Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
We have a Christmas tree!!
FedEx brings free Christmas trees to most of the major military posts in the US and also send trees to several of the overseas posts for soldiers, spouses of deployed soldiers, and wounded warriors. So I went down to the tree depot today and picked out a 5-6 ft. Balsam Fir for us. Thank you FedEx!!
At home I used a saw to cut the bottom 1/2 inch off - and yes, I still have all of my fingers and the saw was put away properly!
Here's the kids with the tree just after I got it upright in the stand. (I took the pictures with the webcam).
We'll be decorating this week and we'll post pictures of the finished tree!
At home I used a saw to cut the bottom 1/2 inch off - and yes, I still have all of my fingers and the saw was put away properly!
Here's the kids with the tree just after I got it upright in the stand. (I took the pictures with the webcam).
We'll be decorating this week and we'll post pictures of the finished tree!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
R&R -
Wow, what a trip!
The kids and I left Kansas on November 8th, and drove for Tucson to meet John there for 2 weeks of R&R!!
Tuesday in Tucson -- John arrives unexpectedly 3 hours early - American airlines got him on an earlier flight - He had to run between terminals at DFW in only 20 minutes so no time to call and let anyone know! But he was upgraded to 1st class on the flight and they treated him so well! :o) When he arrived in Tucson at 11:30 instead of 3:15 - John called his dad to find out what he was doing for lunch (hint, hint!) - now Dad usually is at work at the hangar at the airport - but on this day he was at home waiting for the kids and I to arrive and also for the FedEx guy. We all showed up at 11:30 too just as he hung up from John! We all raced to the airport - (John didn't know that the kids and I had made it yet) and as he walked out the doors, well, it was happy chaos, with a lot of disorder and entropy too!
Ahhhh! Relaxing in Tucson - warm sun, sleeping through some jet lag, and good Mexican food! Playing with Fritz and the kids, sitting on the porch swing in the warm sun, looking over Dad's collection, going to the zoo with John's dad, the botanical garden with Mom & Dad, church together, the warm sun.... It was just sooooo great to be in Tucson. We packed a lot into a few days :o)
But onto California and even more warm sun! And also Rubio's fish tacos, more great Mexican food, Carls Jr!! We were visiting my family now! So many fun things to do -- visiting the beach, Downtown Disney, Cheesecake Factory for lunch, CSUF, Caitlyn's birthday party, the tidepools at Newport, Roger's Gardens, Fashion Island, and a whole day and night at Disneyland. We started at 9:00 am and stayed until 11:45 pm, starting out the day with my parents and sister, and also spending time with my cousin Becky and Charlie and her two girls - oh my gosh what fun we had!!! We rode rides, and rides, and more rides - Grace and Joseph went on Big Thunder Mountain with John and Indy Jones with me, we rode the train, the monorail, Pirates, Jungle, just about everything in Fantasyland, Small World, Buzz Lightyear, and so many more!! We never even got to Tom Sawyer's island or to Toontown. It was a total blast - thanks Debi!!!
Last day together - we spent all afternoon at Huntington Beach - soaking in the warm sun, building sand castles, and splashing in the ocean. Later, a romantic dinner for just two (thanks Mom and Dad and Debi!!!)
John's flight out was at 6:10 am on Thanksgiving morning. Bummer all the way around that he missed Thanksgiving with us! The kids and I dropped him off at the curb at LAX and left. It was a hard thing for John and I. The kids seemed to accept it pretty well that it's Daddy's job - and it was 3 a.m. at a strange airport.
Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Cindy's house was great - the kids love the backyard play equipment so much! It was so great to see my Uncle Tom and Aunt Rhonda, and Cousin Michelle there too :o) The whole time I kept expecting to see John pop in somewhere, but by then he was at the USO in Dallas, and getting on his flight back to Iraq.
Friday morning - Black Friday shopping at 4:30 a.m. with my mom and the kids! Wow it was fun - we went to Brea Mall - Penney's and the Disney store, Target, even stopped for sit down breakfast, Main Place Mall, and were all done by 11:30 am. Whew! Ok - it was awesome!! I love doing that :o)
The last weekend went by so fast! I stayed an extra day in California to wait out the tail end of a storm and get a clear shot back to Kansas. Started driving on Tuesday, but got stuck in New Mexico on Thursday because another storm unexpectedly came through. Finally got home Saturday morning, December 5th!
Grace wrote 5 essays about our vacation (so far) and I'll post them tomorrow.
It was a great trip!! Thanks to everybody who put up with us :o)
The kids and I left Kansas on November 8th, and drove for Tucson to meet John there for 2 weeks of R&R!!
Tuesday in Tucson -- John arrives unexpectedly 3 hours early - American airlines got him on an earlier flight - He had to run between terminals at DFW in only 20 minutes so no time to call and let anyone know! But he was upgraded to 1st class on the flight and they treated him so well! :o) When he arrived in Tucson at 11:30 instead of 3:15 - John called his dad to find out what he was doing for lunch (hint, hint!) - now Dad usually is at work at the hangar at the airport - but on this day he was at home waiting for the kids and I to arrive and also for the FedEx guy. We all showed up at 11:30 too just as he hung up from John! We all raced to the airport - (John didn't know that the kids and I had made it yet) and as he walked out the doors, well, it was happy chaos, with a lot of disorder and entropy too!
Ahhhh! Relaxing in Tucson - warm sun, sleeping through some jet lag, and good Mexican food! Playing with Fritz and the kids, sitting on the porch swing in the warm sun, looking over Dad's collection, going to the zoo with John's dad, the botanical garden with Mom & Dad, church together, the warm sun.... It was just sooooo great to be in Tucson. We packed a lot into a few days :o)
But onto California and even more warm sun! And also Rubio's fish tacos, more great Mexican food, Carls Jr!! We were visiting my family now! So many fun things to do -- visiting the beach, Downtown Disney, Cheesecake Factory for lunch, CSUF, Caitlyn's birthday party, the tidepools at Newport, Roger's Gardens, Fashion Island, and a whole day and night at Disneyland. We started at 9:00 am and stayed until 11:45 pm, starting out the day with my parents and sister, and also spending time with my cousin Becky and Charlie and her two girls - oh my gosh what fun we had!!! We rode rides, and rides, and more rides - Grace and Joseph went on Big Thunder Mountain with John and Indy Jones with me, we rode the train, the monorail, Pirates, Jungle, just about everything in Fantasyland, Small World, Buzz Lightyear, and so many more!! We never even got to Tom Sawyer's island or to Toontown. It was a total blast - thanks Debi!!!
Last day together - we spent all afternoon at Huntington Beach - soaking in the warm sun, building sand castles, and splashing in the ocean. Later, a romantic dinner for just two (thanks Mom and Dad and Debi!!!)
John's flight out was at 6:10 am on Thanksgiving morning. Bummer all the way around that he missed Thanksgiving with us! The kids and I dropped him off at the curb at LAX and left. It was a hard thing for John and I. The kids seemed to accept it pretty well that it's Daddy's job - and it was 3 a.m. at a strange airport.
Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Cindy's house was great - the kids love the backyard play equipment so much! It was so great to see my Uncle Tom and Aunt Rhonda, and Cousin Michelle there too :o) The whole time I kept expecting to see John pop in somewhere, but by then he was at the USO in Dallas, and getting on his flight back to Iraq.
Friday morning - Black Friday shopping at 4:30 a.m. with my mom and the kids! Wow it was fun - we went to Brea Mall - Penney's and the Disney store, Target, even stopped for sit down breakfast, Main Place Mall, and were all done by 11:30 am. Whew! Ok - it was awesome!! I love doing that :o)
The last weekend went by so fast! I stayed an extra day in California to wait out the tail end of a storm and get a clear shot back to Kansas. Started driving on Tuesday, but got stuck in New Mexico on Thursday because another storm unexpectedly came through. Finally got home Saturday morning, December 5th!
Grace wrote 5 essays about our vacation (so far) and I'll post them tomorrow.
It was a great trip!! Thanks to everybody who put up with us :o)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Robert the tooth fairy strikes again!
Yes, we've had another visit from Robert the tooth fairy.
Joseph had two molars that were loose - the roots were cut off by the next molar coming in too close. So it was either wiggle them out or have the dentist pull them out. Joseph got the first one out on Saturday, but he lost it. The second one came out tonight (right in the middle of my FRG meeting, LOL!). My goodness that tooth was huge for such a small boy! I guess I must be feeding him right :o)
Our tooth fairies (Annabelle for Grace and Robert for Joseph) always leave a note in their tooth fairy pillows.
Here is Robert's note to Joseph -- this tooth fairy is quite a poet!
Dear Joseph,
You went to the dentist
how brave you had to be.
Then you wiggled and wiggled,
until you got those teeth free.
Now you’ve lost teeth
one, two, and three!
So here’s two dollars
for your two big back teeth
all from little me!
Joseph had two molars that were loose - the roots were cut off by the next molar coming in too close. So it was either wiggle them out or have the dentist pull them out. Joseph got the first one out on Saturday, but he lost it. The second one came out tonight (right in the middle of my FRG meeting, LOL!). My goodness that tooth was huge for such a small boy! I guess I must be feeding him right :o)
Our tooth fairies (Annabelle for Grace and Robert for Joseph) always leave a note in their tooth fairy pillows.
Here is Robert's note to Joseph -- this tooth fairy is quite a poet!
Dear Joseph,
You went to the dentist
how brave you had to be.
Then you wiggled and wiggled,
until you got those teeth free.
Now you’ve lost teeth
one, two, and three!
So here’s two dollars
for your two big back teeth
all from little me!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
October is coming in like a polar bear!
Our high for today was 42 (that's the high!) and our low tonight is 29 F. (Avg temps for today according to the weather channel should be about 72/45). Thank goodness we're not going to get any snow or ice though.
So, it's pretty cold, and I've got a full-blown cold too. Yuck! And double Yuck!!
It's miserable weather - unless you're a polar bear!!!
So, it's pretty cold, and I've got a full-blown cold too. Yuck! And double Yuck!!
It's miserable weather - unless you're a polar bear!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
October
The weather in Kansas has turned chilly. One morning last week was a low of 38 degrees F.
Doesn't Grace look so school-aged with her hair up in a ponytail?
Isn't Katharine cute??? Look at those blue eyes and that smile!
Yes, we've got good warm cocoa, we're reading "The Mouse and The Motorcycle" aloud every night before bed.
80 days until Christmas!!!!!! I have started listening to Christmas music during the day!
But I do NOT want it to snow, ok? No SNOW!!!!
Get out the extra blankies and feetsie jammies!!
Doesn't Grace look so school-aged with her hair up in a ponytail?
Isn't Katharine cute??? Look at those blue eyes and that smile! 
Yes, we've got good warm cocoa, we're reading "The Mouse and The Motorcycle" aloud every night before bed.80 days until Christmas!!!!!! I have started listening to Christmas music during the day!
But I do NOT want it to snow, ok? No SNOW!!!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Grace's news articles
Grace has been writing news articles for fun! Her teacher says that these are great writings for her age level and that the mispelled words are phonetically correct and great attempts. Maybe we'll have a Pulitzer prize someday?? I'm so proud to put these on our webblog for you all to see! Cyndi :o)
Here are her first two articles:
News by Grace Denson, age 7
Swine Flu
The swine flu spreads very quickly to people espesly (especially) school age kids.
They are making a vaxine (vaccine) that will fight it off we hope.
They might make it a nose one or it might be the pokey kind.
It will be availabal (available) in October.
News by Grace Denson, age 7
Helicopter Crash
There was a helicopter crash at Camp Aniconda (Anaconda), also kown (known) as Balad Airfeild (Airfield).
None of our company guys were hurt that we know of.
We got a lot of calls from wives and moms to see if everyone was ok!
Here are her first two articles:
News by Grace Denson, age 7
Swine Flu
The swine flu spreads very quickly to people espesly (especially) school age kids.
They are making a vaxine (vaccine) that will fight it off we hope.
They might make it a nose one or it might be the pokey kind.
It will be availabal (available) in October.
News by Grace Denson, age 7
Helicopter Crash
There was a helicopter crash at Camp Aniconda (Anaconda), also kown (known) as Balad Airfeild (Airfield).
None of our company guys were hurt that we know of.
We got a lot of calls from wives and moms to see if everyone was ok!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
You can now send mail to John... Mail service is up and active!!!
Here is the address:
John A. Denson (no rank)
D Company - 1-28 IN
ABA
APO, AE 09391
He's really looking forward to your letters.
Also, you can e-mail him at cattleyasource@yahoo.com.
Here is the address:
John A. Denson (no rank)
D Company - 1-28 IN
ABA
APO, AE 09391
He's really looking forward to your letters.
Also, you can e-mail him at cattleyasource@yahoo.com.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The kids in September
A ride on a big wheel!
Playing on the train - the day John left for Kuwait
Yes, he is constantly in motion all day! He does sleep well at night though!
Joseph tries being behind the camera for a change!It reminds me of that picture of John in Calico when we were dating many years ago. You know, the little one I keep on my dresser. I snapped a picture of you just as you took a picture of me. With that perfect blue sky behind you. Is that a U2 song coming on - Blue Sky Mining?
Hope you all like the pictures!
The garden
The garden is growing so lovely right now, but I see cooler nights coming this week. Down in the mid 40s which will turn my sunflowers to mush. Boo!
The morning glories are very pale, pale blue with dark blue stripes in the usual star pattern. They always take so long to bloom but they are so cute! We had nine on Sunday morning.
The zinnias have gotten over 6 feet tall. I had to trim them out of the driveway and the sidewalk. They looked a bit straggely after I did that, but they are filling in. If we could just get a bit warmer days, they would go crazy beautiful again.
The roses put on a small flush of blooms for fall - the ones against the house anyway. I'm thinking our chipmunk may have developed a taste for the one in the bed by the driveway since it didn't do anything. But the flowering quince suddenly has a lot of new shiny green leaves.
And we have a visitor in the garden. Pretty yellow-and-black spider, but it's almost as big as the palm of my hand so I didn't want to mess with it. I didn't think spiders that big would make a web, but it did and it hangs out there.
The morning glories are very pale, pale blue with dark blue stripes in the usual star pattern. They always take so long to bloom but they are so cute! We had nine on Sunday morning.
The zinnias have gotten over 6 feet tall. I had to trim them out of the driveway and the sidewalk. They looked a bit straggely after I did that, but they are filling in. If we could just get a bit warmer days, they would go crazy beautiful again.
The roses put on a small flush of blooms for fall - the ones against the house anyway. I'm thinking our chipmunk may have developed a taste for the one in the bed by the driveway since it didn't do anything. But the flowering quince suddenly has a lot of new shiny green leaves.
And we have a visitor in the garden. Pretty yellow-and-black spider, but it's almost as big as the palm of my hand so I didn't want to mess with it. I didn't think spiders that big would make a web, but it did and it hangs out there.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Home from Vacation
We are home from our vacation -- 12 day road trip from Fort Riley, KS to Orlando, FL and back!
Best thing:
Grace - everything, but not the driving
John - Turtle talk with Crush at Epcot
Joseph - Great Wolf Lodge & Waterpark
Katharine - rides! And McDonald's with a PlayPlace.
Cyndi - Magic Kingdom
More later and pictures too :o)
Best thing:
Grace - everything, but not the driving
John - Turtle talk with Crush at Epcot
Joseph - Great Wolf Lodge & Waterpark
Katharine - rides! And McDonald's with a PlayPlace.
Cyndi - Magic Kingdom
More later and pictures too :o)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
It's spring and it's snowing
It's Spring, but IT'S SNOWING!!!! :o(
Joseph and Katharine didn't like the cold, so they came in right away.
Joseph and Katharine didn't like the cold, so they came in right away.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Katharine's Birthday
It was Katharine's birthday - hooray!
The weather was sunny and warm - Hooray!
John was here! - HOORAY!
We went to the zoo for the afternoon...
The weather was sunny and warm - Hooray!
John was here! - HOORAY!
We went to the zoo for the afternoon...
Then we opened presents....
and ate chocolate cake... (promptly followed by a bath for the birthday girl.)
A perfect birthday!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jury Duty - over at last
For the past four months, I have been summoned to jury duty in Junction City, KS, only to have it be canceled and rescheduled. They would not even consider the fact that we homeschool and that I am the sole caretaker of three active children. So anyway, the last time in early December John was out in the field for training, so I couldn't go to jury duty with three active kids in tow! I sent them a letter, but they refused it because it wasn't notarized! And of course, it wasn't canceled, so I was now a lawbreaker! I've had nightmares about orange prison jumpsuits for months!
Well, the JC court rescheduled me for today. And then the Manhattan court (about 15 miles from Fort Riley) also summoned me for next Tuesday! And when I called them, they said because I live on post it is technically part of both counties and I have to respond to both summons! Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!! Fortunately, the Manhattan court was much more gracious and they said since I had been scheduled for two services in the same week they would call me back at a later date. And I finally got my service out of the way for Junction City today. I was not seated into the jury and was sent home at 10:30 a.m. Apparently JC is so rinky-dink (compared to Orange County) that they only have one trial going on. But the best part is that I can't be called back there for at least one year. It's finally over and I am not going to be arrested :o)
Well, the JC court rescheduled me for today. And then the Manhattan court (about 15 miles from Fort Riley) also summoned me for next Tuesday! And when I called them, they said because I live on post it is technically part of both counties and I have to respond to both summons! Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!! Fortunately, the Manhattan court was much more gracious and they said since I had been scheduled for two services in the same week they would call me back at a later date. And I finally got my service out of the way for Junction City today. I was not seated into the jury and was sent home at 10:30 a.m. Apparently JC is so rinky-dink (compared to Orange County) that they only have one trial going on. But the best part is that I can't be called back there for at least one year. It's finally over and I am not going to be arrested :o)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
We're going to the Ball!
On Thursday night we attended the Distinguished Members of the Regiment (DMOR) Banquet, otherwise known as the Regimental Ball! Here are the pictures from before we left. I made the ballgown myself! Yes, really! And John is always handsome in his Class A's (or pickle suit as we call it). It was very nice and we really enjoyed the talk from the DMORs.
Pictures:
Pictures:
Sunday, January 11, 2009
30 Day Gun Nation
I just watched this great video on Hulu.com. A liberal anti-gun activist from Boston relocated to a redneck, gun-loving family in Ohio and gets a job in a gun store for 30 days. In the end, she softens her anti-gun stand once she experiences reality.
Click here to see a full-screen version of the video from www.hulu.com.
Click here to see a full-screen version of the video from www.hulu.com.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Vacation wrap up
What did we do on vacation:
- Grace sang in a children's choir for Christmas Even mass
- We read "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary (very cute!)
- two virtual fieldtrips! The dinosaur sites were so cool for Joseph to see!
- watched lots of movies (Love the new Scooby Doo!)
- library trips - lots of books were read!
- Grace learned all about Webkinz and has been playing online every day. She now has two fully decorated online rooms and a garden for her two pets and has learned about 25 new games and answered lots of trivia questions.
- Joseph and Grace have been learning all about gun safety and playing a gun game (play gun and plastic targets) in our upstairs hallway.
- baked lots of bread and cookies
- went shopping in Kansas City
- played outdoors and in with new toys
- John fixed the statue of St. Francis and started making the drawers for the sideboard.
- Several musical shows and plays were performed in our living room.
And we had such a great time.
Next week is the formal military ball -- look for pictures coming soon!
- Grace sang in a children's choir for Christmas Even mass
- We read "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary (very cute!)
- two virtual fieldtrips! The dinosaur sites were so cool for Joseph to see!
- watched lots of movies (Love the new Scooby Doo!)
- library trips - lots of books were read!
- Grace learned all about Webkinz and has been playing online every day. She now has two fully decorated online rooms and a garden for her two pets and has learned about 25 new games and answered lots of trivia questions.
- Joseph and Grace have been learning all about gun safety and playing a gun game (play gun and plastic targets) in our upstairs hallway.
- baked lots of bread and cookies
- went shopping in Kansas City
- played outdoors and in with new toys
- John fixed the statue of St. Francis and started making the drawers for the sideboard.
- Several musical shows and plays were performed in our living room.
And we had such a great time.
Next week is the formal military ball -- look for pictures coming soon!
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