My Haylee

Oh my sweet Haylee girl.  She is 12 and a half -well almost- and she is growing like a weed.  Only about 2 inches shorter than me!  She will catch up for sure.  She really is growing emotionally too but there is of course some pre-teen drama that happens when you are 12 and at times things seem much worse than they actually are.  Last night I was at a stake meeting and I came home to find out there had been an incident with a neighbor kiddo who is about 5 and whose mom does not watch him at all so he often plays down at our end of the court.  Well the kids were all out playing baseball in the yard and this boy decided he did not like how Haylee was holding the ball so he hit her in the leg with the whiffle bat.  Haylee gets really upset by anyone who is not "following the rules" in any situation she is a stickler for what you should do and when.  So she had a bit of a meltdown.  Anyway, when I got home she was upstairs and still very upset.  Dad isn't as compassionate as mom and sometimes she feels like he doesn't care when really he is just very practical about the situation, I'll admit that is sometimes frustrating to me as well.  :)  As girls we often want someone to be as dramatic as we are about the problem we are having so we can really feel the empathy.  For my sweet pre-teen girl this was definitely the case.  I went up and spoke to her and hugged her while she cried.  It was hard to hear her say "I don't like your calling because you weren't here!" Its hard sometimes to balance church and family and I never want her to feel like I put church before her because I don't, but this situation I am sure seemed to her like if I didn't have the calling I do I would have been home and therefore able to comfort her.  She told me how she cried and cried while holding "Shapes" her stuffed turtle.  I got her calmed down and assured her I would speak to the little boy who hit her (this is the second time, the first time I let it go) and tell him if it happened again he would not be allowed to play at this end of the street.  Haylee has a very large adult vocabulary and often uses big or less common words when speaking.  I love it because it shows how much she reads and comprehends the words that are used by a good writer.  So I had to laugh when after telling her what I was going to say to the boy she says "You should also inform him its UNLAWFUL!"  LOL.  I will be sure to inform the kindergartner that it is unlawful to hit a person.  I am sure that will put him on a path to make better choices.  :)  She laughed too which was a good ending to the evening.   Love that Haylee of mine.

SENIOR Master Sergeant

Wednesday night the 19th Joe had to work late. Haylee has piano before mutual so she was at her lesson and I was in the car and Joe called me from work our convo:

Him: are you home?

Me: nope at piano what's up?

Him: when will you be home?

Me: well after piano and mutual so about 8:30.

Him: ok I need to talk to you about some stuff. 

Me: (totally freaked out) why? What's going on?  Did you get orders? Are we moving?  

Him: no we are not moving, I just need to talk to you about some scheduling stuff.

Me: ooookaaaay -

Him: I'll see you at 8:30

It was such an odd conversation but I thought whatever maybe they wanted him to go on a long TDY or something and he just wanted to talk to me about it. Didn't think much of it. He called me back five minutes later -he cannot keep a good secret for more than 5 minutes I get birthday and Christmas presents early he just can't wait- this time he says "I made Senior" -meaning Senior Master Sergeant- I was like "what?!? Oh my gosh!" Then I told him how proud I was of him and started to cry.  I just could not believe it. I don't think he could either. He had been telling me for months that there was no way he was going to make it. That he would need an insane board score.  Well, he got it!! 14,000 people tested and only the top six percent made it!  999 out of 14,000!!!!  So CRAZY!! In a time where the military is getting downsized and people are getting forced out Joe gets promoted.  So insane. I am so proud of him for all it has taken to get to this point.  For my non military friends a quick explanation of rank:  enlisted people come into the Air Force as an E-1 a.k.a Airman; the enlisted ranks go up to E-9 which  is a Chief Master Sergeant. Senior Master sergeant is an E-8.  E-8 and E-9 makes up the top three percent of enlisted Air Force.  Only three percent! 

Most people retire as Master Sergeants -that was sort of our plan too. We had not decided anything for sure but I was definitely leaning towards getting out of the military in just over two years. I was ready to be done :) this new rank brings a whole new list of possibilities. We have not decided anything concrete but we will stay in the military for at least another four years. 

It has been such a whirlwind since he found out. So many thoughts going through my mind. My heart overflowing with pride and gratitude and love. So many friends and family calling, texting, face booking their most sincere congratulations. It has really touched me. Not that you don't expect people to congratulate you when you accomplish something but it has just been over the top with sweet messages about how deserving Joe is of the promotion.

  I am so very grateful for the blessings in our lives.  The future is uncertain but as a wise missionary once wrote to his mom, a favorite quote of his: "hope on, journey on". I know that Heavenly Father has a plan and that His hand is in our lives even more than usual because of that missionary who is serving Him in a jungle in Brazil.  We will face whatever new adventure lies before us together and go forth with faith. 

3.14

Happy pi day everyone!! Sierra has been home this week! I am happy Sierra is in college. She loves it and I love it for her.  I am grateful every day to see her determination to do well and not let her disorder get in the way of her having fun and doing what she wants to do.  I love watching our relationship change and grow.  Becoming more friends than parent/child. It has been a pretty easy transition with both of the older kiddos. I hope it is as easy with Haylee.  I sure do miss her while she's away though!! She has had a few doctors appointments and we have been shopping and hanging out. I will be sad to have her go back on Monday. We saw a new orthopedic surgeon this week and really liked him. She had an MRI and an X-ray done of her wrist. She has a cyst there and it is causing her all kinds of extra pain. She will have surgery early June hopefully. She is anxious to be rid of the dang thing.  Tomorrow Haylee has cookie booth in the morning for Girl Scouts then Joe will be getting home from his trip to Albuquerque.  We have stake conference tomorrow night. Sunday is more stake conference and a trip into the city. We don't usually to anywhere (besides meetings lol) on Sundays but it is the only day we will all be home together. Monday will bring an appt with the pain doc and taking Sierra back to school.  Here are a few pics from our week thus far:

Pretty sunset 

Haylee spending quality time with Jazz

She loves riding and is doing great! 

Date night at Volcano Hot Stone -think melting pot but you cook your food on a lava rock. 

They also have exotic meats I didn't order anything exotic but others did I tried kangaroo-tastes like steak, alligator-tastes like chicken, camel-it was ground and tasted a lot like a very seasoned hamburger -there was elk and wild boar too but those weren't terribly exotic so I didn't try them.  It was fun! 

Clothes shopped for this child who will not stop growing. 

Were in the middle of a big storm system. 

Shopped for cute clothes for this girl.  LOVE this dress on her it was a bit out of our price range but I had to see her try it on. 

Cat sat- well not really since we took care of them at their house 

Bought this kid a cute dress

Took her out to lunch. A lot :) she is great company and it does a mom good to see her almost too skinny kiddo eat! 

Today we celebrated pie day. 

Sierra also got her haircut but I didn't take pics.  I swear we don't go anywhere that someone doesn't compliment her on her hair.  She is the cutest!  

So happy to have her home with me this week!! 

It's blogging Wednesday :)

Or waiting in the car piano lessons Wednesday; you decide.  :) 

Busy does not begin to cover life at the moment.  Tonight starts one of five nights of church things this week.  I love it and have so much fun even if it takes up a lot of time.  Just for posterity's sake I will write the next few days activities church and otherwise so when my kids have kids and they say why are we so busy? I will be able to remind them that this is how it has been thru the ages: 

Wednesday: work, student counsel for Haylee, mutual -youth group at church, Joe home from TDY. 

Thursday: breakfast with friend, run errands to get ready for the Priest/Lairel dinner dance Friday night.  It is basically a prom and I am part of the event committee :) our theme is under the sea buy live fish for the flower arrangements- keep said fish alive until Friday at 11pm. 

Haylee has art club, go to church at 6:30 dressed as the cowardly lion for the ward camp leader training. 

Friday: 8:30am until midnight decorate for priest laurel, attend PLDD, clean up PLDD :)

Saturday: 10:00am clean the church, be back at church at 7pm for the young women's new beginnings program. 

Sunday: possibly my own sacrament meeting at 10, attend ward council in the Capitol Hill ward and go to their ward conference until 3:30, drive to Waldorf for our YCL meeting at 5:30 -I possibly have another meeting before that, 90% sure I have a stake committee meeting after that. 

Busy few days.  Even though it is a lot I am excited I get to do these things.  I love the ladies I work with at church there is always so much fun and laughter when we are together.  

Some pics from this last week:

A foot of snow.  Woo hoo! 

Our Valentines day snowman dog walker :) 

Sierra was home for the weekend to go to the doctor.  Look now skinny she is! She has lost 15 pounds since going to college. Isn't she supposed to gain 15 pounds? Oi. Bunch of bloodwork done at the docs.  Battles her pain daily like a champ but still needed her momma to hold her hand when they drew blood. She has also been having severe muscle spasms so she is staring new meds for that.  They also gave her nausea meds. She probably won't be happy I put her Jammie pic on here. :) 

Girl Scout ceremony 

Getting her Girl Scout pin 

Girl Scout buddies 

What is left of our snowman after less than a week!  

A blogging lull

I do not like blogging lulls!  When I am too busy/don't take the time to blog it is annoying to myself. But here I sit waiting for Haylee at piano lessons and what else can I do in the car in the dark!? Lots of FB that's what and sadly it has taken up most of my time already!  So I will blog some pics of the last few weeks 

We went to the DC car show. My favorite car was this Jag it cost $125,000 dollars. That is about $100,000 dollars to much.  Darn it! 

Me and my bestie with the hamster from the Kia commercial.  Those hampsters were chubby now they are fit. Looking at this picture really reminded me that I am also chubby and need to be fit. I am working on it. 

This week I went back to calorie counting.  It worked really well for me before. It's only been a few days and it is working again already.  Happy to report that I feel the mental "click" that needs to happen and things are going well. We will see how I do on the snow day tomorrow with people home all day who can eat whatever they want.  :) 

But I ate veggies and 3 pieces of turkey for lunch yesterday.  That's it.  Go me! 

Bub's happy birthday sign and his cupcakes I sent :) next year his cupcakes won't make it.  Brazil is getting close!!

A photo to show Haylee's very long hair. 

Man's best friend.  :)

Haylee won first place in the science fair!!  Woot woot!  Go Haylee!  She will go onto compete in the county. 

With her project 

With her dad.  She was so happy he came and that he was in his uniform -she said "Dad! You look so official!" Lol this is what he wears everyday.  He must look much fancier at school :) 

She looked extra cute to me on this day for some reason.  Sure do love this 12 year old. 

A pic of bub and elder Raveneau from France. Latest and greatest from his mission pics.  Miss him so much!! 

That is it for now friends.  Life is BUSY!  My calling is extra busy right now but I am enjoying it.  Haylee is busy with her four million activities.  Joe is traveling about every other week.  Sierra loves school and is busy.  HD is busy with missionary work. Everyone is happy and doing what they should be doing.  

Long day today.

Don't want to post all the details but sometimes life isn't easy.  Ha!  That is my big revelation.  Lol. I just wanted to post that I am thankful for friends who get me through and listen and don't judge but just let  me vent from time to time.  There were also so many good things today.  Smiles and hugs and am awesome 12 year old who can be typically challenging at times but when I am having a moment is always willing to do just what I need her to do.  I will update soon.  Lots going on HD is going to BRAZIL!!!!!  Like for REAL!  He should be there in the next few weeks!!!  Amazing!  And scary!  And amazing!  And scary!!!!!  :) 

Wonderful Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas.

This was the best part....

I teared up when I saw his face and he did too.  My sweet boy.  We got to talk to him for about an hour and a half.  It was so fantastic.  He told us some stories and we all laughed together.  Saying goodbye was awful.  I cried and could barely tell him Merry Christmas and that I loved him.  I tried so hard not to cry.  I know that made things harder for him.  He is doing so great and looks good and sounds so happy.  We could not be more proud of him and all he is doing.  Love you HD.  Merry Christmas everyone.