Graduation

I can't believe that we are the proud parents of a Unites States Marine!!! We are so thankful of God's grace. His protection that he put upon Aron while there. Here's is a slideshow of some of the picutes. I hope you enjoy them!

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It's time

Is it really time to go? Tomorrow we will leave to get our MARINE!!! I can not begin to tell you the since of pride that I am feeling right now. I would of never thought in a million years that he would grow up to be a Marine.

When he left I cried for the first 2 weeks. The first month lasted forever. And honestly I can't begin to tell you where the heck the last 2 months went. And now I sit here and we leave tomorrow.

God has been so good to me durning this time in my life and I have grown closer to him. I have fallen at his feet in prayer many of times. Learing to lean on him and trust him. HE has made my heart content.

Now I have to deal with the realization that Aron is not staying home. He is simply coming home to visit. It's time for him to start his own life. I know that God will be with me through this season of my life.

Thank you to all of you who prayed for Aron (and me) May God bless you all.
Keep praying for him as he serves as a United States Marine!!!

Aron's wish list

***WARNING POSSIBLE WEIGHT GAIN MY APPLY WHILE LOOKING AT THS PICTURE**

3 packs of OREOS (regular, heads & tails, and chocolate cream filled)
2 packs of snowballs
1 pack waffer cookies
No bake cookies especially made by Nana(Paula)
1 bag of Almond Joy Pieces
3 butterfingers
3 crunch bars
M&M's (regular, peanut & pretzel)
Kit Kat
Reece's
Hershey's(cookies & cream, regular, w/almonds)
Skittles
Raisentts
Reece's Pieces
Almond Joy
Twix
Mr. Goodbar
Cookie Dough bites
Dove Chocolate
Peeps!!!

I'm sure he will eat it all while he is here for 10 days. So much for those 5 lbs he lost!!

Questionnaire #2

1. When you stepped off the bus at MCRD and placed your feet in the yellow footprints your first thought was:

A. I've changed my mind. I would like to go home now.

B. Bring it on-OOHRAH!

C. I want my mommy!

D. Working at Fry's sure looks good.

A. They were jumping around screaming and running. Like little demons. Literally spit in your face, ears ringing, getting pushed around......crazy!

2. The first time you and your SDI stood face to face, nose to nose, you:

A. Threw up and then fainted.

B. Want to throw up and faint, but were to scared to.

C. Repeated silentlly to yourself: "Find a happy place, find a happy place."

D. Glared back at him.

B. When they scream, seems like his mouth is the size of your face.

3. If you had a chance to talk to your recruiter, after the first few days of boot camp you would say:

A.You LIAR! I am NOT having fun!

B. This isn't as tough as you said it would be.

C. Did I do something to you in a past life?

D. What made you think for one minute that I could do this?

A. & C. But, it is his job to get Marines...hahaha

4.When you recieved your inoculation shots, you:

A. Cried and then fainted

B. Screamed like when you were two years old and had to have a shot.

C. Went to the end of the line so you could go again.

D. Told the doctor: "My butt muscles are so hard you better get a bigger needle!"

Was sore for a min. Then the next day my left cheek killed!

5. What time do you get up in the morning?

A. O'dark thirty

B. Whenever you feel like it.

C. When some DI starts yelling.

D. After a full eight hours of peaceful sleep.

C. Actually the lights come on and they yell at 4-5 Am

6. When you wake up in the morning you:

A. Wonder if the psychopath in charge will let you live one more day.

B. Hope the second psychopath in charge yells at soeone other then you.

C. Hope that this is all just a bad dream.

D. Hope to hear mom in the kitchen, and smell bacon cooking.

A,B,C,D: All apply! It's the worst. Can't wait to come home.

7. On a scale 1 to 10, how would you rate the chow? (10 being awesome)

Depend....6-7 Can't wait for a home cooked meal!

8. During upper body strike training you:

A. Came out bruised and battered

B. They guy you were fighting came out bruised and battered

C. Pretended you were hitting a certain manager from Fry's.

D. Told the instructor that you believed in non-violent conflict resolution.

C. I relly did. hahah.....We hit pads, we fight for real on the crucible.

9. When the DI yells your name you:

A. Pretend you have amnesia and dont know your name.

B. Hide

C. Ignore him and continue doing what your doing.

D. Throw up and faint

B. No, when they call you better get there fast as heck!

10. When a DI walks on deck everyone says:

A. S'up dog?

B. Run for your lives!

C. We missed you!

D. Absolutly nothing

We have to say Good (proper greeting of the day) Sir!!!!! and stand at attention.

11. When you have fire watch it means you:

A. Roast marshmellows over a bonfire and make Smores.

B. Make sure no one plays with matches.

C. Play with matches.

D. Ask if there is a way to get fired from the Marines.

A. I wish! Definatley gonna do that when I get home though. No, to much to write about firewatch. Ask me about it after grad and I will tell ya about it. It sucks!

12. What kind of belt do you earn in the Marine Corp Martial Arts Program?

A. Black belt

B. Pink belt

C. Garter belt

D. None, you just get belted alot.

D. Kinda more PT in that then you think. But I think we earn a tan belt.

13. Why is the thrid hat known as the kill hat?

A. Because he pushes us until we drop dead.

B. He specializes in the third ring of Hell.

C. Because he is three times as nice as the other DI's and has a killer smile.

D. He is to crazy to be the first or second hat.

B. All the green belts are crazy. Again I will explain more later.

14. Which of these apply to your M-16A4 rifle.

A. Carries a 30 round magazine

B. Coes in a variety of colors with matching shoulder straps.

C. Can fire 800 rounds per minute.

D. Kicks harder than dads old WWII rifle.

A. I loved it, but now I hate it. We take it everywhere.

15. My rifles nickname is:

A. Shasta McNasty

B. The Bronsonator

C. Dancing Queen

D. The Eraser

I dont have that kind of nickname for it. How about you guys think of something for me. The DI's say our rifles are our (WARNING EXPLICT!) "bitches"

16. During swim week we had to:

A. Execute a perfect belly flop.

B. Train in full combat gear.

C. Engage in a fun game of Marco Polo.

D. Swim or die

B. Sucked! But I passed! The 1st time!

17. What are the daily sevens?

A. I have no idea.

B. The seven times a day we are given a coffee break.

C. Seven more ways for the DI's to make our lives miserable.

D. Sets of exercises.

A. Never heard of it..hahaha

18. How many times have you been "quater decked?"

A. None

B. I've lost count

C. I volunteer for it everyday!

D. One time.

B. It sucks! I'll I.T or "quarter deck" the boys when I get home.

19. Where do you want to eat your first meal after graduation?

A. I just want a MRE

B. In-n-out burger

C. Alfonsos

D. Baskin Robbins

All the above! Anything! MRE's are good. But I want real food.

No, acutally I really want the endless shrimp from Red Lobster!

20. What do you want us to bring to California when we come to graduation?

A. Tania

B. Oreos

C. Contacts

D. All the above.

ALL THE ABOVE! I really need some contacts. Bring them and give themto me on Family Day. Bring chocolate! And def Tania, and the rest of the family,...hahah! I have an ongoing listof just plain junk food, straight forward asking for diabetes junk food, for hwen I get home. It's probably gonna be pretty disgusting for the 1st few days. I am going to pig out! And i'm gonna destroy a Maverick or something on the way home! Seriously!

Yes, I know......

Yes, I know it's been FOREVER since I posted. There really is no excuse si I'm not not going to ever try to come up with one. First I need to say "Happy Birthday" to my wonderful husband! You are the best. I love you so much!

Another "Happy birthday" to my son Marcus. He turned 17! I can't believe it. The morning of his birthday I said "Happy birthday. 17 hu? Where did the time go?" He replied "Out the window" As much as I didn't want to realize it, it has. Time went by so darn fast.

Alright let's get started with this cause I have A LOT of typing to do. Aron is doing very well at bootcamp. We are starting to get a letter a week now. They are given alittle more time to write. He is ready to come home and eat,eat, eat!! Missing all the junk food. Dave has sent off a few questionars. He is so creative. Aron said he loves them and so does the guys in his platoon.

There are 2 so I will start with the short one and just give the answer he circle and what he said next to it.

1. How many guys are left in Platoon 1042?
79~ Almost lost one, but he qualifid on the range the 2nd time.

2. Are you over your cold?
Yes, The 1st one ya. But have another one now. But not as bad

3. Any other ilness or injuries?
Yes, Crazy weird rash. I really really need your prayers. I'm being serious.

4. How does Camp Pendleton compare to MCRD?
Worse, It's so dirty and you have to hike instead of march

5. How did you do in swim week?
Good, tough, more so then you think.

6. Do you think you have gained weight?
Weighless, about 5lbs

7. Have you gained muscle?
Can't tell, If I have I have no idea. Lot's of muscle memory and endurance

8. How do you like your haircut?
It's ok. I feel like I look funny.

9. What has been your favorite activity?
Chruch/square away time. Haha, no the rifle range

10. What have you gotten in the most trouble for?
Talking to the DI's like they were my friends they say..hahah...Sometimes your so tired your not even thinking.

11. Do you like your M-16?
Love it and hate it

12. When you answer your DI what do you say?
Yes Sir, or Aye, Aye Sir.

Questions we want to know

Dave send Aron a list of questions we wanted to know. Once again he gave him mulitple choice. But I am just writting what Aron said.

1. What time do you go to bed?
9pm

2. What time do you get up?
Between 4 &5 am

3. What part of yor body hurts the most? We asked this cause he was having some trouble with his elbow before he left. He said his legs. (which is better then his elbow)

4. Are things getting easeir?
A little

5. Do you get yelled at a lot?
Sometimes- The platoon, not me usuallly.

6. Do you have any free time at all?
A few minutes

7. Do you get along with the other recruits?
Yes

8. What do you miss most from home?
Oreo's- sleeping in- golf- Ipod
Aron wrote #1 FAMILY & TANIA and then he circled the rest.

9. Did you have to see a doctor and dentist?
How may cavities? 0 How many shots? too many to count

10. What will be hard to pass or qualify on?
Physical Tests- Written tests- Marksmenship- None
He said I really have no clue yet

Phase 1 Questionnaire

Dave sent Aron this questionnaire. With having little or no time to really write he thought it would be easier if he wrote him the questions and gave him options to choose from. So here it is. Keep in mind this was done in the first few weeks of boot camp. so I'm sure his opion will change with the next questionnaire. Enjoy!

1. How bad do your feet hurt?
none- bad- real bad- they are numb

A: Bad, Lot's of running

2. Are these guys in your platoon?
Castle- Fede- Neither (these guys Aron got to know while still here in PV while attending PT which is Physical training)

A: Castle & Fede~ Awesome!

3. Is boot camp harder than you thought?
No- yes- heck yes!

A: Heck yes~ Do everything impossibly fast

4. Where are you compared to other guys in physical fitness?
back of the pack- front of the pack- middle of the pack

A: middle of the pack

5. Hows the food?
Ok- good- great- bad- aweful

A: Ok~ Not that I have time to taste

6. How many push ups have you done?
A few- a lot- tons- infinity

A: infinity

7. How are the DI's?
Ok- kind and loving- ball busters

A: Ball busters~ I hate them!

8. Are you still glad you joined?
No- kind of- yes- not sure

A: Kind of~ Letters! And reassurance of Tania helps a whole lot!

9. How tired are you?
I'm not- A little- A lot- to tired to know

A: A lot

10. How much time off do you get on Sundays?
All day- couple hours- Almost none

A: Almost none~ Church. That's it.

11. Have you been issued a M-16?
Yes- No

A: Yes~ An m16A4

12. Have any guys beed dropped or quit?
None- a couple- a bunch

A: A bunch~ Started with 120 now 78

"The challenge"

Aron's second letter came with a challenge. He told us to get the following and see if we could eat it in 6-8 minutes.

1 piece of chicken
1 scoop of mashed potatoes
2 spoon fulls of vegatables
2 scoops of peanut butter
1 scoop of salad
2 pieces of fruit
2 slices of bread
2 cookies
1 glass of milk or water

He has to eat this 3 times a day! Although I'm sure the food may vary this is what we had. Enjoy the video's and pictures! We had fun doing the challenge. I can't wait for him to get home and see the video's.
We each got 8 minutes to eat our food. The video's are not of all 8 minutes. The hardest food to get down had to be the peanut butter and the bread.

Placement of the winners were.........
1st: Dave
2nd: Marcus
3rd: Ryan
4th: Tania
5th: Michael
6th: Chris

Create your own free picture slideshow

My Challenge

I know this will totally break your heart Sarah....lol

Before Aron went into bootcamp I thought about something that I wanted to give up. I thought I would try it since he will be giving up a lot more then just 1 thing for 3 long months.

So I choose soda. I'm not a big soda drinker but I do enjoy it every once in awhile.

So as of today it's been a month since I have had one. Believe me I have had my fare share of cravings for one but I have done good so far.

I am however a ice cream addict! There is NO way I would be able to give that up. It's a fun challenge. Here's to 2 more months! Cheers.

Happy Anniversary

18 years ago I married my best friend. The love of my life. I could not of asked for anything more. I have been blessed!
We went to Lynx Lake Cafe where we had German food. It was really good. Then we went to Yavapia College to watch Prescott's Got Talent.
Then the next day I went golfing with Dave at Stone Ridge. Well he golfed, I drove the cart!!
Here is to another great 18 years!!

Happy Birthday Aron

Happy 19th Birthday Aron

(your were 16 in this picture)

Today you turn 19...in Marine bootcamp! I hope that your day is a happy one. Although I'm sure it will be full of of workouts, screaming and push ups. This day you will never forget. Spending it somewhere other then home. But I sure hope you know that we are thinking about you.

We love you so much!

Happy birthday Aron, sending you lot's of love, hugs and prayers.

O-R-E-O cookies & tears

Oh, oh, oh, ice cold milk

and an Oreo cookie

They forever go together,

what a classic combonation,

when a dark, delicious cookie,

meets an icy cold sensation,

like the one and only creamy,

crunchy, chocolate, o-r-e-o!

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and it was the first real BIG trip I have done since Aron has left. When you shop you have a lot of thinking time. I started seeing things that reminded me of him and I started to get a bit sad. Aron is in L-O-V-E with O-R-E-O cookies!

I went to Safeway and saw oreo cookies. I went to Albertsons and saw oreo cookies. Then I went to Fry's and saw oreo cookies. UGH!!

I was trying to keep it together and almost lost it when I saw Tania. I was just quite and had lost my mind when I gave the cashier the wrong stack of coupons. Every coupon she asked did you get this? Did you get that? I just stopped and said I'm sorry my mind is elsewhere. Here is the correct stack of coupons. Then Tania asked me if I was alright and I just lost it. Right there in the store. In front of everyone. The poor cashier lady looked at me and asked me if I was alright. The she looks at Tania who now has started to cry. Then the cashier looks at Aron's friend who is bagging at the next station and Riley says, I didn't do it. That's when we kinda started to laugh.

Tania took my grocery's out for me and we chatted a bit. I just wonder if the tears will ever end. I'm sure they will at some point. Or at least I hope they do. A lot of this emotion comes from missing him. His birthday is Thursday and then there's Thanksgiving. All of it without him.

I can't WAIT for Dec 16th!! 73 more days!!

Form Letter

Being with day care kids all this song came into my head today....

"We just got a letter, we just got a letter, we just got a letter. Wonder who it's from."
And that is exactly what it was. A form letter.

But now we have his address and can start sending letters. I'm super excited!!

It's only been a week.

Oh my goodness. I can't believe it's ONLY been 1 week! Really? I feel like it's been a month! I'm sure by the time it's a month I will feel like it's only been a week. I'm getting better at this emotional roller coaster but someday's it's just hard. I'm looking forward to his first letter!

So my sister lives in Santa Monica and made a trip down to San Diego to visit a friend. Her friend pulled over 5 lanes of traffic so she could get a picture of the Camp Pendleton sign. This is where Aron is at for training! I was so jealous. She was so close to him.

Swearing In~ 86 more days!!!

Aron swore in and we got to take a few pictures. Then we said our goodbyes. This was the hardest day of my life. But with prayer I know God will comfort me!

86 more days!!

The day before

All of us at dinner

Aron and his buddy Justin

Yesterday we spent the day at Castle and Coasters with the boys. It was hot but alot of fun for all of us to spend sometime together.

My son

took me on a date last night to Red Lobster! We had a great visit with each other! I'm sure going to miss him when he's gone.

5 Days

Well time is getting closer to Aron leaving. 5 days, yes, 5 short days and he will be in San Diego at bootcamp.
How am I feeling? Sad, but excited.
I'm sad to see him go but I'm happy to see him doing what he really wants to do.
I'm sad to see my son go but excited to see the man he will come back as.
Today was a reality check that he's really going. He sold his car!!

Making Bibs

Mixed emotion day

Well today is the first day of school. Michael will attend 7th grade. My last one in Junior high. He has always been with one of his brothers and this year he will go to school alone. I often wonder how will do. I feel sad for him to not have anyone there but I know he will do just fine. Since most of the kids he has gone to school with since kindergarten.



Ryan will start his freshman year. I look back and I see myself holding this tiny little baby who was suppose to be our last. I remember holding him crying and Dave looking at me. He said, You want another one don't you?" I smiled through my tears and said yes. Now look at the child. Not only is he taller then me he's in HIGH SCHOOL!! There for awhile he was really not wanting to go. Ryan is alot like I am. Change does not come easy for us. He has started to come to grips of not really having a choice so he's starting to loosin up. A week before school actually started he was getting excited. So I guess there's some hope for him. Marcus will be there with him so that's a plus.



Marcus will be a junior. Simply amazing how that happens...lol......Having older children who can drive is a plus! Not only can he take and pick Ryan to and from school, he can also pick up Michael from school. This will be the first year that I will not have to load up 5 or 6 day care kids everyday and go pick up the boys. Except for Fridays. They get out at 1215 so I will have to go after him. I sure am looking forward to it though.



And Aron. Yes, it was strange having him home this morning. Not having to go wake him up for school. Not having to buy him school supplies or clothes. While he was suppose to leave for bootcamp January 10th he will now be leaving September 20th. This was the conversation when he called.

A: "Mom, my recru..."

M:"Wait, stop right there. If you are pulling a joke on me just don't do that cause it won't be funny."

A:"No mom listen. It's not a joke."

M: (tears start to weld up) "ok"

A:" Sgt. Milliron called and said they have an opening in Intelligance soon and asked if I wanted to go."

M:"ok, when?"

A:" I'd leave September 20th."

M:" Did you say yes?"

A:"Yeah, I did."

M:"ok (crying)



As hard as this is going to be I know it's going to be the best thing for him. I am very excited to see him start his own life but sad to let him go. He is a good man! I just love him so much!!

Conversation with 4 yr olds

Danika-4, Jackson-4, Lance-4 (all day care kids)

So yesterday while we were having lunch with my day care kids Michael asked me what kind of car Danika had that had a different name. While I was trying to rack my brain to remember I asked her what kind of car she had.

Danika says "We have the Old blue which is my dad's truck. Then we have the orange and whitie. And my mom drives the Tahoe. We used to have the PT Cruiser and Denali but we sold the PT Cruiser and Denali. I'm not sure why but we did."

I replied, "oh yeah Denali."

Then Michael looks at Jackson and says, "Jackson, what kind of car does your mom drive?" Jackson says, "One with wheels."

We busted out laughing. It was so funny.

YOUR OUT!!!

For those of you know don't know, Dave is the Chief Umpire for Prescott Valley Little League. He manages all the umpires for the season. This is his first year to be apart of the Umpiring crew. He loves what he does and he's good at it. This year he was asked to umpire the Little League All Stars for the boys 11-12 division. This is a picture that was in the paper.

Catching Up

Ok so I know I've been M.I. A for a llloooonnngggg time! No excuse to why, just pure laziness I guess. I have no idea where to start but with the here and now. No since in driving myself totally crazy by starting way back when I guess.
So here's to the now......

Happy 14th Birthday Ryan

Today is Ryan's 14th birthday. The lucky duck got to go to Disneyland with the 8th graders from school!! Ryan I hope you have a "magical" birthday. We love you

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma Toni

Happy Birthday Michael

Today my "baby" turns 12 years old.

Happy Birthday Michael. We love you bunches and bunches!!

Big Smile

Look at Aiden's smile. Isn't he just the most precious baby ever?

Happy Birthday Jackie

Happy Birthday Jackie. Your 5 yrs old today!!

Senior Prom~ May 2010

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Sunday

My Sunday visit with Aiden!

Aiden comes to visit

Aiden came to visit me last Friday! I was so excited when he and his mom stopped by.

I go to see Aiden every Sunday afternoon. I take him a book and read to him.

So it was a bonus for me to see him twice in one week. Can you tell I LOVE him?

Cereal box winner

The other morning Marcus opened a box of Cocoa Puffs and when he poured his cereal into the bowl a prize came out. I know he's 16 but you would of thought he was 3 they way he scream and carried on. It was way funny and you had to of been there but here is a picture of his excitment with his prize!

Boys will be boys. Gotta love em!!

Nah nah nah...hey hey hey.....goodbye

Well it's official. Marcus has officially decided to not play football anymore. It hasn't treated him very nice and with 2 knee surgeries it's time for him to save what he has left. I'm proud of him for his decision!

Cousins

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Aiden Daniel Eason

Aiden Daniel Eason Born March 19th, 2010 weighing 7lb 1oz & 20 inches long

It's official

It's official. Today I registared Ryan for high school! I went and turned in the paperwork. Oh my goodness. My third son will be in high school next year. Where has the time gone?

I "heart" you

I was washing the dishes and had the silverwear in the pot. I took it all out and turned around to put them in the dish washer. When I turned back around to wash the pot this is what I saw.

No joke. Isn't it the coolest thing ever?

The cat

Ok so this morning I was taking a shower and had just turned off the water. I hear this "thump" sound as I turned to get my towel and there was the cat ontop of the shower. Gave me a heart attack!!

Busy Mom's Bible

A few days ago I was listening to the Chrisian radio station and the girl said that Zondervan was giving away the new busy mom's Bible to the first 5,000 people. So I went to the website and registared. I was thinking there's no way I'm gonna get one. Who knows how long they've been doing this.

Guess what came in the mail yesterday....Yep you guessed right the bible! I was so excited. There are 52 one minute thought starts and of course the bible to read!

And it's PINK!! I've been needing a new bible. I'm so glad I got one. Thanks Zondervan!

Mary Poppins

For Valentine's Day Dave took me to go see Mary Poppins in Tempe at the ASU Gammage. We took everyone but Aron. He had to work that weekend. It was the first time we ever left him home alone. He did good.

We stayed at the Red Roof Inn. Got the other boy's their own room. It was conjoined with ours. We did some shopping, swimming and relaxing. The weather was just beautiful. Ready for Spring!!

We went to the play and it was just wonderful. I had a good time. I love that movie. Has always been a favorite of mine.

Monday morning we met with Shawn and Rachel, Dave's cousin for breakfast. We got to meet their new addition Abigail. She's such a cutie and see the boys who have grown!! We had a great visit.

I'm so thankful I got to spend the weekend with my family.

Incoming Freshman

A few weeks ago I took Ryan to Freshman night at the high school. The gym was full of kids. They showed a slideshow of what Bradshaw had to offer. Then we listened to the principal and were released to tour the campus. We visited a cafeteria where they had all there clubs available. We also went to a few rooms where we got to meet some of the teachers there.

Ryan is not thrilled to go but Marcus will be there for 2 years with him and then Michael will be there for the other 2 years. He's a very smart boy and will be in some honor classes. Those classes seem to be smaller with more serious kids. I'm sure he will find his place.

Each one of my boys are different. Their personalities and what they like to do. Ryan is not a sporty kid. But he does enjoy other things. I'm sure he will do just fine. I just can't get over the fact that he will be in high school next year.

I still remember Dave and I talking about him being our last. When we brought him home I sat on the couch crying. Dave look at me and said "You want another one don't you." I just nodded yes. He said "Okay, one more and that's it." I just smiled and said ok.

Negleted

Ok first I apologize to everyone who reads my blog. I have to admit that I have spent way to much time on Facebook and not enough time on my blog. For those of you who come here to catch up on my family I apologize. There's not been a whole lot going on but enough to blog about which I haven't. Please accept my apology and I promise to get with it!

Sledding

Michael, Aron, Justin, Marus, Jackie, Ryan

Ryan

Aron & Jackie

Marcus & Aron

Dave took all the boys up to Mingus Mountain to go sledding when they had those snow days. They had a lot of fun but the snow was so deep that is was more work then they wanted to do walking back up the hill. Personally I think Jackie had the most fun.