Kids are Growing Up

Quite some time since I've last updated. The kids have been doing great. Growing like weeds and doing well in school. Jalen's 8 now and in 3rd Grade and Nyla's 7 in 1st Grade.

In this pic they look happy because they were about to go to a Birthday Party.

I took this picture on their first day of school.

 This picture below was taken right before N was getting ready to go on a sleepover at Z's house. We've had quite a few sleepovers now either at the house or her going over to Z's or C's.  I guess my little girl's growing up.

 For Geno's birthday we went on a Retreat to the Starr Pass Marriott Resort in Tucson, AZ. We really enjoyed it and the best part of it was ..... that it was free ... we just had to sit in a few classes, but it wasn't too bad.

 Little Ms Diva and her sleepover suitcase right before leaving to go to Z's for a sleepover.

 In this pic they both have their hair looking somewhat crazy because of Crazy Hair Day at their school in support of the Say No To Drugs Program at their school.

My 1st Grader and my 3rd Grader

Jalen's 7th Birthday

This weekend we celebrated Jalen's 7th Birthday ... with a first time at home birthday party for him, just like for Nyla a few weeks ago. Before AZ, we'd celebrate at a venue like a Chuck E Cheese or Pump It Up, etc.... but we don't have those options here, so a house birthday party is really not that bad. And momma's getting better and better with the preparations, etc...

So all in all it was a hit. Jalen had fun, Nyla had her friend, Sofia, all weekend ... and the kids seemed all happy having a blast whether jumping on the trampoline, swimming, playing, or on the wii ... and for the sleepover, they had movie night ... Transformers.

Happy Jalen - he got a remote control truck from his TeeTee Nicky :)

Jalen's into wrestling now .... the boys (this one and the big one :) ... watch wrestling lately every Monday night together .... so I figured for his birthday cake decoration he gets to have 2 wrestlers .... he liked it!

His birthday gang: Terrance, David, J-man, Darnell and Dominic!

At the birthday table!

One thing we traditionally do after the birthday song is ... eat cake of course, and get as dirty on our face with cake as possible :) ... lol .... just as long as momma's floors stay clean ... lol

Kids had a sleep over .... first thing they did Sunday morning after waking up was jumping on a trampoline .... it truly was a beautiful day!

My precious butterfly!!!

Jalen and his friends on the trampoline .... it was too hot for shirts ..... lol ...

Nyla and Sofia doing art work ... they get along so well ... were together for well over 24 hrs and never once did they fight or not get along ... and they did everything together!!! So precious!!!

And to top off the event .... Jalen lost a tooth ... lol ... he pulled it on his own.

We had a great birthday weekend! It has only been about 2 weeks since Jalen has started in his new school and I was worried about having friends in time for his birthday party. My worries were in vain, this boy had made friends quickly and his friends came .... and this momma was so happy! We as parents can give them a cake, gifts, etc..... but one thing we cannot so easily is friends for a birthday party .... And he had it all!!! Sunday night he went to bed a happy boy!!! Thank you Lord for a great, successful birthday weekend. Please always keep my 6 and 7 year old safe and may they always be blessed!!!

Nyla's 6th Birthday

This weekend we celebrated Nyla's 6th birthday, and second birthday home with us.  Last year, in Montgomery Alabama, we had a huge double birthay party with almost 30 kids for both Nyla and Jalen at Pump It Up. Here, in Sierra Vista, AZ, with not many kids' birthday party venues, we decided to do a smaller home birthday party (one for each) and it was great.

This weekend was Nyla's turn. We had a total of 7 kids (including mine and a baby).  The kids had a lot of fun, so much in fact, that they wanted to have a sleep over.  So us, and the other parents agreed. It was a first for all of us! But it went well, and I survived it :) ......

Her butterfly and flowers cake, half vanilla, half chocalate .... very yummy, moist and not too sweet.

All the friends at the birthday party, minus the baby, one of the kids' sister.

Mama and her Birthday Princess.

Mama, some of the girls, and Nyla after opening some presents.

I didn't give her Rahel, from Ethiopia, and all our gifts until Sunday afternoon after all the kids left.  She's got enough the day before, so I just didn't want to overwhelm her, and wanted to absorb the moment with her alone :) .... I love this doll and what it stands for. It's from the Hearts for Hearts collection containing about ten dolls, each from a different country, with Rahel being from Ethiopia.  Each girl has her own story and how she wants to change the world one heart at the time.  I thought it was so cute, dolls with a purpose and mission other than, outfits, boobs and legs for days.  The doll was a hit with my Nyla.  She loves her and we'll cherish her.  

Throughout the weekend, Jalen was really a good brother, just happy he had his friend Dominic to play with.  In 17 days it'll be his turn to celebrate.  So as of today, and for 17 more days I have 2 six year olds.

Emma, Nyla and Sofia

Jalen and Dominic

The kids on the Trampoline, the next morning after breakfast.

The girls all cuddled up, ready to watch "Tangled".

The boys - watching "The Emperor's New Groove".

Mariah and Nyla ..... with Mariah kissing her, but couldn't capture it while on her 2 legs :)

..... so much love ......

All in all, it was a great weekend, and even though I felt spent and tired, returning back to work on Monday morning, I'm happy that Nyla had a good time celebrating her 6th and that Jalen had a good time as well. And as a momma, I'm happy if my kids are :) happy .... great weekend.

Mama, falls Du dies liesst, Alles Gute Zum Geburtstag heute!!! Ich hab Dich sehr lieb und vermisse Dich sehr!

Lake Havasu Vacation

Over the Labor Day weekend we decided to take a trip to Lake Havasu, AZ. This trip was fun and at the same time very special to us as:

1. It was the kids' first trip and swimming in a lake
2. It was our first trip with a pet - our beloved Mariah
3. We've never vacationed in AZ before

We enjoyed ourselves. The kids had fun. The lake and the area was beautiful .... but .... it was extremely hot .... between Lake Havasu and Sierra Vista about a 45 degree difference in temperature.

The kids in the lake.

Mariah - our beloved - she was such a trooper. She was great riding in the car and she'd do everything we do, including swimming in the lake. She used to be afraid to get in the water (the pool at home) but after a few tries of water on her paws she started getting in and even swimming. She was wonderful and so easy going with no problems on our trip. She is the best dog we have never dared to dream of :) .... she is truly a blessing to us.

Mariah found a friend, General, to play with. She is very good with other dogs who are nice to her and wanna play with her. She doesn't care for dogs that bark at her (like little bitty lap dogs) and she doesn't care for cats either. She tries to chase them. But any other dogs that wanna play with her .... she's down for that.

We also try to let her off the leash as often as possible so she can get her exercise and roam around freely. Contrary to non-dog-owners beliefs, a dog does not get a true exercise by walking on the leash next to you. So because Mariah has adjusted to us well, and because she listens to us, we let her off the leash as much as possible .... hence, she's playing with General off the leash.

Here's Mariah's very first time in the water. She kept wanting to swim back to Geno who was taking the picture.

The kids found some friends at the lake they were playing with.

Dada and the kids.

Nyla snapped this picture of us as we were leaving one evening for dinner at the Chinese Buffet :)

We were relaxing and enjoying the day in the shade ..... all of us ..... except the kids. They were swimming and playing in the lake.

We even managed, thanks to my Nyla, to snap a picture of me and Mariah ... my first ever ... as usualy I'm the one snappin' them :)

All in all, great trip, great times ..... love quality time with my family!!!!!!!!!!!

Back Again .... After a 1 Year Break

I haven't blogged since over one year ... but I decided it is time again to pick it up. Lots have happened since last time:

• I switched services .... Blue to Green


• We moved to Arizona this year in April


• Nana moved into our home in Alabama


• Kids are in 2nd grade and Kindergarten


• We have a most precious pet - Mariah

In August 2011, and after the children pleading with us for a long period of time, we decided to adopt a pet ..... so we did .... and her name is Mariah .... and she likes to drive :).

Mariah is 2.5 years old and is a German Shepherd/Boxer mix. She is very easy going, loved the children from the start, and hardly ever barks. She loves running with me in the mornings and I consider her the best running buddy I've ever had. She keeps me safe, or at least she gives me a sense of safety when we're out together in the wee hours of 0430 in the morning getting in our 2 miles running. She's also good with other dogs, but she absolutely cannot stand cats.

The main reason we finally decided to get a pet is simple: Nyla is not afraid of dogs anymore. When we first brought her home, 1.5 years ago, Nyla was terrified of dogs. She would take of running to the extent that she'd fall and tumble and scrape herself all up ..... that's how scared she was of dogs .... no matter what size. The thing is, that she grew up - until she joined our family - in Ethiopia, where dogs are not kept as pets and children are taught to fear and avoid them ... and for good reason too, as they are strays infected with many diseases.

So how did Nyla overcome her doggy fears, you might ask? Well, with time and being exposed to all kinds of dogs in a controled environment such as the animal shelters in Montgomery AL and in Sierra Vista AZ. We've taken many trips to the animal shelter, spending time there as volunteers, socializing with the dogs and cats while at the same time socializing my darling children with the animals .... Jalen was a huge help in the process as he's not scared of either pet, and eventually Nyla just kinda followed him along .... easing into learning to trust these animals and not being afraid.

Fast forward about 1.5 years, and here she is loving this dog so much, and Mariah crazy and protective of her. Nyla treats Mariah so gently and lovingly and in return, Mariah jumps on her on command and gives her kisses. It's so wonderful to have seen this process unfold and to have witnessed how far we've came and what strides we have made.

Mariah did not like Geno at all in the beginning. She was terrified of him, always alert to any of his moves and if he'd want to touch her, she'd back away with her tail between her legs. She took to the children and me right away .... but not so much to Geno. And listening to him???? Never!!!

Now fast forward about 2 weeks of being with us and about two weeks of Geno spending lots of one on one time with her daily at the doggy park - just the 2 of them - and picture below is what you get. Mariah is no longer scared of Geno; she obeys him, she comes to him wagging her tail asking for attention and belly rubs and the best part: jumping on him on command and giving kisses and licks. I am so proud of her. And I am proud of Geno for being so patient and loving with her, teaching her to trust him and obey him .... he did pretty well, considering he's never had a dog before. Again, amazing to see this unfold.

Jalen and Mariah .... well, what can I say .... it was love at first sight!!! This boy is sooo happy to finally have a dog he can call his own. They play together a lot .... he's teaching her how not just to fetch a bone but how to bring it back to him as well ... lol ... he's very good with her. More commanding then Nyla is, but still very loving, caring and gentle with her. She listens to him, but at the same time is protective of him and loves him to pieces! The two of them happy in picture below to finally have a dog they can call their own.

Also, another great thing that happened this weekend ..... the kids found some friends again, that live close and can come over anytime on the weekends and stay all day. As a military family, we move a lot (this was our first though as a family of 4) and the kids do well, but do miss their friends in Alabama very much. This weekend, I don't think they thought much about them because they played a lot ..... 2 days straight outside, only coming in for meals .... both Saturday and Sunday evenings they were spent ... pooped out ... and fell asleep very quickly. The sibling pair we befriended along with their parents lives just a block down our street. The boy, Dominic, is in Jalen's class at school and his sister, Sofia, is in Nyla's class in school. I can tell you, that even though we did nothing major this weekend but stayed home ... it was the best weekend ever since we moved to AZ because the kids finally found friends who live close by and can spend all day playing at the house, swimming and jumping on the trampoline. Mine were in heaven this weekend, and I'm sure Dominic and Sofia had fun as well and will be back soon.

Nyla and Sofia - classmates and friends

Dominic and Jalen - classmates and buddies

Last but not least, I'd like to talk a little bit about the man behind the strong woman :) ... my hubby. We are very happy to announce that he too, and dispite of this sh*tty economy, has now found a job and has been working again after being jobless for 3.5 months. Everytime we move with the military, he has to start all over from scratch, leaving a job and trying to find a new one. Do I ever hear him complain, bitch, whine about any of this??? ...... NEGATIVE ....NEVER .... he is supportive, loving, easy-going and laid back - I couldn't have asked for a better husband and father to my children ..... in a nutshell, he's the best and I'm crazy about him ... still and always .... even after 16 years of marriage.
We took this picture on the beach in San Diego CA when we took a trip there in July 2011.

Lots to cover in one post, but I think I hit the biggest things.