Matt, Amie and John

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-01-17T09:17:00.003-05:00

My Sister Cara and her husband Marc came to visit for Thanksgiving. They arrived Thanksgiving day and left on the Tuesday after! Only one picture from the weekend but here are some of the highlights! On the day after Thanksgiving we went to Mike's Farm and got our Christmas tree! It seems we have gone there every year and there Christmas tree's are great! We cut our own and it is a lot of fun! We got a 9 ft tree this year! Saturday after Thanksgiving I ended up in the emergency room with a horrible stomach thing??
I say thing because the same thing has happened way to much for it to be a virus. But luckily family was here to stay home with John since it took so long at the ER! Sunday we had to take the trip to the PX so they could do there shopping they always have to do there! It worked out nice because for every $50 you spend at the PX you can get free daycare coupons for Saturday nights on base. Well lets just say that we have enough free Saturday night daycare coupons to last us a year and we even gave some away!! Thanks Marc and Cara! Here is Marc and John enjoying a movie and a much needed nap after turkey!!!!

Minnesota!

2009-01-17T08:19:00.009-05:00

About a week after Matt got home we took a trip up to Minnesota! It was so great to see everybody! We were only there for 8 days but it was still fun! Since we were there so close to the Marine Corps Birthday we got tickets to the Ball in Minneapolis! It was held at a place called Blaisdale Manor. Very Historic building with lots of character! Since they were overbooked we ended up having to stand for the ceremony but we didn't mind it was just nice to be there! Dinner was fabulous and our hotel room was awesome!
We also went to a place called Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge. It is a Bar/Restaurant in Minneapolis! I guess the summer is the time to go because they have to Tiki Bar set up outside and there is a lot more room! The food was fantastic and the drinks were very sweet but good! The cool glasses in the pictures below we got to buy and keep! I definitely recommend if anyone is in Minneapolis to stop by and check it out!

Psycho Suzi's Lounge
My BEAUTIFUL SISTER

Our Brother-in -Law Marc

THE MARINE CORPS BALL

Us after dinner

He's so Handsome

Our Wonderful Hotel Room

The View from the wondow in our room

Matt's Home!!

2009-01-17T08:15:00.002-05:00

Wow it has been a while since this was updated! Matt finally came home to us on October 23rd, 2008. It is so nice having him home and being a family again!

Grandma Visits!

2008-09-29T09:59:00.005-04:00

The past 9 days my Mom Barb has been visiting us! We had a great time while she was here! John loves his Grandma and was extremely spoiled all week long! It was a nice break for me just to have a little help around the house! We went to Surf City one night and had Dinner at Maxx's pizza and afterwards we walked the shore. John was a little scared since it was dark out and he was a little cold but he still had fun! We also went to Onslow Beach during the day and John was in his glory chasing the birds and throwing shells! I found some really cool shells for my collection also. My Mom and I had a chance to go out to dinner and spend some time just the two of us. Even though I am 24 years old I still need my Mom just as much as I did when I was young! We also were able to go and see that movie Nights in Rodanthe with Richard Gear and Diane Lane. It was great and highly recommended. She left this morning at 5:45am and now it is back to our routine for about 25 days until Matt comes home!!!YAY!!!!

TROPICAL STORM HANNA!

2008-09-05T23:23:00.005-04:00

So here I sit at 11:24p.m. It just started raining steady about 2 hours ago. The wind just picked up a couple of minutes ago. I get pretty excited for these storms to come through and they they just turn out to be rain and wind. What fun is that? Ike is the next hurricane coming through and it should be the bad one. Hopefully we wont have to go to a local shelter! I guess we will see! Stay tuned.

A nice Nap!

2008-08-23T11:16:00.002-04:00

I started getting sick on Tuesday of this week and by Friday morning I was miserable! I have not had a cold in over a year so I guess I had it coming! Katie came and picked John up Friday night at 4pm and I slept from then to 8:00am Saturday morning! It was so nice to be able to truly rest and have time to myself! Thank you Katie and Jimmy for being such good friends! I really appreciate it!

BUCKET HEAD!!

2008-08-20T09:48:00.003-04:00

For Christmas Matt bought John a bucket of blocks that you put through the holes in the cover!
He loves it. He loves it so much that he wears the bucket on his head and walks into walls. The funny thing about it is the bucket is clear so he can see where he is going. He just likes to walk into the walls! Only my son!!HA!

Not to much going on!

2008-08-19T14:41:00.003-04:00

Loves his Kiddie pool finally!!!!
Watching Finding Nemo!
Playing in the mud and throwing it at the dog!

We haven't really been doing that much since we returned from MN. Just trying to pass time until Matt comes home. I decided not to go back to work again as I was struggling to stay afloat. The market is shot right now and unless you are a seasoned agent it is hard to stay busy! I think it is more important to stay at home with John at least while we can afford it! Hopefully I will be able to find a job by the time Matt comes home. Matt will be home the end of October. He has a date but as most of you know it is not worth it to say it because it will most likely change at some point!HA!
We are looking forward to my Mom and Al coming the end of September! They will be driving here for a week to try and help break up the time before Matt comes home! It will be nice to have company!

Minnesota

2008-08-19T14:23:00.003-04:00

On June 11th John and I headed home to Minnesota to visit family. We were originally supposed to stay for 10 days but ended up staying for a month! It was so nice to be home with family. John had a great time getting to know his family members that he only gets to talk to over the phone. They also had a great time getting to know him! John also got to meet his Grandpa Larry, Aunt Desiree, Uncle Matt and his cousin Hailee. He really enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them! It was short lived but I am sure we will be seeing them more often now! While we were home my Mom was diagnosed with Lupus. Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect the joints and almost every major organ in the body, including the heart, kidneys, skin, lungs, and brain. Normally it is hereditary but stress can also cause it! Since it doesn't run in the family stress is most likely the cause of it! Which would make sense. She has a moderate case which is good. They have finally found a treatment that has been working. She says that she is feeling better than she has in a long time. We were glad that we could be home with her when she found out. She needed us! We returned home on the 9th of July and are just trying to get back in the routine and await Matt's return! 2 months to go and time has stopped!HA!

A little Behind!

2008-08-19T13:04:00.003-04:00

Wow I am way behind on this thing! Well Matt came home in April for his 2 week R&R! We had a great time! We went to DC for the Memorial Ceremony at the Memorial Wall. It was a lot better better weather than the first year as I didn't feel like every limb was going to fall off my body! I must say though it was a little strange. Everyone is supposed to get up and read there loved ones name and move on to the next person, but it soon started to be a government bashing ceremony. We were happy to be there and Matt ended up being able to read his Dad's name this year so he was very happy about that. Afterwards we enjoyed a great Sushi Dinner with some friends and the next day went home! We were able to go to the NC Aquarium while he was home and took John to the beach for the first time! He liked it a lot! He would rather dump sand on himself than play in the water. Yep, he's a boy! Matt had to go back to Iraq on the 30th of April. Half way done!!!!!!

Happy Number One John!

2008-03-29T20:02:00.005-04:00

March 16th was John's first birthday! His Grandma Carol(Matt's Mom) came into town for the weekend and it was a lot of fun! We had a little party for him with friends and I baked him a chocolate cake. Apparently he is taking after his Mom because he didn't seem to like the chocolate! He wouldn't touch the cake. I am not really sure who else would have since it didn't look very appetizing! Everyone else said it was just my baking!
I think the highlight of the party was he got to see and talk to his Daddy! He loves seeing Matt on the web cam! We got to talk to him for about 30 minutes! It was also nice that Carol got to see Matt to! I know she was really happy to see him!
John got a lot of really nice toys and clothes for his birthday! It was great to have friends and family that care so much about him! Here are some more pics of the the big day!

Matt's Homecoming

2008-03-11T21:20:00.003-04:00

Matt called tonight with some bad news. The Gunny on Matt's team had to come back to NC because his wife had and unexpected seizure. To my knowledge, they do not know why and are trying to figure it out. He is expected to be in NC for a month to be by her side. We are very happy that he could make it home to be with her and their family. They are in our thoughts and we pray that everything will be alright.
Matt may not be able to come home when he was scheduled(middle of April) if Gunny is still here. Right now everything is as scheduled but if something unexpected comes up he may not be able to come home for a while longer. Until then we miss him and can't wait to see him! Please keep the Gunny and his family in your prayers!

We Miss You Daddy!

2008-03-05T07:58:00.002-05:00

John and I had this picture taken at the Exchange yesterday for Matt! We really miss him and are excited for him to come home to us! He is coming home in April for 2 weeks and we are all very excited!

2008-02-10T10:23:00.001-05:00

Finally have a moment!

2008-02-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

I haven't been blogging at all lately, since Matt left time has gone by really fast. We have been keeping very busy! Work hasn't really picked up for me at all so I am taking a couple of months off to be home with John! He has been very sick since Matt left. He has had 3 ear infections since Thanksgiving and is now just getting over Pneumonia. It has been tough for him but we are starting to see the light! Matt is doing well in Iraq! He is very tired, as they all work 16 or 17 hours a day without a day off in between. He will be coming home for his Vacation in April sometime. He will only be home for about 2 weeks then back again for 6 months.
Johns 1st Birthday is coming up on March 16th! Can't believe that it has been a year already. Check out the slides I have made from the day he was born until now! Hope everyone is having a great year so far!

2008-02-10T10:03:00.001-05:00

Amie and John's Update!

2007-12-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

Someone loves his banana's

Loving up on my Monkey!

Apparently there was something good on TV!!!!!

I don't really have much to write about, thus the reason I never really write. Christmas is almost here, can you believe it? I can't considering the weather has been in the 70's and 80's this week. Doesn't feel like Christmas at all. My Mom is coming on the 23rd and staying until the 29th. Matt bought her a ticket and they were going to surprise me but I was being stubborn so Matt had to tell me. Anyway I am excited to see her and for her to see John.
John is getting really big really fast. He is now crawling, turbo speed at that. He also pulls himself on things like the coffee table and couch. He can also walk around them and switch from one to the other. He also learned how to clap. He has been going to full time daycare now and when it is time to eat, they put them in the Hi-Chairs and start singing a blessing and clap along with it. He picked up on it in about 2 days and now he is a clapping machine! Every time I put him in the high chair and right away when he wakes up in the morning. What a goof ball!
I have been working a lot more now. It is the slow season so I am trying my hardest to get some work going. I started Real Estate when the slow season was just starting and now it is the slow season. I guess thing should pick up in January. I sure hope so. The time is going by fast for us because we have been so busy lately. We are looking forward to Daddy coming home in April for his R&R.

Matt's Update!

2007-12-12T21:48:00.001-05:00

Matt is doing well in Iraq! He is in Fallujah! He has been extremely busy, the boss has them working from seven or eight A.M. until twelve or one A.M. So he is exhausted but glad to be busy! I am not exactly sure what he does all day as he can't really tell me but I do know he goes on patrols. He says that he sees a lot of trash, kids and dogs. He says it is like a parade the kids are waiting for the gunners to throw candy and if they don't they get really mad. Other than that he says it is pretty boring. Email contact is really good when he has a moment anyway!!!! Phone contact is good but he doesn't call much because there are long lines and he needs as much sleep as possible. He says that he is excited to come home next year. I think we can all second that! That is all for Matt!

Operation Enduring Freedom!

2007-11-05T20:58:00.001-05:00

Today I was at the PX with Katie and Alex! Kate picked up this hat and tried to put it on Alex and he did not like it! I took it and put it on John and he loved it! He wore it around the PX the whole time we were there so I had choice but to by it since it was so fitting! He is too cute! So when we got home I decided to put his Devil Dogs onesie on to go along with the hat! He loves to support his Daddy! We miss him a lot!

D~Day

2007-11-04T20:41:00.001-05:00

Tuesday October 30, 2007 Matt left for Iraq again! He will be gone for a year this time! He was pretty excited to get there but now that he is he says it is really boring. He said that it is going to be a long year and he can't wait for next November. I would say it is going to be a long year if he is saying that already. Tuesday was a hard day for us. I am still having a hard time. I just can't believe it is going to be a whole year. That is a long time without him. But me and John have Matt to help us through it and he has us. We are very proud of Matt in all that he does and he is our hero. Hurry home baby!

Our Date!!

2007-11-04T20:26:00.001-05:00

One of the night that we were home Matt and I got to go on a date! On our first date we went to this restaurant called Moscow on the Hill! It is fantastic. They serve Russian food(the snails are the best) and over a thousand selections of Vodka. We like to get dressed up and go there whenever we go to MN. We had some shots there of there homemade vodka. They make homemade Cherry, Tiaramisu,, Caramel, Pepper Infused, Horseradish, and Garlic vodka. All we had was the Cherry and Tiaramisu. Good enough for me. It was definitely the best vodka I have ever had!
We left there and went to a place called Fatboy's. It is a biker bar about 10 miles from my Mom's house. We had never been there but heard it was pretty cool. I didn't even get in the door and saw a couple people from High School. Once we were inside, I think there was only 3 people I didn't know. It was a High School Reunion. Because Matt was wearing his uniform we did not buy a drink the whole night. We had drink tokens stacked up all night. You know it's good when we are ordering shots and drinks for ourselves and for other people and still not have a tab. We closed the place out and needless to say we were both extremely drunk. The next day was very harsh. Especially for Matt, he was sick until the next night. We had fun but probably wont drink like that for a while again! Probably until the next time we go to Moscow on the Hill again and we rent a limo so that we can take shots of Vodka all night! Anyone is welcome to come! Here are some drunk pictures from our date.

Our Trip Home!

2007-11-04T20:14:00.001-05:00

I got an email from a friend the other day informing me that our blog site was a little out of date! I would have to agree. Here are some pics of when we went home! We left NC on October 8th and arrived there late on the night of the 10th. We stayed with my Mom! It was tight with all of us in her new place but we managed. Matt and are now chopped liver as John had his own room and crib and we got the pull out bed in the living room. At least we got a bed I guess! We stayed for about a week and a 1/2. It went by fast but at the same time felt really long. We are happy to be back but miss everyone already. We had John baptized while we were there. I will send pics of that as soon as my Mom sends them to me. That could take a while. She is like Matt and I when it comes to sending pics! She doesn't!!!!!!!!!! These pics are of my family, Matt's family, John and Auntie Steph and the 3 of us!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

2007-10-03T15:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know I have not posted for a while but we have been crazy busy since Matt returned home. He has been working a lot getting in last minute training in before he goes on leave. He starts leave the 5th of Oct and goes back to work the 25th. Sometime between the 25th and 31st he will be heading out again. This time for a lot longer! I have been working pretty hard also. I never realized how much work I would actually have to do once I started but man is it overwhelming. Since I am an independent contractor I really don't have extensive training, so I am on my own when it comes to figuring stuff out. I learn the best hands on, but it gets pretty confusing and frustrating. Luckily, I share and office with Katie.( blonde in the pictures from last post) I went to school with her and we ended up working at the same office. Once we got our office we realized we were sharing! We have a lot in common, her son Alex is 5 days younger than John, and she is a smart ass just like me so we work well together.
Anyway, this week is nuts for us. We are leaving on Saturday morning for MN. So we have been trying to prepare for that. I had to take John to the Doctor today because he has had a fever, cough, runny nose and last night he had a bloody nose. We found out he has Bronchitis. I guess he got it from daycare. He has been miserable but now they gave him and antibiotic and a decongestant. He is feeling a lot better. Hope everyone is well.

Girls Night!

2007-09-18T21:10:00.001-04:00

Saturday night was a lot of fun! I had Katie and Jacki come over for girls night again! We had fun! We were going to order Pizza but when I called they had a hour and a half wait. We decided against that! So I made TV dinners. That is what I eat when Matt is gone so that is all I had! Katie left at about 9:00 because she had to get home to her family. Jacki and I had some wine of course and stayed up until about 12:30a.m. We watched The Office blooper real and then a couple of episodes from season 4! They were pretty funny! We are definitely going to have to make it a habit! Sunday Jacki left at about 8:15a.m! It was so beautiful outside. It was actually kind of cold outside. I knew I didn't want to stay in house but I didn't know what to do! Katie called me and asked if I wanted to go with her to Staples and the Mall with her! Of course I did! It was fun! We went to Staples and looked at stuff for work. I didn't buy anything yet but I know now what I need to get! That store is way too fun! Now that I actually have reason to shop there it is going to be dangerous! Then we went to Starbucks to get some coffee and we sat outside and drank it since it was so beautiful outside. The boys seemed to like being outside also! Then we walked around the Mall for a while! We looked at puppies. They had a Basset Hound that was so adorable I almost took it home! Good thing I had no $. Then we went back to Kaite's and they cooked me dinner which was awesome! That was my weekend and now late tomorrow night Matt comes home! YEEEAAAAH!!!!I am so excited to see him. I am also excited for him and John to see each other. John has changed so much since Matt left. He is going to be amazed! I will post some pics of the 2 of them when he gets home!

Overwhelmed!

2007-09-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

I have been going to training everyday since Monday and it is really fun! We have learned a lot about a lot I guess but not enough about the things we should be. Monday we just talked and the training brokers told story's the whole time! Tuesday I just went into the office to sign all my paperwork and ask Terri a bunch of questions. Wednesday we had class again. Anthony came from Century 21 Mortgage to talk to us about what they offer. I definitely would recommend checking out Century 21 on you next home loan. They have some great incentives and are very friendly! I also learned that Scott Furtney, and agent with American Properties West is the #1 Premier agent in the U.S. and has been for the past 3 years! I feel very privileged to be working at the same office as him. What an amazing title to have! After all that we went over some contract and I have been practicing writing them so that once I actually have to do one I will be able to with no problems. They are not easy! Today we went to Hubert, NC to tour a model home built by Atlantic Construction. We sell a lot of their house's so they wanted us to be able to do a walk through with the builder so we can get to know the product and feel more comfortable selling it! I had to bring John because it was a last minute thing. The house was really nice but it seemed a little small. It was 1600sqft but it seemed smaller. But it seems the builder does a good job. John was really good the 3 hours we ended up being there! Katie, who I went to school with brought her son too who is 5 days younger than John. He was really good also! They were so cute, we would stand next to each other and they would hold hands and touch each others face and smile and laugh at each other. It works out nice that they get along because Katie and I are going to help each other out with daycare! Daycare on base had waiting list that we are both on. Until then we have to use the drop-in option. That is paid hourly and you can only schedule it 3 times per week. So we are going to work Tues, Thur, and Fri together and put the boys in daycare. Mon, I am going to take care of her son Alex and Wed she is going to take care of John so that we can each get in 4 days a week. I am not going to work weekends so it works out really well this way! I also got my car generic car magnets today. They will be personalized soon but for now they look pretty spiffy! I have training again tomorrow morning and then I am good for the weekend. Saturday night Jacki and Katie are coming over. I think that we are going to order pizza and have a few drinks! I am very excited for that!

I Passed!

2007-09-07T14:02:00.000-04:00

I am happy to report that I finally passed my Real Estate Exam this morning. Thank God! I took it twice before today and failed both times. The 2nd time I took it I only failed by ONE POINT! How frustrating is that. Anyway, I passed this morning and Monday morning I will start training at the firm I will be working for.(American Properties West) They are located in Jacksonville and have 2 locations and will soon have 3.
I am very excited to start my career in Real Estate, and if anyone knows anyone who needs to buy or sell a house in Jacksonville, NC tell them to contact me!

The USS North Carolina Battleship

2007-09-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

Just a few pics of the USS North Carolina Battleship

New Pics!

2007-09-06T22:15:00.001-04:00

This was Johns first time at the beach! His face is funny in this Picture!
This is my favorite picture out of all the ones that were taken!

This is a really good picture of Kendra!
Eric and Kendra both said that East Coast Beaches are prettier than West Coast Beaches! I have not seen one but from how they described it I would have to agree! This is beautiful!

Labor Day Weekend!

2007-09-05T14:19:00.000-04:00

Labor Day weekend was fun for us! Eric and Kendra came to visit. It was nice because we hadn't seen them in about a year and a half. They got here Saturday afternoon at about 1:00p.m. We just sat around all day Saturday and caught up! I made dinner for them and then we watched the movie Four Brothers! It was pretty good. Then on Sunday we got up early and went to the beach. They had never seen a East Coast Beach. Kendra is from California and Eric is from Nebraska, but was stationed in California while he was in the Marine Corp. So they have only seen West Coast beaches. It was also John's first trip to the beach. He seemed to like it. I wanted to put his feet in the water but I thought since he was sick it probably wouldn't be a wise idea. Once we left the beach I brought them to the PX so they could get some Marine Corp shirts. When we left there I let Eric drive the new truck so he could get his fix! He liked it but said it was hard to get used to driving a diesel. We drove to Wilmington to the USS Battleship NC. I had already been there with Matt , Marc and Cara but they wanted to see it. It was fun. It was kind of hard with John though because the stairs in the battleship that you have to climb are pretty much straight up and down so lugging around a 20lb baby is not easy. Besides that, air conditioning a large Battleship is not easy so underneath was extremely hot.
We were going to eat there but got done sooner than we thought and none of us were hungry so we headed back to Jacksonville and got dinner at the Texas Steakhouse. It was really good! We got back to the house and played with John for a while before we watched a movie. We watched Into the Blue which was really good. Monday morning they left at about 10:30am. I was pretty sad when they left. The only thing that sucked about the weekend is that Matt could not be here to see them and have fun with us. We really miss having them around. They became some of our Best Friends when we were in VA. They live in PA along with Hank and Stacy and Andy and Cynthia. Eric said that it was nice having everyone together in VA and I agree. We are going to try and visit them when we drive back from MN. Hopefully it will work out!
They were very helpful all weekend. They love John and are both really great with kids. Can't wait until they have some of there own! Won't be long!!!!!!!!
To wrap it up it was a great weekend and as soon as Eric sends me pics I will post them. Not that anyone reads this or anything! But, just in case!

Congrats to Hank and Stacy!

2007-09-03T16:44:00.000-04:00

Hank and Stacy are getting Married in Jamaica today! I hope there day is as perfect as they are for each other! They deserve every bit of happiness they will find in one another!
Congratulations!

Long Week!

2007-08-30T16:48:00.000-04:00

Well it has been a long week for us! John has been sick all week and is finally getting better. Now that he is better I am getting sick also.
His teeth finally cut so that is a very good thing!
We have been getting ready for Eric and Kendra to come for the long weekend. I can't wait to see them I just wish that Matt could be here too! We miss having the Tyson's and the Hobson's around. When Matt retires we will probably end up where they are!!!HAHA
Matt is having fun(as much to be expected)in Cali! I talked to him last night and he said they met with some Iraqi Interpreter's for dinner and that was pretty cool!
We miss him lots and can't wait until he can come home!
That's all for now!

Mr.Smiley

2007-08-26T21:09:00.000-04:00

Last night Jacki came over for Girls Night since the guys are gone and John was so fussy all night long. He was so tired and in pain because he is getting his two front bottom teeth! But he wouldn't sleep because he didn't want to miss anything. After Jacki left this morning he took a 2 hour nap, which never happens and when he woke up he was Mr.Smiley(as Matt would say).
Jacki was trying to get him to smile for pictures last night and every time she would put the camera up he would stop smiling. He likes to play games! What a little stinker!

The Monkey!

2007-08-26T20:26:00.000-04:00

We were outside all day last Saturday and it was really bright out so John was sportin his Cool Guy Glasses!! Doesn't he look Pimp?

And then it was nap time! Like Father like Son!

Matt's in Cali!

2007-08-26T10:26:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody!
Matt left on early Friday morning for California! He will be there until September 19th. He is doing training for his new job that he will be doing in Iraq! I talked to him yesterday for a little bit and he said that at 11:30 at night it was still 93 degree's. I guess it isn't that bad though because it is dry heat. He is stationed at 29Palms which is the desert. John already misses Daddy and so do I! We are lonely without him. John looks around like something is missing at night. Barron does too!
Well I will be putting some pictures on here as soon as I transfer them. I will be taking my test again on the 7th of this month. I am going to pass this time. I am determined. Training starts on the 10th so I will have a couple of days to relax. I am very excited! That is all for now!