Thanksgiving

I have been a little delayed in my Thanksgiving post. I'm not going to lie...this year has been probably one of the most challenging we've ever had. Ned has been deployed 10 out of the past 14 months. This was actually his 3rd consecutive Thanksgiving away from us. But no matter the distance, no matter the length of time...we are a forever family and for that I'm grateful. Here's just a couple things that I'm thankful for this year:

My life in general. A friend recently passed away and it has made me so aware that just waking up everyday and getting to experience life is precious.

My sweet, sweet children. I love to see them smile, I love to hear them laugh. I love love LOVE baby Raegan's sweet presence in our home. It is so wonderful to be a guardian over these little ones.

My wonderful husband who is kind, gentle and good.

My absolutely amazing friends both near and afar. I could not make it without their love and support

My sister, Amy and her husband Scott. They opened their home to me so that I could have Raegan in Utah and get the help that I needed. I don't know that they will ever understand how much that meant to me.

My country. Since we have become a military family, I am appreciating all those who have served this nation and especially those who have given Their lives for it. I just can't imagine it. You read and hear about all the Soldiers and Sailors who perished in various Wars (including the 2 we are in right now) and it is just humbling. Those people were real people. Their lives were real and they were just ordinary people. They had a favorite food. A favorite color. And yet in whatever circumstance, their life ended serving and protecting us. I know that our country has conflict and issues. But it's full of a lot of people who are willing and waiting to do the right thing and that is something I'm truly, truly grateful for.


And now for my list of things that I just LOVE

Warm Pajamas
Satellite phone calls from my sweetie
Fondant
My new scarf I got for my birthday
Hugs from Tatum
Kisses from Carson
Snuggles from Raegan
Cupcakes

Well the list goes on and on...but those were a couple of things on my mind. I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I look forward to hopefully spending next Thanksgiving with Ned but I am truly grateful for all that I have.

Poinsettia's take 2

So when I do a sugar project, I always do a "prototype" first to give me inspiration and get some ideas. I finished the poinsettia's tonight I am so pleased with how they turned out. I love the gold flecking on the sides of the leaves. I read the legend of the poinsettia last night and was really touched by it. I encourage you to read it if you've never heard it before. It really inspired me with this project...however I'm not yet. Still have to dry and assemble with the cupcakes. Yum!

Sneak Peek...

I've been asked to do some cupcakes for a church function with a Poinsettia on them. I fashioned one the other day out of sugar and it was a lot of fun. I can't wait to make the rest! It's still a rough draft, but I think they will look so pretty. Here's a couple of pictures from last night. The kids were excited because I bought them a deep dish pizza luncheable. Oh don't you wish you could go back to the days when all of your problems could be solved with a luncheable?

Raegan is really getting into her toys lately. Love it, LOVE IT!!!

Missing you Ned, more and more everyday. Come home soon and be safe. Life is so much better when you're home with us.

Yeah, how's this picture for a blast from the past! Who are those young kids???

Fun with frosting and a bit of a ramble

I realize that I do a lot of posts. I think I am kind of obsessed with blogging. But there's a few reasons. This is a great way for Ned to keep up on what we're doing when he's deployed. Also, I'm ordering a PDF of this blog for each of my kids for them to keep. It serves as my journal, my children's baby book, their scrapbook and our family history. Seriously...how convenient is that? I want my kids when they are older to be able to look back through this blog and know that they were important and hopefully they will remember doing some fun things. Also I want them to have a glimpse inside of who I am as a person. I don't want them to ever think that I put on a front of not having any problems. So I try and put myself out there and be real. So I know that cyberspace really could care less about the little things we do everyday. But I do, so I will keep posting 'till the cows come home.... OK just had to clear that up. Anyway yesterday I made some mini cupcakes for the kids to decorate. They had a great time. I have discovered that decorating cookies and cupcakes is INFINITELY easier when using a pastry bag. It's so much less of a mess and the kids like the different decorating tips, too. Plus it ends up being a lot less frosting than if you were cover it all with a knife. Less sugar=less insanity at the James house.

My 3 babies

Yesterday I decided Raegan was old enough to bring out the jumparoo. She LOVED it! As I took a picture of her in it, I realized that all 3 of my sweet babies have used this toy. I can't believe how fast it's all going.

Realizing the dream

For several years as an adult I had been trying to mentally block out my teen years. I know that it's a hard time in every one's life. For me, it was a horrible time. I was so insecure of myself, I hated my personality, my looks, I struggled in school, I felt like I didn't fit in anywhere. I was so glad when I met Ned and got married I felt I could finally "start my life" the way I wanted it. Then once facebook became popular, I found it to be really therapeutic. I re-connected with a lot of old friends and I realized that even though it was an awkward time in my life, I still had good friends and memories from my past. One of those great friends is my partner in crime, Andrew. We worked at Subway together for several years and went to school with each other since the 5th grade up until the 11th grade. Andrew is moving to Seattle and was here on business and decided to pay old Whidbey Island a little visit. It was great seeing him again! We just hung out on the Island for a couple of hours and ate at...wait for it...Subway! One thing I remember about Andrew is not being able to stop laughing. He hasn't changed a bit and it was great to reminisce about "the old days". It was great to show off my beautiful kids, too. I have really only kept up with 2 or so high school friends on a more personal level than facebook...so it was great to have my kids with me. We visited with Andrew and it was great to see his dreams coming true and hear about his life in New York City as a director. I am continually realizing that I am now living my dream of being a wife and Mommy. Yes, it has it's hard...very hard days. But it's what I've always wanted and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The best part about my life now is that I don't feel that I've lost myself. I still feel like I make time for me and find ways to learn and do new things. This is a big accomplishment for me and I can honestly say to myself that I have never been happier as I am right now. My life is not without its trials, but I have a great husband and wonderful kids. So to everyone out there let's just remember that our lives are all different. We all are on different journeys. I just hope that whatever journey you are on is headed toward the place you want to be.

Welcome Sweet Pea

This is my latest sugar project: "sweet peas" for a welcome sweet pea baby shower. By far, hands down my favorite project so far. They were so fun and Cassia did a GREAT job taking photos. I'm amazed at her talent! And....I am in love with cupcakes. Super fun!!

The hamster wheel

It feels like FOREVER since my last post! Seriously, sorry about that. In reality, it's only been about a week...I guess it's just been a crazy week. Anyway when I have a breath (maybe Sunday) I will post pics and blog about the things we've been busy with the last week. Sadly, Ned left on Deployment on Wednesday. It's a short trip, but the months apart are beginning to take a toll on everyone here. I'm just praying for Ned's safety and praying for health and happiness on our end, too. There is a massive flu shot shortage here and none of us have been immunized. I'm so so so nervous that we will end up with the flu and have a huge situation on our hands like we did two years ago when Ned was gone. All I can do is hope for the best. On a lighter note Raegan is growing up so fast and rolling over now. It's amazing to me that on my 3rd baby, it's still such a miracle to see them learn and grow. I have been feeling such gratitude lately just to be a mom and enjoy my kids. I'm really trying to slow down and just enjoy being around these sweet spirits. I'm realizing now how quickly it goes by. I'm very, very grateful to realize this now while Tatum is still so young...I'm planning on cherishing every moment. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll put some pictures of Sunday. Also...stay tuned...I've been working on a sugar project all week and they are sooooo cute! You'll have to wait and see, they're a suprise!

Happy Birthday!

We had Carson's birthday party yesterday. It was a lot of fun. First of all, I was sooooo burnt out on cakes that I just couldn't pull off my plan for his birthday cake. I had wanted to do a track with some molded race cars and this whole thing. So I had him pick out a simple Wilton pan and I did the best I could. Sorry...butter cream just isn't my thing. It's so hard to work with and It just isn't the same. BUT it tasted delicious. Just a tip for anyone out there who cares...next time you're making a cake from a mix...add milk instead of the water. It will be moister and a little richer, too. Anyway, I am mad that I didn't get a picture of it, but we had this really fun ice cream sundae bar with like 15 toppings and the kids all made their own sundae. It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that we have such wonderful friends who could share this day with us.

Bowling night

We took the kids bowling last week at the new bowling alley on base. It's so nice and the kids had a great time. We had the bumpers up, but just let them roll the ball on thier own. Tatum bowled a 100! I was amazed. Way to go, guys!

Just in case you were wondering what the best pizza on Whidbey Island looks like...

Trick or Treat!

We had a nice Halloween this year. Kind of low key, but it was really nice. I didn't take too many pics but enough to remember the night!

The dumpout

Of course, the best part of Halloween is the "dumpout" of the candy. The kids made this cute road out of thier candy. I was impressed with the attention to detail!