love X-Mas songs however... YUCK. Sorry to sound all bah-humbug, but they annoy me. I do enjoy the kid songs though, and I DO LOVE LOVE LOVE Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song! Anyway, all I have left to do for x-mas is finish wrapping the kids gifts... yeah for me! Oh and in a few more days I will be getting a live tree (not too soon, 'cause then I'll kill it before x-mas).

Update on kids: Tristan is a little bored I think without soccer in his life, but he'll manage. He (in conjunction with Brian and I) decided not to do boy scouts anymore. His troop assigns a lot of homework and he already gets a lot of school assigned homework. So scouts had just become stressful for him, not a fun extracurricular activity. He is much more relaxed now. Samantha is still enjoying Girl Scouts. Her troop does A LOT of fun stuff, educational, sensible and fun, and they get little to no work they have to do at home. Most to all of their work is done during the meeting. Keagan is my little helper. While the big kids do homework (his teacher doesn't believe in assigning homework), he helps me do stuff around the house or "babysits" Avery so I can clean or whatever. Avery is a walker with four teeth. The top two came in almost at same time. To me her whole face has changed from these new teeth.

Ah and bedtimes have changed around here. After some tweeking and adjustments based on a suggestion from my friend Julie: Tristan and Sam go to bed at 2030, Keagan at 2000, and Avery between 1900-1930. This has all but eliminated evening stress and yelling AND since we now have more time to prepare for the morning (make school lunches, layout clothes) the morning goes much better too! I am always looking for ways to make life/parenting better, so any suggestions any of you may have, I am all ears!

Hmph, well now this was longer than I though. Turns out Meghan CAN talk a lot about nothing (and she loves Seinfeld too)!

I hope someone tweeks your day with a brilliant idea!

Attention Shoppers We Have a Walker

Hello everybody! Did you have a yummy turkey day yesterday? Did you remember to be thankful? What about your shopping today... any good deals? I did do some shopping, but only 'cause I needed some things, like shoes for Keagan, a black top for me, stuff like that, and no really good deals. Well shoppers as you can see from the headline and the picture we have ourselves an official walker. Avery has been taking steps for some time. however, it was just a step here or there, or a lot of stepping in the safe confines of her playpen. Here preferred mode of travel is now walking. She will crawl until she reaches something she can pull up on, and then off she goes walking around. Then she falls/sits and she crawls back over to something to pull up and off she goes again. Not the greatest photo, but I was trying to get one that clearly showed her moving vs standing. Anyway... Yea for Avery, but I am gonna be one busy person.

Our thanksgiving was tasty and fun! We had dinner at our friend Dara and family's house. Our friends Eric and Tina also came. The food was good and we had fun.

Anyway, Survivor is on over here right now and I am so a Survivor person...LOVE IT!!!

Hope this weekend is relaxing and you sleep well from all the turkey you eat!

P.S. I added a few more pics (one of Avery on her 10 month B-Day and some of her walking) on the picture page. Check em out at:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Turkey Trot

Hello my peeps...lol. I ran a race this morning!!!! Yes I did, and it was called the Turkey Trot. Do you see me there? Yea this is at the end of the race and I am tired and about to pick it up, so I am not looking too happy...lol. Also there is the picture of all my supporters minus one, my good friend Dara who watched all the kids for me. Notice there is no tag on my chest with a number? That is because it was a free race and instead of winning medals, there was a raffle. I won first prize, yes I did! It was a micro sound system and it is going straight into the bedroom. Oh and for the curious I ran a slow run, I am not really happy with the time, it was a 5k and I ran it in 30m and 22s. That is only slightly under a 10 min mile... crappy. Ah well, I'll try better next time. Happy days to you my blog buddies...lol.

P.S. I have updated the picture page check it out at:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Not a Whole Lot

The busy holiday season is upon us! Though I am far from being as organized as I would like, I am USUALLY good about this: getting holiday shopping done early. In fact, yesterday I mailed off all the packages that need to go out. However, I do not have my Holiday cards together (and the generic letter is LONG...sorry...lol). I am waiting for Avery's pictures to come in. They accidentally did not send them to me. She had her pic's taken at the school when they did the big kids. I got Tristan's, Sam's and Keagan's pictures.... no Avery. The "picture people" will be bringing me her pictures on the 20th when they return for retakes. I will be mailing the cards that day. Otherwise, thanksgiving is coming up and then there are X-Mas parties, X-mas meals and the big day. I also have eight CRAZY nights (think Adam Sandler) to light candles and say prayers with my kiddo's. Busy, Busy, Busy!

So, I mentioned that we had parent teacher conferences. Tristan is doing fine, the teacher says he needs to work on talking (huh??? What??? Why would that be??? LOL). He also needs to review his work before handing it in. Otherwise he is doing fine. Actually, he challenges himself by getting books at the library that are higher than his level... and passing the tests he takes on them (for those that don't know, the kids at this elementary school read books and then test on every book. Then they receive points for each book...blah blah blah). Samantha is doing fine, although I did not enjoy the parent teacher conference. I think her teacher has personal motives when it comes to what she does with her students, I do not think she has their best interest at heart all the time. I was not impressed that she didn't know Samantha was shy. She thought Sammi didn't raise her hand cause she didn't know any answers. I told her that Samantha is shy and she said, "Oh really? Well you need to work with her on that." Anyway (insert Meghan rolling her eyes here)... Keagan's teacher told me that he does really well for a boy. He finishes his work often times before the others and colors well in the lines. So, that's that with the conferences.

Well, I am off to play with the kiddo's before I put them down for the night. May you find something to praise G-d for today (whether you do it for a pair of pants, or peace).

P.S. I just decided to add a picture... Avery can drink from a cup now, though she does it with a lot of mess!!!

All About ME, Well Almost

Hello guys and dolls! I have all sorts of good news to share. Well, most of it will make you say "So what?" but I am so happy about it I am sharing anyway!!! First let me tell you that I estimate a weight gain of about 10 pounds since having Avery (all gained in last 3 months). I estimate because I wouldn't get on the scale on the days when I felt heaviest. However, based on my estimation, I am now down 4 pounds and I know it isn't much but I seriously FEEL GREAT! Probably because I am back to eating better and I am running/working out more regularly.

Next piece of news...about 2 hours ago.... I ran two miles.... (I usually run farther) guess how fast I did it in....drum roll please..... 16:55!!!!!!!! Yes ladies and gents I have been running! I have not had a time under 17 min since basic training!!!! Since then while in the military I was between 17:30 and 18:45 about!!! I was so proud of myself I let out a loud "WHOOP" when I finished... I am still shaking I am so excited and proud of myself!

Third piece of good news can help you too... wanna go down a pants size??? You can do it RIGHT NOW, from your computer... no need to work out, take pills, or diet. Sounds like a scam right, well it is.... sorta. I have discovered a pair of pants that run a little big so I actually wear a size 10 (WHOA DID I SAY SIZE 10???? WOW for me... NEVER before) in these pants. I had ordered a 12 and they were big (none of my other 12's are), so I ordered another pair in a 10. They just got here and I love 'em!!!! Too bad I can't find a shirt to match... hey maybe I'll take a pic in them and post (with a non-matching shirt!) If you see it above it means I did it...lol. Anyway, I got the camo ones first in the 12 and brown ones in a 10. They are super comfy, check 'em out at:

http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=5565&pid=401859

And no, old navy is definitely NOT paying me to advertise. Too bad.


Okay that is it about me....sorry to go on, but you know this is my blog...lol.

News about Avery...she is almost an official walker. She does still crawl of course, but she is getting more and more "risky" with her steps. She got her second tooth a few days ago and I think she says diaper "dy-pa" but who knows! She does point to a nose when you ask her too (sometimes, or she ignores you) and she almost always gives a kiss when you ask (if she is in the mood...lol).

But the best news yet is..... It REALLY looks like Brian will be coming home early... not real early, but maybe 4 weeks early which I'll take thank you very much! Ugh these last few months I was hoping would go by fast with all the activities... BUT I am starting to get excited about him coming home, which will make it go slower I think.

So, as you can see I did get Tristan to take a pic of me. Not the greatest but look at the "model" he had to work with...lol. So, I left the size 10 tag on in the front, I also happened to have left my zipper down...lol (no you can't see anything) but I didn't notice until after I changed and sat back down. I am not changing again to take another pic...just forgive the slight weirdness in the front because of zipper "issue"...LOL.

I have not taken many more pics of us since last post.... but my Auntie Jeanne has sent me two pics of my little cousins and I have added them to my pic page. Go check 'em out at:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Well folks there it is. I have more to "talk" about since I just had parent teacher conferences, but I'll do that another day. I hope to be updating more often as my life gets more organized!

Thanks for stoppin' buy, I hope you find a GREAT pair of pants in the very near future!

Can You Believe a New Post Already?!?!?!?

Well, we are orange again cause today was the BIG day! Happy Halloween for all of you just getting the day going. Hope you have as much fun as we did! I am really proud of myself for surviving the night, getting the kids to bed AND making a new post. I would like to thank my faithful silent readers, you know who you are and I know you only read because I pay you to do it...LOL!

Anyway, my evil plan of allowing the kids to eat as much candy as they wanted worked... mwwwaaaahahahaha. They were nutso for about 15 minutes, but it is only 2106 (after trick or treating until almost 2000) and they are all concked out. Thank you Julie for this little trick...LOL! Meanwhile we had two added kids just show up and want to trick or treat with us... the oldest is friends with Tristan, youngest is in Keagan's class and friends with him. We are like "where's mom?" Eventually she showed up and asked if it was okay if I took her kids too... whatever! I was honestly a bit spazoid trying to keep up with where all the kids were (trick or treating here on post is like a stampede), but thankfully my friend Dara was here and she was a GREAT help in keeping my nerves down...lol. Anyway, all the kids had a great time and that is what matters. I have ALL NEW (the two family ones I kept there were somehow deleted) photo's on the picture page of our evening.

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

The ones of the kids individually are taken in front of my apartment door, so yes those are my decorations. The one of the kids altogether is in someone's lawn, not my deco, and the one of Tristan in front of a blow up motorcycle is not my deco either. You may notice a "guest" the pretty little Princess Leia is my friend Dara's youngest...isn't she cute?!?!?!?!? Oh and the last pictures are of Avery as I was putting her to bed. I honestly didn't mean to put her in Halloween colors (including the binkie) but when I laid her down I noticed it. So I got some pics of that. Okay, okay, just go check em out will ya'...LOL.

I hope you have a fabulous day whether you trick or treat or not. And if not, I hope you don't get too many dings at your door... turn out the lights and hide, or better yet, go out and enjoy yourselves!

In the Pink and Halloween Prep

Hello Friends and family, the candy holiday is almost upon us. Normally I only let my children have 2 pieces of candy on Halloween, but this year I am going CA-RA-ZY. I am going to give them some fruit and mac -n-cheese for dinner then I am going to let them eat as much candy as they want when we come home... yes I have lost my mind! Above there are a sort of "before" and "after" shots. The picture on the left is the drawing that I, Tristan, Samantha and Keagan did of what we wanted our pumpkin to look like. On the right are the actual pumpkins with the artists (minus myself). My inspiration was Avery since my pumpkin is so happy, has one bottom tooth and a nub where a tooth will surely break through soon. I actually allowed Tristan and Samantha to carve their own pumpkins, with the proper tools not big ole knives. They also gutted them and separated the seeds from the pulp. Then we roasted the seeds, YUM! Keagan was not allowed to carve his creation, but I encouraged him to get out the pulp and seeds. He tried for a little bit but then decided it felt too icky!!! LOL. If you go to the picture page:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

you can see an upclose picture of each pumpkin. I actually tried to add a bunch more pictures, but I am having problems with the page. I emailed "them" so we will see what happens. Oh and if you click on the picture page and get "Hmmm, we can't find that page" as a message, just hit refresh. I think that problem is why I am having trouble downloading pics...we will see!

On the 28th the Girl Scouts had a Breast Cancer Awareness event. A doctor came to talk to us and we went on a walk on post. On my pic page there are two pictures of us walking. The doc who came told the kids/adults to remind people to do self exams. So we were on the walk and passed a woman we know videotaping the "parade" of people. Tristan ran up to her and said "Stacey! Stacey! you need to do a self exam!!!" She said "WHAT!?!?!?!" and I had to quickly explain, I thought she was about to faint...LOL. Meanwhile she caught it all on camera...lol... though she wan't laughing, all of us who had been to the event were. Well, I hope to have pictures of the kids in their costumes posted sometime this week, so check back again.

Oh one final piece of news. It was officially approved...we ARE moving to missouri on April 15th! Just found out Friday. I am a little excited, a little bit nervous, and a little bit sad. I am glad I have something to really keep me busy until Brian comes home. I have a ton of SH** to go through in this house before we move.

Well folks, I am off to get some more work done. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have kept all your fingers preparing for Halloween!

Two Weeks Later later later later...LOL

Well, since I am making this new post on his big day I better say HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUMPA!!! I hope you had some good coffee and great cookies for breakfast! The picture you see before you is one that captures something I love about my husband and his dad, their sense of fun/humor and adventure. It was taken last summer in Garmisch, Germany on top of the Zugspitz (please forgive the spelling).

Today has special significance for Avery too... not only is tomorrow her 9 month birthday...today she cut her first tooth! I am not sure why as parents we mark this day, I really don't know why I get so excited about it. I mean for me it really only means a pain in the boob...lol. But still I always get excited when the first one peeks through. She is almost the youngest of my kids to get their first tooth. Tristan got his at 8 1/2 months, Sammi at 17 months (yes you read that right) and Keagan at 15 months. Well Avery welcome to the world of teeth, be happy you got some as I have a feeling I am reaching the point where they are gonna start falling out again...lol.

Avery has had other things a happenin' lately. I think she has the grasp on two words. I am not sure cause it is never quite clear when they cross over from babble to understanding. I can tell you this, she only says "Mamamamamamma" when she wants something, so either she is calling me, or she thinks it means "I want (fill in the blank)." Additionally, she will say "Dadadadadadada" and stop when I give her the Daddy doll. We always talk about Daddy, show her pictures, videos etc. so she may know "Dada" as Daddy, or she may think she is calling for her doll, either way she understands something. Also, when she is asked for a kiss most times she will kiss and she sometimes does it with out asking. It is the cute eyes-get-a-faraway-look-open-mouth-baby-kiss. AND she WALKS!!! Well, it isn't quite that exciting, she only does it in her playpen...lol. I guess she feels safe there. She lets go of one end...step, step... she gets to the other end. She also stands well...again only in the playpen...lol. Silly girl seems to have some confidence issues!

For those of you I have been talking to about Tristan's math problems they are getting better. for those of you that don't know, he was having some real trouble with math, but the more he does it the better he is getting, so he and I are both slightly relieved. He is a super big helper around the house and has been since Daddy left. Bless his heart he does awesome stuff without me even asking. While I load Avery in the car, he has been known to fold up and put the stroller in the car. Such a big boy!

Again for those of you that know, I am STILL having problems with Sammi's teacher. For those of you that don't, let's just say she is MEGGA holding her back. It is getting even worse! Look I am the mom so of course I think all my children are brilliant. I am sure many of you have heard me say they will all get full-rides to Harvard (and even though you think I am...I am SO not kidding...lol). But seriously Sammi reads REALLY well. I just bought her this HUGE chapter book, absolutely no pictures and she is loving it. She can read it and comprehend it cause she comes and tells me about it. Now even though her teacher KNOWS what she is reading at home, she is not allowing Sammi to read books of that level from the library! Sammi has to get books that are at the average level from last year. For example, she started on level 1.1 or something last year and ended on 4.1. So when school started this year the teacher took the average, 2.6 and made her start at that level reading. Now does this make any sense to you? I can understand not starting where she left off, the teacher doesn't know if she read during the summer, but come on, maybe average out the last term. So, Sammi can not advance to the next level (2.7) until she passes, 4 tests on 4 books, and they only test 1 book a week. She is now at 2.8. You do the math and see how long it will take for her to reach the level she ENDED on last year! Anyway, at home she is reading probably something like a 4.8 or more, I don't want to overestimate. It is so frustrating.

Keagan has quite improved. He had a tough time with school for several reasons, the big one I really think is that Daddy is deployed. He cried everyday several times a day, and even cried the nights before schools. Now he doesn't cry at all and happily goes into school. So, I am VERY pleased about that!!!! He learns really quickly too, coming home telling me all about his day. Oh and some of you may think it is a blessing, but others a curse...he is such a planner, like me. He will tell me the entire next days schedule!!! He really listens to what the teacher says they will do before/after lunch etc. and he will tell me the whole deal on our walk home. Too cute!

Well, I have gone on and on about my kids!!! Sorry for that.... just needed to get it all off my chest...lol.

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Oh a little more about the pictures I have added:

There are kids in different outfits. I had Tristan and Sammi's school picture outfit's picked out, but I couldn't figure out what to put on my other two kids. So I tried a few different things. the thing I ended up picking with Avery is the one she has on in the stroller, funky tights pink and brown outfit. It is plain, but I don't think pic outfits should be too busy and the colors look good with her coloring. For Keagan I picked the maroon and green outfit. Also, I bought a crown for Sammi, but it fit on Avery's head and even stayed there with her bouncing around. Oh and to My Mom-in-law, do you recognize the blue outfit on Avery with the pink bows??? It is one you gave to Sammi! Well enjoy the pictures all!

My hope for you is that I have not bored you to sleep with all my "kid-talk" and that you can still function the rest of the day... tee hee!!!

Moving On Up

In more ways than one people...lol. First as you can see, Keagan has gotten a job. He works at McDonalds and likes to drink coffee. I went in the play room and saw him in this outfit and about died, I had to take a picture. Is this his future? Heck no!! He is getting a full scholarship from Soccer to play at a college. He may do this as a teen though...lol. Additionally, my baby girl has just moved into a luxury car seat...lol. No more baby seat for her, she is in a big girl seat. I put it off as long as possible, but the time had finally arrived. She loves her new seat and seems to think it is really cool, cause she was really smiling like that the whole time I was adjusting it in my livingroom. Look at the two youngest of my babies!!! UH they grow up way too fast.

In other news... ummm is there other news???? Not a whole lot going on around here, though I do have a really legit reason to go out to dinner tonight (side bar-- for those of you that don't know, I am squeezing my cheeks tight trying to save money to put down on a house, which house, who knows but we plan to buy semi-soon, so I don't do a lot of eating out, though I still do more than I should) and that makes me happy and guilt free. The "work order people" came by today and told me I need a new stove/oven which I will not be getting until tomorrow, so we are going to Wingers for dinner tonight baby!!! And don't you go telling me I could make sandwiches instead of eating out, I don't know how to make sandwiches...LOL.

Other than that I have heard from Brian a little more regularly lately and I have enjoyed that. He is doing alright though he is ready to get home and we are ready to have him here. Oh and for anyone who sends him stuff he does have a X-mas tree, so if you'd like you can send him an ornament for x-mas.

Oh and also on the baby news front, Avery is really making an effort to stand alone. She lets go of things and smiles REALLY big until she falls... she is a toughie though cause she only fusses if she bonks her head and even then not much. I guess she has fallen enough that she is now good at falling "lightly" in a sort of slow fall down onto her butt.

One last thing: for Halloween my Tristan is going to be a storm trooper, Sammi is going to be Belle, Keagan Harry Potter (I may even do the temporary black hair die???) and Avery a princess.

What are your kids (yourself??) going to be??? And if you haven't gotten anything yet (and you celebrate) my wish for you is GET WITH THE PROGRAM IT IS OCTOBER ALREADY.... HAVEN'T YOU SEEN THE COSTUMES OUT FOR MONTHS ALREADY????LOL. If you already have 'em here is a internet pat on the back *pat* If you don't celebrate... please don't steal anyone else's candy, that is just wrong...hahahahahaha. Good day guys!

Food, Shopping and Scouts

Hello, Hello, welcome and thanks for stopping by! So, I told you I was going shopping and eating last Sunday (the 17th). Oh my goodness, was the food great. Brunch was super Yummy!! My favorite "chef" of the Mongolian beef was there... YUMMY. Tristan always loves going there because he eats boat loads of crab legs...you got it YUMMY! Then we went shopping. I got a x-mas gift for my mom/dad2 -in-law and sis-in-law (Brian told me what to get). I also got a Hannuka gift for my Bro. Amazingly, I made a little purchase for myself as well. Fun Fun! Then we went to Chili's and we had a small amount of excitement.

We ordered our food and ate (YUMMY again) then as the waitress, Helen, was ringing us up... poof the power went out and we were in the semi-dark at the restaurant. Helen came over and told us that if the power didn't come back on our meal would be free... well the lights came back on, so we had to pay. However, apparently all the power DID NOT come back on. I noticed that all the people who had just ordered and got drinks, were quickly sent out without paying. When Helen came back with our bills she told us we all had to get out, cause they were evacuating, just to be safe. The ovens had not come back on and she said that it was a precaution in case there was a gas leak! So we flew the coop. Apparently everything was okay, cause there was nothing in the paper about it.

So fast forward to this past weekend. On Friday there was a homecoming parade on post and the scouts (boy and girl) were invited to walk in it. Tristan just joined up as a scout and this was his first function. Sammi switched over into our friend Nina's troop and for those of you who know her she is doing A TON with the girls. Anyway, I got some pictures of my kids in the parade and one of Keagan watching. The boy scouts walked (and Tristan waved to all his fans...lol) while the girl scouts passed out candy (after all the girls/women were lectured no throwing candy this year, it must be handed to the spectators...party poopers in charge!).

On Saturday we went to Keagan's soccer game (Tristan had a bye). I was soooo busy cheering for my boy that I didn't take any pictures. Lil' man got EIGHT yes EIGHT goals! He was all over the field, dropping back and blocking their goals then getting the ball and going all the way down the field with it! So much fun to watch. That night Tristan got to play on the xbox with my brother Michael via xbox live (while I did some chatting on the phone with my friend Melissa). He (we) had so much fun.

On Sunday we did something really special. We went to Frankfurt with the girl scouts and walked in a breast cancer walk "Walk For the Cure." All my kids walked the course (Avery rode/slept in the jogger stroller). Poor Keagan was so little that the small shirt looked like a dress. I didn't take ANY pictures cause dumb a** me forgot the camera... yes you better believe it, I forgot it. It was a great thing to be a part of and we had a great time and got some unexpected free stuff at the end of it! The weekend was capped off by a delicious (as always) BBQ with our friends Tina and Eric...again YUMMY!!!!

Well, I put up some pic's from the parade check 'em out when you get the chance.

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

I have no clue what to wish/hope for you... maybe today I wont be so presumptuous and push my wishes on you... I hope you get whatever it is you want to get out of your day!!!!

Four Daddies

So, do you remember me telling you about www.daddydolls.com ? Well, we ordered our Daddy dolls and got them in the mail recently. I finally got some pictures with the "dolls" and I have added them to the picture website the last page.

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Additionally I got a few pics of the kids playing soccer today, but they didn't turn out great, they have us behind fences now. I posted one of Tristan throwing the ball in and one of Keagan about to make a goal (he made five goals during his game). You may notice in Keagan's picture that they are all wearing odd ball shirts. The youth Sports department have their.... well I won't finish that...we are three weeks into the season with two games under our belt, and they don't have any shirts for the bambino's (Keagan's age group). Hopefully we will get them Tuesday... ah well!

Let me just tell you about my awesome weekend, starting last night (Friday). Yesterday Survivor started here!!!! YEAH!!!!! We had friends over for dinner and desert, Pizza from Pizza Point and desert was made by my friend Dara (a sugar cookie with peanut butter/cream cheese mixture and apples pizza type treat...yum!), then they went home and we watched survivor and I am sorry but I do not see anything wrong with them dividing up the groups into races. They are not trying to offend, they just want us to get all huffy and watch so they get the ratings. Well "Survivor people" no need to do the fancy footwork, we just love to watch even without the gimmicks! Then today I got to watch my boys play some soccer and tonight we are having some little friends stay the night. Well, between all the kids, there really isn't one meal they all like, so to make it fun for all, we are having brownies and ice cream for DINNER!!!!! YUMMMM!!! Then,something I have been waiting since like June to do.... tomorrow... we are having a full day of yummy food and shopping oh my with our friend Tina! First we will have brunch at the O Club in Ramstein (about an hour away) yummm... crab legs, mongolian beef, etc... then we will shop at a GINORMOUS bazaar, also in Ramstein, with about 200 vendors filling TWO hangers!!!!! I will be finishing my holiday shopping there!!! Then we will finish the day off by eating dinner at Chilis!!!! YUMMMY!!!! I am so excited!!!

Oh and yes, you did read right, I said "finish my holiday shopping." As usual, I have ordered all the kids gifts online and have received them already, I already got something for Brian and he has gotten for me (an iPod since my last broke and I need tunes to run...thanks Brian), I already have all of our extended family done except the last few and what I am getting is all at the bazaar!!! So come Monday morning I will have X-mas and Hanukkah shopping done!!! I have even already gotten for all the teachers and for all the kids in each class (VERY SMALL gifts for the kids). Why am I telling you this? Because I am so darn unorganized most times so when I get my crap together I am just so proud...LOL!!!! So I will not be running around in December like a chicken with my head cut off, until Dec 26th... Oh I am so on those after X-Mas sales... Tina you with me??!?!?!?!?!?

Well, I am off to take a nap, Lil' Avery is a bit sick and while she doesn't wake up a lot, she does a lot of snorting at night that wakes me up...lol.

With that, my wish for you is a snort free night!!!! Thanks for stopping by... Oh and for one of my "lurkers" Congrats on making it to six months (on the 11th of Sept)!!! Good for you making it to your goal!!!

Post Missing

Well if you saw the post I put up Saturday, it has been removed. I am still very happy for my friends and their efforts to have children because they are gonna make fabulous parents. However, apparently there was a false positive and Tina is "not" pregnant. I know they will get pregnant and who knows maybe they are now and there is just some internal hormonal confusion. When Tina allows it, I will post the good news again!!! I just know it will be soon!!!

Other than that, I have pretty much nothing to report. The kids are loving soccer, Sammi is loving watching as am I. Avery is my little mobile sweetie and I am afraid she may be walking much sooner than I am ready. I feel like I am forgetting something... ah well, I will post it when I remember!!!!

My wish for you, blog reader, is that an unexpected, wonderful, dreamed for event is in your near future!

First Day, First Outdoor Run and More

There he is.... My big boy!!! That's him outside the house as we are leaving to go to his first day EVER of school!!! This photo was taken yesterday (Tristan, Sammi and Keagan are all in school as I type this). He had a good day, even napped for 30 minutes while at school. His teacher doesn't do homework and he wants some, so I have told him I will give him some....Silly boy. I missed him terribly yesterday and I miss him today, I miss them all. We talk all the time, poor Avery, like I told my friend, by the end of this week she will know how to say "Shut up woman!" LOL.

After I dropped of my monster at school, I went for my first outdoor run in over a year!!!! I can run on a treadmill, but outside is soooooooooo much better.... wait... soooooooooo much better! Avery sat comfortably in a jogger stroller and she seemed to enjoy herself as well.

Also, Soccer season is upon us! Sammi opted out this time, she loves the sport, but she is afraid of getting hurt. I tried to convince her, but I won't force her. We plan to sign her up for Winter cheerleading though. The boys have been loving their practices! The first games are this weekend, so expect action packed photos soon!!

Speaking of which, I added more pictures to the pictures site and since there was room, I did NOT delete any of the old ones. Please check out the new ones, beginning on page three:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

The very last picture is Keagan giving me a thumbs up because he had a good day at school.

I hope you all do a bit of exercise today that you love, whether it be running, vacuuming, or digging up a tree stump in the yard!!!

Goodnight Crock Hunter

Well, I did have other things to post about, but I will do that later. I woke up today to the news that Steve Irwin the crocodile huter has died. For some reason this is really getting to me. I can remember when I first learned of him. I was watching Rosie ODonnell's show and she had said how she couldsn't sleep or something and saw some crazy guy running around with crocodiles on TV (his show, when first done, was on LATE at night). She did a great aussie accent immitating all his now widely known catch phrases. Although he seemed a bit nutty, he did a great thing for Australia and a great thing for all of us, we now slightly love crocks and snakes and other creepy crawlies. I feel badly for his two children Bindi (8) and Bob (almost 3), his wife Terry, his country and animal lovers everywhere. I guess it is good that he died doing something he loves, I wish we could all be so lucky (although not so young).

I know there are many other deaths all the time that perhaps deserve more of my attention (like SOLDIERS for one), but for some reason this is really making me pause today. I really want the blogger to be upbeat and I think I have stayed true to that, but today, I felt like sharing this bit of news.

Goodnight Crock Hunter and I hope when you see G-d you exclaim "Crikey!"

Phone Call, Birthday and School Oh My

Busy, busy times I tell ya'! First on Sunday my BABY turned NINE!!!! How the heck did that happen and where the heck have I been??? Didn't I just deliver him yesterday...whew, time flys! Since we had already had a birthday party while Daddy was here, we had some friends (all from same family--the one where baby was born same day as Avery) come over and share some cake and ice cream with us. The boys in our friend family LOVE light sabers (and now my boys do too--though I don't--lol) and they very nicely brought them to share. So I got a few pictures of them "sword fighting" with the light sabers in the rain. Tristan really enjoyed himself as did all the kids. The highlight of the day was Daddy's phone call (only the 4th one--we usually communicate via IMing and email) just for his birthday boy. Brian is SUPER DUPER busy right now (I am sure you have seen the news) so it was really great that he was able to call (his last call was on Keagan Monsters b-day).

Oh and before Tristan's birthday and the day after she lost her first one, Sammi lost her second tooth, no really, she lost it. We were at Wingers eating and she looks at me "MOM!!!" holding out her bottom jaw. UH OH no tooth. I had warned her she might eat it, since she wont let me pull 'em, she just lets them literally fall out. She insists she didn't eat it. While eating her chicken, she felt something crunchy, took it out of her mouth, and tossed it over her shoulder. Don't worry we immediately had a table manners talk...lol.

The day after Tristan's birthday was the first day of school for my two eldest, Keagan starts on the 5th. The like their teachers a lot, so hopefully they were placed well. Not a lot to report here, since they are only into their third day of school now. I can tell you that crazy me, I miss them a lot!! But Keagan and Avery keep me busy. I am really gonna' miss my little monster on Tuesday.... oh well.

I have forgotten to mention some important anniversaries around here. On August 20th I have been smoke free for TEN YEARS!!!! YEAH ME!!!!! I read a report that by ten years the lungs are back to the health of someone who has never smoked... look at my lungs aren't they beautiful!?!?!?!??!?! The next big day is August 25th, and it is a big day for two reasons: Brian has been in the army for FOURTEEN YEARS!!!! YEAH BRIAN!!!!! Also we are now halfway through the deployment... Brian hit six months on the 25th. I don't know what to think about this one, I mean I am glad we have made it to the half way mark, but then I realize we have to do the same amount of time over again!!! Well at least half way is something.


I will be adding and deleting some pictures in a few minutes, check em out if you like at:
http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Also I was trying to add a picture of my birthday boy here, but it wont let me Hmmph!

Anywho... I am wishing you ummmm... a good one...hummm.... that no peas make it up your kids nose today... and if you have no kids, I am hoping you don't put one in your own!

Girl Firsts

Today has been a big day for my girls! They both had some firsts. You can see Sammi's right there... she lost her first tooth! Avery's first is pulling herself to a standing position. I told you she is a lady on the move. She was too funny though... she was giggling in her playpen behind me (I was uploading pics on the computer) , I thought one of the kids was playing with her. Tristan comes in the room and screams "AVERY IS STANDING UP!!!!", and sure enough she is. Meanwhile she is giggling at herself...lol. After a bit, she falls over and then she is really POed. She pulls herself up again and lo and behold, she starts giggling again. I am really happy that she is just as proud of herself as we are! No, I did not get a picture, the camera was attached to the computer downloading pictures and I did not get video because I ran out of tape Wednesday night video taping me waking the kids up (story in a sec.). So, no pics this time, but she will stand for years to come, I am sure I will get thousands... if not millions the way I take pictures!

So about me waking the kids up... on wed. night/thurs. morn, I got the kids up at midnight. "What emergency did they have this time?" you may be asking yourself, fear not silent reader for there was only fun to be had! We left Avery to her slumber, while the rest of us had an hour long "Mid-night Party" the kids arose to cake and ice cream and 1 round of Skip-Bo (I updated the picture website and there is one of them eating said treats). It was REALLY alot of fun.... and the kids were soooo shocked!

Anyway please visit the pictures here:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

comments about what you are about to see:

--Avery in pink shirt/white background is her 7 month "b-day"
--The overalls that Avery is wearing, all four of my kids have worn and they STILL look great
--In one picture Avery is sitting with her cute little friend Sabrey who was born on the same day as Avery, but in the morning.


Well folks that is about it. Since I am feeling sleepy right now, I will go ahead and honestly wish that you find peace and tranquility in your day today, I know I need it!

Busy Busy Avery

Well this update is mostly about Avery because she has been so busy learning new things, in her own unique way. She has reached many milestones in the last few weeks, some while Daddy was here and some since he has left. While Daddy was here she learned to crawl, and on the same day learned how to put herself in the sitting position. She seemed to think sitting was more fun, because she put herself in that position more than she tried to crawl. The thing is, silly girl didn't know how to sit!!! LOL!!! So, she would put herself in the sitting position, then one, two three, conk...she fell over. That didn't deter her though, like I said she kept doing it. About ten days later she could actually sit and now sits so well that I do not "guard" her head. Just a few days ago she learned to say her "first word" (not sure if she knows what she is talking about). Then the next day she learned her second word, and the third day... you got it... her third word. ALL of my kids have said "MaMa" first (well... Tristan called me "BaBa" until he was about 18 months... but he said the word "MaMa" first). Avery, ever the different red head, said "DaDa" first!!!! Sadly she did it about 3 days after Brian left, so he missed it. Next day it was "BaBa", then finally "MaMa." She seems to say "MaMa" when she is crying, it must be easier to say then...lol, she babbles "BaBa" and "DaDa." The kids and I try to reinforce the word "DaDa" and it's meaning by showing her pictures and talking about him "Where is Daddy?" when she says it. I would be THRILLED if when she sees him again in February/March she says "DaDa" to him. So, I think that is all her new stuff. Oh one more thing, now that she can move, anyone who has been around my kids you know what I am talking about: She is EVEN MORE ACTIVE... she is constantly moving if her eyes are open... lordy I hope it helps me loose more weight...lol.

Okay so other news...
Brian has requested a curtailment (I think that is what it is called) that is sure to get granted. So, we are expecting to be leaving here on or about April 15th of 2007. Our destination is the reason he thinks it will surely get approved, we are going to MPCCC. Yup, that's right Missouri here we come! I have some "silent readers" that never post, but you see "rfamily" respond (she is usually the only one "brave" enough to do so...lol) to most (or is it all) posts. She lives in Missouri, so rfamily... I'll be seeing you soon!!! Will you still post on my blogger?...lol. Also, I just found out that another friend is moving to Missouri (currently in Aleebamee), perhaps in the May time frame and I hear that she is SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED TO SEEEE MEEEEEEE!!!!!! You know who you are lady...lol!!! Anyway, I really am not that egotistical, I am just being a goof. I am looking forward to seeing familiar faces in Missouri especially since to me, the state really is "Misery." If I HAVE to go there, I am thankful I have friends there too. What is also really cool is my Mom-in-law and one of my Pop-in-laws (I have two...lol) live nearby, I think we figured 1 and 3/4 to 2 hours away. So expect us to be on your doorstep!

What is really crazy is this will be our first "official" stateside assignment since 1995!!!!! We have technically been overseas since Aug 1995.... almost 12 years when all is said and done. For those of you wondering... Netherlands 95-98, Alaska 98-2002 (yes this is an overseas assignment), Brian was only TDY when he went to OCS and OBC, so next assignment is here in Mannheim where we have been since 2002. We are hoping to go back to Alaska when Brian finishes MPCCC school.

Well this is a LONG post... I guess I will be leaving you with this... I hope you find peace, love and tranquility today...

... FORGET THAT... I hope you have a rip roaring good time today... save peace, love and tranquility for another day!!!

Brian Left Yesterday

We had a fantastic visit!!! We pretty much chilled out "around town" for most of his visit, though on the 6th we had a party for Tristan (he turns 9 on the 27th, but wanted a party with his dad), and from the 8th to the 11th we were down in Garmisch. I took 177 pictures while he was here, but my website only allows for so "few" I had to select the ones that I thought would be of interest for the different people that look.

It was really hard to say goodbye yesterday, much harder than the first time! We all got really used to him being around, now we have to adjust back to life without him. Avery did REALLY well with Brian. She took to him right away! You can see it in the first few pics, they are on his first day here. I think it is because: 1) her siblings were all over him, so she probably thought he must be a cool guy; 2) Before he deployed, we made videos of him reading bedtime stories and I play them for all the kids, so he was not unfamiliar to her; and 3) Brian just scooped her up and acted like he had been here all along. To reinforce the bonding, I went to a website:

http://www.daddydolls.com/

and ordered Avery (and one each for the other kids) a daddy doll. It is something that was started by soldiers wives, check it out, cool products there. On our picture page the one with Brian in Uniform, is the one I took and submitted to be put on the doll. I also ordered him a pillowcase and submitted a good pic of all four kids, I will send it to him for X-Mas. When we get the dolls (about 4-6 weeks) I will take a pic of them with their dolls and put in on the picture page. Okay so now a little commentary about the pictures....

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

-Brian fed Avery her first fruit, pears, his favorite fruit.
-The squirt gun fight pictures are Tristan's birthday party. I had told him that Daddy would not want a bunch of other peoples kids running around on his R&R, so Tristan said "I'll have a grown-up party". So, we made a day of it. We invited our good friends Tina and Eric and went to a fabulous brunch in the morning (about 45-60 min away), came home had a squirt gun fight with some awesome squirt guns, then had a fabulous dinner with shrimp, steak and other stuff. I really think it is the best time I have ever had at a "kids" party! Tristan had a blast too. You will see our friends in the pictures. Oh one more mention of the party, my son's favorite cake is strawberry, so you will notice a pink cake... and yes he did get slightly teased for it... he laughed.
-Brian is teasing Avery on purpose with the french frie
-Sam's muddy back was after a bike ride with Dad...OMG!
-When you get to the pics of Brian in a blue shirt with the kids individually, we are at the airport waiting a bit before "sending him off." Once you see the group hug with Dad, Tristan, Sammi, and Keagan that picture and the rest are our last moments with him before he went through security.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and I hope your day is going well. We miss Daddy terribly, but every day that passes is another one closer to when he will come home to us for good!

Probably Last Post Until he Leaves

Well hello readers and how are you on this fine day? Well, I heard from Brian this morning!!! He is in Kuwait, waiting for a flight home. We hope he will be home around mid-night tonight, but you know the army...it could still be a few days. So like the title says, this will most likely be my last post until he leaves again. I have deleted all the old (except for the family pic of course) and posted a bunch of new ones. Call it Avery's world cause they are almost all of her alone. The reason is, I was actually experimenting with lighting, flash(or no flash...blurry sometimes) and she was my subject (other kids playing). Some of the blurry ones are funny, so I left them in. There is one pic of Keagan with one of his trademark goofy grins. He is holding some gifts from Aunt Toni (and in the background is Avery grinning away). Also, Avery is eating fine now, no more getting sick after... so I have some of her happy/messy mid-feed. Can you guess what she was eating? There is also a couple of her in her fav toy... the jumperoo. The very last picture is of her watching Daddy read bedtime stories on TV. Sorry for Avery world, my other kids are cute and fun to take pictures of too, they just avoid me and my camera now... I am the mommarazzi.

The kids just got their new backpacks in the mail, except Keagan, his is still enroute. They are so excited about the backpacks it just cracks me up. We already have school supplies for next year and the school clothes (I think... will be checking after Brian leaves to make sure). We have been holed up inside for like a week now with temps reaching 100 (though mostly upper 90's and today back to 80's). Avery doesn't do well in the heat, so sweaty and heat rash. Our friends Eric and Tina hooked up an airconditioner in the livingroom, so we have been staying there. We are a little stir crazy from staying inside (except errands) so we may stay outside all day today waiting for Daddy. Actually we WILL no probably about it... picnic lunch outside too.

We are all healthy and injury free, and thankful for that!!! I better get going and take the little people into the fresh air!!!

Check out the new pics when you get the chance... HERE::

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Hmmmm... my standard goodbye... well
My wish for you today is that you can take a good C--beep--p and feel fresh again. OMGosh did I just say that??? It must be the Brian in me coming out... to maintain some balance in our home with him gone...lol.

side note: Just did spell check and the program did not recognize "livingroom" and offered lebensraum in its place. What the heck is a lebensraum?????

A Few More

On July 18th Keagan turned five!! I can't believe my baby boy is growing up!!! He'll be in Kindergarten this September!!! We had his birthday party last month since his best friends were going on vacation all of July. Anyway, as a family we went to the bowling alley, ate pizza and played a few video games. The first video game I ever played was Pac Man. I can still remember when I first saw it, I was in awe. It was in a table type of setting at a restaurant. Anyway, I had to take a picture of the birthday boy playing it!!! Also, my mild docile little Sammi girl was kicking ARSE in a "combat" type of game... she was soooo intense and beating the computer. I got some pictures of her face as she played and her tense arms...lol. Also you can see the other kids are amazed watching her kick butt...lol. I added the pictures, and had to delete a few to make room.


Oh yes... and the baby of all my babies is 6 months old today!!!!!


Hope your day includes some cool in this heat infested world...lol.

We had SO MUCH FUN

I feel like a hero, how cheesy is that???

I was excited, but REALLY nervous about driving my kids nearly 268.6 miles away to camp out in the sun/rain/heat/cold for 5 days in a foreign country no less. Well it went swimmingly well!!! Every single one of us (even Avery) had a fabulous time. Avery must love it outdoors cause she was in really good spirits and slept a whole lot! I have to admit I am so proud of me for taking the kids by myself and it ending up a huge success, that's why I feel like a hero. I gave my kids a good time outside of my normal comfort zone. I am proud of the kids too. Everyone came together to make it a great trip. I feel like a whole new person!!! While at the camp site, we went twice to the pool at the resort. We made smores every single night, told ghost stories one night. We cooked our own dinner twice (though we did eat out twice). We played Skip-Bo daily--side note: for those of you with children four and up, this is a must have card game!!! It is fun for all ages. We even had four kids that belonged to another family come over and learn how to play ages 13, 10, 7 and 7 (twins) and I love it too. We walked around and did some exploring and we just enjoyed each others company. May sound cheesy to you, but I am telling you, I had a hell of a time. If I could get used to the smell (we bathed, but you never completely get the campsite funk off ya') and the tics (Sammi and Keagan each got one), I could live like that. It was a blast!

I updated the pictures a few hours ago but I am only now getting the chance to do the blog. Here again is the link:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

Comments on the pictures...

--On our first night there, the resort had the Orlando Magic cheerleaders there. It was their last tour stop. That was a really fun show. All the pictures I took of the dancers came out poorly, so I didn't post 'em but you can see Tristan holding Avery in the seats.

--The view from the resort is just breathtaking!!!!

--You may notice in Sammi's close up shots that she has more red eye than just camera red eye. Well she has had the red eyes for 2 weeks now. We went to the doctor during the first week and they said pink eye (well there is no discharge AT ALL). They treated for pink eye and nothing... then on the morning we left to go camping, doc said Allergies (and yes she said it was fine to go camping). So all week camping we treated for allergies... and she is still not better. Her eyes are pretty red and itch her so badly... I'll take her to the doc again on Monday.

--You may notice that one day the kids are actually wearing collard shirts. Well, that is not our normal "camp attire" but we went into the hotel that night for a nice dinner. The whole time I tried to do whatever the kids wanted, and Tristan remembered that he loved the hotel food. So, I brought one "nice" outfit for each kid to wear to a hotel dinner.

--You may also notice that there are not many pics of Avery. Well, she was either sleeping or in my arms the whole time, so kinda difficult to get pics...lol

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!!

My wish for you today will be super-dooper cheesy but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I hope that today you can spend some time with your kid(s) that brings you both a lot of joy. And if you don't have any kids... be a positive roll model for someone elses... better yet, pet a dog.

Until next time....

I Posted Them

Okay, I got the new pictures up on the website. There are a few from Sammi's overnight Girl Scout Camp (the rest of the 4 rolls are of other people, or clouds, or a fire...lol). I have taken a bunch of pictures lately myself, so I posted them as well. I plan to update again after we get back from camping. We don't plan on doing much, just hanging out at the camp site, so they wont be too exciting!

Okay so a few words about some of the pictures...

--You can still see the red hair baby girl has, I wonder if it is going to last??
--The ones with the green dress are from her 5 month birthday
--There is one of Tristan at day camp... he is the blonde in the center. He was the "lead" in a group skit.
--There are a bunch of us having fun at a local park (off post) Buffalo Park for those of you from here. Avery almost slept through the whole thing...lol.
--Avery, on her own, got something stuck on her ankle and it entertained her for about 20 minutes... soo funny
--Finally, Avery got her first ride in a backpack and I LOVE THIS ONE... So cozy and snug for her and me. She also sat in her high chair for the first time. She looks so tiny in it. She has yet to eat in it though. I gave her rice cereal the other day and she gagged on every bite (yes it was very thinned). I don't know what I am going to ever feed her???

Well, I hope you guys have a smokin' hot (as in fun) July. I hope to post more on the 14, 15 or 16th. Coming up next month... MORE PICTURES WITH DADDY YEAH!!! He leaves Iraq in 19 days, we will see him in 22!!!!!!

Oh here's the link to the pics:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

More Posts to Come

I slowed down on the posts because I keep telling myself "You have more pictures, don't post until you update the picture site." Well, no more, because then I take forever. So, I should be posting a heck of a lot more often. That being said I will not post anything again until after July 14th. I am taking the kids camping in Garmisch, Germany (yup all by my ownself). We leave Monday morning. I hope to have a bunch of pictures to share when I get back.

Sammi took a 35 mm camera to her Girl Scout Camp (overnight for 5 days, did I talk about this already?) and I have gotten the pics put on a disk. However, I have tried to get the few that actually had her in them loaded onto our picture page website... but according to the "wizard" I am not online???? LOL. SO I guess I'll just have to do that another time. It is frustrating though.

Beyond that I have discovered Ross "The Intern" Mathews website. You know the guy on The Tonight Show? I am temporarily addicted and visit it whenever I have a second. He doesn't have a huge following yet, so he has actually mentioned my name in one of his posts... yippie! LOL! Well, I am going to go take a nap as I didn't get a lot of sleep last night (just nervous energy over the trip).

I hope there is a lazy nap in your future!

WOW A lot Has Been Going On

I see a long post in my very near future...lol.

Where do I begin... I will begin with June 11th, the last time I made a post. Later that day we (my good friend Tina and I) rushed Avery to the ER in a local German hospital. She is okay but let me tell you about it. She was fussy all evening and eventually threw up. I wasn't too worried, she has reflux (which is VERY common in babies her age) so she honestly throws up "a lot." I laid her down next to me and she violently threw up again, this time choking on it and for a VERY short while was not breathing... so I called my good friend and her husband who live 1 block away and both, bless their hearts, dropped everything and came over. Eric stayed with the kids while Tina sat with Avery in the car to watch her breathing. So we got the hospital and she violently threw up 2 more times while there. They decided she had better stay the night. Tina went to my house and bless her, she took care of my other three children so I could stay at hospital with Avery. In the late morning the doctors said she seemed fine (they had her on a heart monitor all night) and there was no indication further tests were needed, so they let us go, suggesting perhaps she was fighting off a bad cold (well there were no signs of a cold). 5 days later she had another "episode". This time she never lost her breath, but she just kept throwing up until, bless her heart, her stomach was contracting and nothing was coming up. So, since there wasn't the breathing "issue" we (this time all the kids and I) took her to the American hospital that is about 20 minutes away. Turns out my little girl is having a reaction to single grain baby cereal (the oat kind). Both times she had the "episodes" were the first times she actually swallowed any of the cereal I had fed her (it was time 4 and time 5 she had anything new). So I can't give her anything but breast milk for the time being. I have an appointment on Monday to see a doctor to work out what Avery's food plan is.... because my plan is NOT to nurse her until she is 18 years old...lol. Other than that my dear girl is doing really well.

On June 18th I sent my other daughter away... sniff sniff. She went to an overnight summer camp for FIVE DAYS!!! I couldn't talk to her for FIVE DAYS!!! It is a girl scout camp 2 hours from here. Samantha is so AWSOME!!! I am so proud of her. When she first said she wanted to go, she didn't know any girls going and knew none of the camp councelors and she still wanted to go! Before she actually went though, we found out that 2 girls she knew were going. Anyway, when I dropped her off, she gave me (and the kids) a tight hug and kiss goodbye, turned around walked away and didn't look back. It was a GREAT moment because I realized that she has far more confidence than I ever knew. While the 5 days she was gone were really hard on me, she had a fantastic time, took 4 rolls of film in the first three days...lol!!! Can't wait to see those crazy pictures...lol.

On June 19th, Tristan went to a 5-day DAY camp just about three blocks away from the house. It was a boy scout camp. He also had a fantastic time. On the way home the first day he told me "Mom, I am learning how to be a man." When he said that I looked down at his hands and noticed that they really aren't little boy hands anymore, they are mini-man hands. He has the popping veins and his fingers are thicker and not baby-ish anymore. He actually shot a BB Gun and a bow and arrow (both activities made me slightly cringe inside... but "ya' gotta let go a little Meghan" I thought) and he made rockets and did some art work.

On June 21st, Keagan learned to ride a bike without the training wheels. I promised him I would teach him the week both the big kids were doing cool stuff, and I did. He did a GREAT job and learned really quickly. He didn't have a lot of confidence at first, but I realized it was because of his shorts. He was afraid of leg injury. As soon as he changed into pants he was suddenly so well balanced and taking off. My friend Tina came up with the perfect place to go to continue to build his confidence and it worked great (it was a really large circular "track" he could ride on).

I am a very lucky woman. Life has not always dealt me a stellar hand (has it for anyone?) but here I am, the mother of four fabulous, entertaining, confident, smart and I must say good looking kids...lol... and I am married to one stubborn, smart, successful, loving, talkative (yes he is talkative if given the chance) handsome (he helped make those great lookin' kiddies), courageous hero of a man. I do complain about things from time to time, but often I wonder, what the heck do I have to complain about? Ah well, I'll think of something to complain about tomorrow...lol.

I updated the pictures again and here is a few words about them...

There is a picture of Sammi receiving an award from her teacher for reading the most books (every kid in the class got a unique award).

There is also a picture of Avery and another baby that was born on the same day as Avery. Her mother is my friend Dara and she is Dara's third child. We were friends before the babies were born. Her eldest was in a 1st grade class with Sammi and her middle child was in a pre-school class with Keagan and she and I are the same age. We were due on different days, but both of us delivered on the 20th of Jan, her in the 8am hour and me in the 8pm hour. I actually called her house to tell her my water had broke, and her mother answered and told me she had delivered that morning.

Anyway enjoy the pictures at:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos/

My wish for you today is this.... I hope your day is going SOOOO well that you find time to complain about the little things.

Thanks for stopping in!

Clarification

In my last post I mentioned tht Avery got her first non-breast milk food. I had a friend say she thought I meant I was giving her formula and wondered why I was doing that. I am not giving her formula, what I meant was is this:

The pictures are of her reaction to the first new taste, which is something other than breast milk... it is breast milk mixed with single grain cereal. Also, the bottle Tristan is giving her is a bottle of breast milk. Just wanted to clarify for anyone else who was wondering. Have a fantabulous day!!!

Wow a Whole Month!

I can't believe a whole month has passed me by. I am glad I have been busy as the days go by quicker. Brian will be coming home for two weeeks of R&R (Rest and Relaxation for you non Army types) in less than two months. I wish he was coming home for good, but he'll have to go back to Iraq. He is doing well, but is awfully tired. The last time I had contact with him he had only gotten 3 hours of sleep in 48, but G-d bless him he IM'ed with me anyway... now that is love.

We have been doing well, wrapping up the sports season this weekend. School is out on the 15th so there has been A LOT of end-of-year activities. I have FINALLY updated the pictures on our family picture place, please check them out if you'd like at

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

There are many but I'd like to tell you a little about a few:

--There is Avery's first non breast milk feeding
--Tristan trying to give Avery her first bottle, she never took it
--Mom and Avery napping on couch
--Sammi's hair cut, she cried a little but has since recovered
--and some pictures of the kids at their field day events today

I hope you enjoy them

Well my wish for you is an odd one but here goes... I hope when you rest your head tonight you do not smell urine...lol. Just a wee little joke matey.

How's It Going?

Hello all and how are you on this fine day??? We are doing well. Not too much new going on around here. We have started all the kids sports practices and have had a few games. It has been hectic but great fun! I have updated our picture website. Please visit it at:

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

There are some sport pictures there as well as other adorable pictures (at least I think so). There are a lot of Sammi at her first t-ball practice, since it is her first season. As you can see, I got more pictures from Brian. This is him with his team. I really like the swords in the background (but I love the guy with the goofy red mustache...lol). Well busy me, I have much more to do today (and the sun is beginning to set), I better be going.

Hmmmm... today's wish: I wish for you a beautiful sunset in your future.

Thanks for stopping by!

Been Awhile

Hello all my silent viewers...lol. It has been awhile, I have been very busy AND my camera broke. Well, I bought a new one and there are pictures on it, but I have not read how to load them on the computer yet. However, I finally recovered the last pictures I took with the old camera and I plan to post the last few to our family photo website (I have already deleted all the old, except for one).

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos

News about Avery... she has officially begun her life on the move. I laid her in her crib for nap time. She never did fall asleep, so I went in to check on her when I heard her calling for me. She was on the other end of the crib, sideways!!! So I guess she scoots around on her back. I am not surprised, for the last week when I lay her on her back she raises her entire body--except her heals, her shoulders and head--up off the ground. Really I am proud of her enthusiasm for life, but I do wish she'd slow down just a bit...lol. She's not rolling over though, which my other children had done by now, I guess she is more motivated to "back scoot."

The other kids are all anxiously awaiting the start of the sports season here. The first practices are this week and we have been contacted by everyone EXCEPT Sammi's T-Ball coach! She is disappointed by this, but I have assured her we will get the call (probably a half hour before the first practice, but ah well). For those that celebrate, happy Easter. I did give my kids a HUGE chocolate bunny, you know I could not deprive them of the treat, but no Easter bunny visits our house. I just hope the kids don't ruin it for the other kids (as they know the "truth" about the bunny).

Brian is doing well. We have had sporadic contact, but any contact is great to me! I have a web camera now, so he was able to see us and hear us in our last online chat. He really enjoyed that. A few days later we chatted with Gumpa (Brian's Dad) via the camera and he said he enjoyed it as well. Us camera hams love it! Brian has been excitedly receiving the donations for the Iraqi kids. He keeps telling me to send it as I get it. The Girl Scout troops here have really been giving me a lot to send, thank goodness it is free to mail...lol.

Well, I guess that is about it for us.

For those of you who DO celebrate today's holiday, I hope you have some delicious food and great friends/family to enjoy. For those of you who DON'T I still hope you have some great meals and great company today. We are taking advantage of the yummy meal they will be serving at the DFAC (Military Dining Facility) for lunch. Time for chow...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Today is Brian's 33rd birthday (now don't go saying he is old, because I am OLDER than him). He doesn't get the chance to check this blogger (the internet connection is slow-he hardly checks his email), but I still wanted to shout it to the world. So "happy birthday" to my husband!!! I sent him a corny but heartfelt poem today and I just checked my email and he read it and responded. So, while I would have liked to do it in person, I am glad to know that he got our birthday wishes. Here at home we can't just let the day go by, so we are making cake and having cake and ice cream in his honor tonight. We are going to video tape singing "happy birthday" and blowing out the candles. I have been making him a home video for Fathers day and will include the evenings festivities. I have posted another one of the pictures he sent us. It is similar to the first.

What is new around here? Well I took myself and Avery to the ER this Saturday (everyone went but we were the patients). I thought I had strep throat (I didn't) and was worried that Avery's lingering rash was a strep rash (it wasn't). Additionally, Avery was having a heck of a time with a cold (which I now have) and I THOUGHT she had been having trouble eating because of it. Apparently I was wrong, because she weighed even more than she had just a few days before. As of Saturday she weighs 12 lbs 8 ozs and that was before she was fed. She has now caught up to what Sammi weighed at this age (and Sam was 2+ pounds more at birth). However, she is still much smaller than both of her brothers at this age (I looked all this up in their baby books Sunday). It has occurred to me that since Avery's birth at least one member of this family has been sick. I hope we are at the tail end of that streak. On the upside regarding that, Avery's rash is finally almost completely gone. It is no longer on her head or face, but some lingers on her trunk (as in body, this is not a negative reference to her nose...lol).

Tristan, Sam, and Keagan will be getting on their sports teams this week. We got the phone calls for the parents meetings on Friday. Samantha will get assigned to a T-Ball team tomorrow (Tues.), Keagan will get assigned to a soccer team Wednesday, and Tristan gets a soccer team on Thursday. We are gonna be busy people this spring, but I am really looking forward to it. When I used to dream about having kids, those dreams always included me going to their "events." whether it be sports, plays, or musical events. It brings me great joy to watch them having such a good time!

Well, enough outta me. Happy birthday again to my hubby and I guess my wish for you visitor today, is that someday almost all your birthday wishes come true. I wouldn't want all of them to come true, then you'd loose the joy of wishing.

Brian Sent Pictures

Well howdy doo to you! Brian emailed me some pictures so I thought I would post one here. He is "sporting" a mustache. I am not overly fond of it, but he says men in Iraq see facial hair as a sign of status. Anyway... here is the best one, but he sent me 10. Three were of his living quarters, it doesn't look that great, but it is honestly better than I had thought. Nothing else going on around here.... oh wait I do have one Avery update... I took her to the doc yesterday (she has an awful rash) and she weighs 12.3 lbs, almost a pound more than 10 days earlier. This is a relief to me, because she has been spiting up an awful lot lately, but maybe she has just been eating too much. Well I am off.

I hope there is fat free ice cream rain in your future weather report!!!

Added

I added some photos to pic site and deleted all but one of the old. Enjoy!

http://www.msnusers.com/PilchFamilyPhotos/shoebox.msnw

Sunday Treat!

Hello all!! We had a fairly relaxed weekend. We did a lot, but in a non-stressed fashion which is always best. Yesterday we decided to walk all our errands, which took five hours but nearly two were spent at a new park.

Today we cleaned house and I am so proud of the kids! Tristan, Sam and Keagan are all really big helpers and actually do a really good job cleaning. For those of you that don't know, we live in a stairwell. This means our apartment is one of eight that share the same stairwell (and washers and dryers). No one in this stairwell cleans the stairs (this is our third apartment here in Mannheim and at the other two we had a schedule and took turns). So, I pay my kids to clean it. Last week was their first time doing it, and it showed, but THIS week it looks like a grown up did it! REALLY clean!! So, every weekend that they want to do it, I am happy to pay them as I was honestly embarrassed by the condition of the stairwell prior to them cleaning it. Keagan doesn't do the stairwell cleaning, but he helps around the house and he is SUPER GREAT at cleaning up the playroom, putting everything away neatly (and quickly usually).

Avery is getting happier and happier and she talks SOOOOOOO much!!! I really have no idea where she gets that from (wait why are all those fingers pointing at me???) She loves to talk to us, but she will also talk to her mobile, her toys or whatever. I don't think we can take her to movies anymore she talks so much (though we are gonna try, cause Shaggy Dog comes to our theater this upcoming weekend).

Tonight we started what may become an occasional Pilch tradition. You are looking at it in the picture... sundays for dinner on Sunday!!! I let each kid pick an ice cream at the store (though they can eat all three if they choose), we made brownies to put under the ice cream and toppings to put on top (and a banana for Tristan and I). The kids and I LOVED it... but you would be surprised (at least I am) by how quickly they finish eating even when told they can have as much as they want. All of us ended up throwing away part of our dinner! Me, the ice cream LOVER threw away half of what I had in my bowl (and not because of any dietary restraint... it was just TOO sweet-didn't know that was possible). Anyway, it was great fun and easy cooking so maybe every third or so Sunday we will try it again. It is a nice way to end the weekend. Well, Avery needs a talking companion and I have just the person for the job...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you don't have too many boogers in your nose (I am running out of things to hope for you).

Quick One

Really busy but wanted to share...

Avery is not as big as I thought she'd be. About 11 1/2 pounds (about because it was in Kg and I don't have the conversion right with me). Doc appointment went well besides the three shots... OUCH!

Tristan JUST (as in moments ago) lost his third tooth and that is the picture you are looking at.

Brian emailed... YEAH!!! I am relived to know he is okay and that the "no contact" time didn't last near as long as I thought it would.

Hope your day has lots of chocolate involved!!!

Back At It

Good morning all! Yesterday I finally got back to the business of running. I wont be able to do it regularly until September (when all three of the oldest go to school), but it sure did feel good to run. I ran two miles on a treadmill and it took me almost 22 minutes (whew I am pokey). Ah well.

In our last contact with Brian (via email) he let us know it was going to be awhile before we would hear from him again. So, I am running around like a chicken with me head cut off to make the time go by quickly. The kids and I have been outside daily (and it snowed again a few days ago, though it has melted since), I have been doing crazy projects around the house (like going through all the kids summer clothes to see what we have, etc.) and I am setting up a donation drive again (we did this when the deuce was deployed).

In our last convo (and only phone convo to date) Brian said he wants kids clothes, blankets, shoes, etc. and school supplies to give to the Iraqi kids. This is part of the reason I went through all our stuff. I went to Sammi's Girl Scout troop leader and she sent out an email to all the parents, so they are doing a drive and I went to Sam's school teacher and she is seeing if they are allowed to do a donation drive (I am waiting on this info before I approach Tristan's teacher). If YOU would like to donate some of your old things please send them along to Brian (perhaps write "donation" on the outside of the box, so he knows it is not a personal care package). You are also welcome to send him school supplies, but it is free for me to ship to him (thanks to the Military Postal Service). So if you would like to, you could send me money and I will happily spend it all on school supplies and then mail them in your name. I will keep 10% of the funds though for my labor.... JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!

Well, that is it for now. I will be updating our picture website sometime this weekend and I must say I have some cute pictures to share.

Oh wait, how could I have forgotten... Avery went to bed last night at 930pm and did not wake up until 6am. Wee haaa... and I only got up once to make sure she was breathing (yes, I am improving). She is a much calmer kiddo, she sleeps a lot, doesn't cry much and she smiles all the time. She has a doctors appointment on Monday (her two month, on her two month b-day). I will update again then.

Thanks for stopping in.