A Christmas concert!

This year our oldest Quinn, joined his middle school orchestra and has been learning how to play the viola. (I played the viola for a few years in middle and high school, so it made my heart swell that he chose that instrument!) He’s had a couple concerts so far and it’s been really great watching him learn. Christmas eve, he asked if I wanted him to play some Christmas songs that he’d been learning for everyone. So after we went over to my mother in laws and before everyone got ready for bed, he played a little concert for us!

The kids loved it and we all sang along, such a sweet way to end Christmas eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!

All the shopping is done, most all of the Christmas presents are wrapped and we’re enjoying a lazy day before all the festivities begin!

A couple weeks ago I was trying to get our annual – in front of the Christmas tree photo – and let me tell you! The things we do to get that little one to smile lol. But I love this photo we got!

Here are a couple more of the kids through the years!

They’re so little!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and spend it surrounded by loved ones!

Annual Christmas Tree video

Every year for the past 5ish years, I make a video of us getting/putting up our Christmas tree! The tradition started in Virginia, when we used to go and cut down our Christmas tree every year and has continued here in Texas. This year while out Black Friday shopping, we ended up just getting a fake one from Walmart and it’s actually a great little tree! I also recorded the kiddos helping put up some of our Christmas lights outside – in t-shirts. Gotta love that warm Texas weather!

Christmas is such a magical time! We watch Christmas movies nightly, I try and pretend like I’m a baker and make holiday treats, we drive around often looking at Christmas lights  – love, love this time of year!

 

Marine Corps Birthday Ball!

This year’s Marine Corps Ball was SUCH a blast! This was our last ball here at RS Dallas and one of my favorite ones yet. We had our ball at the Filter Building on White Rock Lake in Dallas and stayed at the Magnolia Hotel nearby. We’ve never had a ball where the venue and hotel where at two separate places. I wasn’t thrilled about it at first but it turned out to be a really cool spot! The weather was perfect, which can be hit or miss in November in Texas, and so we were able to spend the cocktail hour outside. Enjoying a few drinks and conversations with friends – lovely night! I have a few photos from my phone, so they aren’t the best quality but I have to share so we can remember forever!

(one of the Marines Brian recruited!)We’ve missed a few birthday balls over the years due to training and deployments, so I absolutely love the years that we get to go! Getting dressed up and celebrating Brian and his Marine Corps buddies always gets me emotional. Reminds you to be grateful for the time we have together and thankful to all those that have served! Happy 242nd Marine Corps!

Family photos!

A couple months ago, a local photographer that I had used once before, was offering a free mini session to local military and first responders on September 11th. I love her photos and quickly emailed to see if we could get a few of our family! I can’t wait to get these all over our house once we move to Cali – obsessed with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Not sure how, well actually I know exactly how, but this month flew by in a blink of an eye. I have lots of posts to catch up on, hopefully at some point I’ll get to them. But for now here are some quick photos from our Thanksgiving! We had Thanksgiving at our house this year with both of our Mom’s! So much fun to have family in the house celebrating with us. In fact, so much fun that I picked up my camera for precisely 5 minutes and snapped a few photos before we ate, set it back down thinking I’d take more later and never looked at it again lol. So here’s a quick look at life right before we ate a delicious thanksgiving dinner!

 

Snaggle tooth!

It took her a while to lose her first tooth and now they won’t stop falling out! The bottom two went first and now she’s lost the two front teeth back to back. Kids always look hilarious to me when they have no front teeth!! Eating food now requires her to use her side teeth so her face is always messy – I love it!

Cutest little girl around!

The Halloween that almost didn’t happen

On Monday I truly thought that we’d have to cancel Halloween! Last Friday, Cal came down with the stomach flu, then on Monday three more of us got it and then Tuesday the last two got it. A house full of sick people is the worst! We’ve had lots of missed days at school and even work for Brian (which never happens!) The three little kids started to feel much better on Halloween but Quinn still wasn’t up to walking around trick or treating. So we took the little kids out around the neighborhood and had a great time!

Our little witch, Marine and a Star Wars character (no clue which one lol)

And yes, I know he’s wearing an army costume haha. But when you’re a family of 6 and you happen to find an army costume at once upon a child you buy it! Cal didn’t care lol.

Our neighborhood was awesome this year! So many houses decorated and passing out candy! The kids brought home all sorts of candy and even shared with their big brother since he didn’t go out with us – aren’t they sweet!

Preparing for a PCS

Since we found out we had orders (read here!) things have been busy, busy, busy around here with all sorts of researching! Researching which housing area to apply for – San Diego has a TON of on base and off base options, researching what schools the big kids would go to and since San Diego has the Choice program researching where we’d like to choice them to if we take that route, calling the Miramar School Liaison, calling around about preschools and preK for Cal, seeing what sports are offered on base and out in town and the list goes on and on. While I really do LOVE moving to new areas, this part is stressful! Trying to figure out all the options and then figuring out which option is the best to take is filled with so many what ifs. When you’ve never seen the housing area you’re requesting to live in, how are you supposed to know if it’s safe for your family or not? If it has the best school options for your kids?! Thankfully we used to live near San Diego when we were stationed at Camp Pendleton, so I know that we are going to LOVE the area and all that it has to offer. And I also know, that as always, things have a way of working out just how they’re supposed to. Soon enough, this move will be behind us and we’ll be enjoying the beautiful weather, beaches, delicious food, being just a couple hours away from my brother and his family! – and everything else that makes San Diego such an awesome city to live in!

Picture of La Jolla from Brian, Addy and my visit out to CA in 2016

We have orders!!

After waiting months and months to find out where we’re PCSing to, we finally have orders!! We’re headed too….

MCAS Miramar!! Back to CA and we couldn’t be more excited! After spending our first 7 years of Marine Corps life at Pendleton we are so, so pumped to get back to the area that we know and love. We told the kids yesterday and Adelyn was jumping up and down all over the place and shooting hoorayyy!! Adorable! The boys were pretty excited too 🙂

I’ve already started the process of looking at housing, schools and seeing where the best place to live. It’s a bit overwhelming and stressful but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I loved it too! San Diego is packed full of amazing things to see and do and getting to spend another few years of our lives there is a major blessing in my book. Can’t wait to get out there!