The one with Ts first movie

Taegs had his first movie theatre experience today. They have the kids movies at 10am and today's was Rise of the Guardians. Or Jack Frost as taegen likes to call it. I think it's normally $2, but for some reason we got in for free. So I bought him some popcorn and in we went. 

Again, sorry for the blurry pic. Dumb phone. Any way, he did pretty good. Only problem was he couldn't see very well. This theatre is a dinner theatre. So you can order dinner while you watch your movie. So they have a long rectangular table about a foot seat from your seat. The top of the table was right in the bottom if his view. So his view was a little obstructed, but not too bad. 

I had a bigger issue with Ellie though. Normally I wouldn't bring her with me to a movie, but since it was a kids showing I didn't mind. She did get a little fussy, since it was right during her nap time. But when she did I just stood up with her and she calmed down. I only had to do that twice. The rest of the time I was busy trying to keep her quiet. When she gets tired she babbles, A LOT! Plus she's teething, so she was spitting a lot too. I don't know if we'll go again, since it was kind of a lot of work for me. But at least now I know when Monsters Inc 2 and Despicable Me 2 come out we can take him and he'll do ok. 

The one just because

               

My kids are cute!!

And this last one because both of their faces are awesome. 

I know they all look the same. But I couldn't pick a favorite. None of them turned out with both if them smiling good and looking at the camera. So these were the best that I could get.

The one with the counseling statement

Jon didn't really think this was a big deal. Nor did he want to share it with everyone. But since this is my way of journaling and I want to document and remember this, I'm posting it on here, and he's just going to have to deal :)
Last week Jon got a 90% on a test. Previously he had been getting all 100%, so he was rather bothered this. The question that he missed was the problem. He knew that the answer he chose was correct. The test was flawed. He decided to take it up with the "higher ups". He was told that they'd look into it.

Yesterday his instructor called him up to the front if the class and reached over to a pile of counseling statements, as to hand him one. In the Army, counseling statements are basically a write up for doing something bad. Jon got really nervous, since he knew he hadn't done anything wrong. His instructor then said "did you know there's such a thing as a good counseling statement?" Then he handed a copy to Jon as he preceded to read the following to the whole class:

"SPC Evertsen, you are receiving this counseling for your superior performance in attention to detail on 17 June 2013. You have gone above and beyond to improve upon the BMET Program and its curriculum. You have gone the extra mile to ensure your fellow classmates and those that will follow will receive the necessary information to excel in the program. Your actions have identified a flaw in course 105's training and allowed us to adjust to accommodate the Plan of Instruction. You could have easily continued to work, only concerned with yourself and your individual goals, but that wasn't the issue. This is outstanding and reflects a true leader's commitment to a team. Thank you for a solid display of character and attention to detail".

I'm so proud of him! He really is doing so good in school. There have been a couple tests that he's had a hard time with, but considering that on average he takes at least 1 test a day (if not 2 or 3). The fact that he's only had a hard time with 2, thats pretty dang good! The first half of each course is just lecture. Then the second half they are in the lab, actually working on the machines. He obviously enjoys the lab part a lot more. The wording of the tests can be a bit confusing sometimes, since they are designed to be a bit tricky. But he's doing awesome! Last course he got a 97%. His total overall percentage is a little lower than that (I'm not sure the exact number). But he's for sure got an A.

Jon is way hard on himself and had very high expectations for how well he should be doing. If he ever gets lower than a 90% (which sometimes means only missing 1 question), he can get pretty upset at himself. I try to help him see that he's doing awesome and even if he does get an 85 on 1 test, all the other 100% that he gets will ensure that he gets a good over all course percentage.

I couldn't be more proud of him! He learns so much information each day that he literally comes home exhausted with his brain "hurting". :) We're getting close to the half way mark. A little more than 1 month away!

The one with "Safe Haven"

Over the weekend we rented the movie Safe Haven.

I really like chick flicks and I'm lucky that Jon doesn't mind them either. It's not his genre of choice of course, but he doesn't complain about watching them, which is great for me :) 

I really liked the movie, but will never watch the movie again. Here's why. This whole movie is about a woman who is running from something and meets a man who is a widow. They fall in love and at the end (slight spoiler alert ahead) she (Julianna Hough) is reading a letter from his (Josh Duhamel) deceased wife that she wrote "To Her". In that letter she talks about how she's happy he met her(Hough) and that she's glad her kids will have a mother figure in their life. Someone to take her son fishing again. Someone to be with her daughter on her wedding day. 

And thats where the movie becomes too much for me.  

My mom was killed in a car accident when I was 19 years old. There are a lot of things in my life that I've had to experience without my mom there. My wedding day, my divorce, another wedding, my pregnancies, the birth of both of my kids, etc. I can't call her and ask her if the problems I'm having with my kids, she maybe had with me too. Or what to do when my kids get sick. It's amazing how many things in life you refer to your mom for. And of course you don't realize it until you can no longer do it. I distinctly remember a time, it was maybe a month after she had passed away, I was driving back to my apt from school. I had had a bad day. I got my phone out to call the one person that I wanted to talk to about it. I pushed the speed dial button for my mom. It was then that I remembered. I still had the natural instinct to call me mom when something good or bad happened. That was probably one of the hardest things for me to get use to. 

I have a really awesome mother-in-law who has been great to me. She's accepted me like one of her own daughters and I can't even begin to express how much that has helped me. But of course there is never a replacement for your own mother. It has been 6 1/2 years since I got the phone call that changed my life forever. 

I was on a date and had decided to leave my phone in my car .We were down stairs hanging out playing some ping pong, or something like that when I started not feeling very good. It came out of no where and I just sat and relaxed on the couch. I eventually told my date that we should probably go. I got in the car and checked my phone to see I had a ton of missed calls, texts, and voice mails. My family and friends even got the phone number of my date and tried to reach me through him. I called my sister Kristel back and she was the one to give me the news. I remember asking her if she was joking. I just couldn't believe it. I immediately broke down. My date took me back to my apartment and from there I met up with my family and we drove to Vegas to visit my dad in the hospital. On the way down I remember thinking "Mom was the one who paid all of the bills. Who is going to do that now? Oh gosh, there are so many things that my mom did. How is dad going to be able to handle doing them all? He isn't! We're all going to have to step up and help him". There were so many things running through my mind on that car ride. I was just staring out the window, tears running down my face, trying to imagine what my life would be like without my mom. 

 On our way home the next day we stopped at the Mojave coroners office, since my mom was immediately brought there instead of to a hospital. We then stopped at the crash site. I was able to see the spot where she was found. And where the car ended up, with my dad still inside.

My parents were driving back from Vegas and there was a garbage can in the middle of the road. My dad swerved to miss it and hit a guard rail head on. The car flipped, then rolled down into the ravine. My beautiful mother wasn't wearing her seat belt and was ejected from the car. Those are the facts.

The guard rail they hit

Now here's the emotional side. The side that I don't show very often.

No matter how much times goes by, it really never gets any easier. One year on the anniversary of her death I was about to leave to visit her grave, and I over heard someone say something to the affect of "It's been ___ years, why is she making a big deal about today". I never said anything to this person, I don't think they even know I heard them. At first I was a little upset about the comment, but then I realized that that's probably how every person who has never lost someone close to them feels. Until you've experienced it, you will truly never understand. Time does make it easier to talk about. I don't cry very often about it any more. But I still miss her with every once of my being. That part NEVER gets any easier. Not having my mother in my life will never be easy. My sister wrote a tribute to her that I think fits my feelings perfectly: 

Dear Mom- wish you were here. I miss your face, your laugh (the one where tiny snorts snuck there way in when you tried to take a breath from laughing so hard) I miss how when we drove ANYWHERE your attention was on the plants and "weeds" on the side of the road instead of the mountains and scenery. I miss seeing your phone number on my my missed calls list. I miss how much you worried about everything. I miss your silly little dance you did when your favorite country song came on- especially "Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk". I miss how you used to turn up "Stacie's Mom Has Got It Going On" and sing it with such confidence- like that song was written just for you. I miss how you used to cut your own hair in the mirror- because no one could do it better than you could. I miss your hand-written chore assignments you'd leave on the kitchen counter top for all of us to check off. I miss your highschool drill-team moves that you randomly performed- on mini-scale.. with just your hands.--- how you remembered them after all those years still blows me away. I miss how your favorite colors were maroon and hunter green. I hated those colors growing up. and how all your decorations had chickens on them. Now I love those colors simply because they remind me of you. I miss how Dad used to BEG you to wear bright colors because you always wore black, white, brown, etc. I miss how you and dad would dance in the living room whenever Hotel California came on. I miss how frustrated you were over blanket shopping because Dad couldn't agree on anything. It was so funny coming over and seeing a NEW blanket on the bed that you were trying out for a few days to see if it would grow on Dad.. and how it never did, and how frustrated you were that you had to go find something else. again. I miss how you and I were just starting to become not only mother/daughter- but friends, as I was starting to grow a family of my own. It's amazing how time does nothing to heal the pain of losing you. I will never get over it- it's all I can do, still, to just get through it, even after 7 years. How hearing the name Gina, eating food that reminds me of you, hearing a song, or in this case- foraging for "weeds" to dry and save in our herb cabinet yesterday.. can send me into an entire day of grieving/missing you. I love you Mom. More than I ever said to you. More than I ever comprehended while you were here. And I miss you. So much.

After the movie ended I was sitting there crying. It was combination of it being a sad movie and me missing my mom. But later that night I got to thinking, I haven't cried over missing my mom in quite a while. I've shed a couple tears here and there but not actually cried. And I think part of the reason is because it makes me feel selfish. I know that sounds weird, but let me explain before you judge me.

 Due to some personal experiences that weren't mine, therefore I won't share with the online world, I know that my mom is happy. She's busy doing the Lord's work in Heaven. Sometimes I feel like me crying about her being happy is wrong. I cry because I miss her. Because I wish she could be here with me. I wish my kids could know their grandma Dori. I cry for many reasons, but it was that night that I realized they are all about me, not her. Yes I'm sure she misses being with her family, but she has the eternal perspective that we all lack. I'm not saying crying and mourning the loss of a loved one is wrong or selfish. Because it's not! It needs to happen to help you move forward with your life. But since it's almost been 7 years since she's passed away, I think maybe it's time for me to try to remember one important thing. 

My mom is happy! 

And I need to focus on that. It's not easy to think about that, but I know it's true. She's misses me. I know that too. But she's here with me when I need it. She helps me through the rough times in my life. She helps push me forward. But the Lord needed her in Heaven more than I need her here on Earth. 

I LOVE YOU MOM! And I promise to do better at remembering that you are happy, which will help bring me peace and happiness.

I love her face in this one. You can see how much she loved her grand babies.

 This picture is not of me, but if it was I would have it hanging in my house, I love it that much. It brings so much peace to me. We were just sitting by her grave, as a family, talking about our love for her.

 Hanna reminds me so much of Ellie in this pic. In fact I thought it was a pic of Ellie for a split second.  The day I get to see them meet, will be one joyous day for me!

The one where Taegen plays soccer

I tried to upload a video of Taegen playing soccer in his last soccer game, but Blogger is being lame again. It keeps coming up with an error. I wanted to show how "good he got" haha.  I'll have to post it on facebook instead.

I was hoping that he'd get better the more games he played....ya, he didn't. In the video he's literally just standing there while everyone runs around him. But he did get a medal and he thought that was pretty cool.

I won't be signing him up for any more sports probably for a while. At least not while we're out here. Between practice and games, it got to be a little stressful on Jon at times. Plus, T never really caught on to it. I think part of the problem was our team had kids ranging from 2-5 years in age. The 5 year olds were obviously a lot better than everyone else. There was quite a few times where T would try to kick the ball and one of the older kids would push him out of the way to get their turn. Thats the way of the game, I know, but it seems like he never really got a chance. Well thats not true. He had plenty of chances towards the end, but he got pushed around too many times in the first few games that I think he got scared to try again. Hopefully in a year or so he'll be older and we can try again. Although I think I'll try a different sport. See if he'll do better at T-ball or something instead of soccer. 

The one where we went bowling

 Before I get to the bowling pictures I just wanted to show you this picture. Taegen has been doing this with his toys lately. I've seen toys stuck in the kitchen drawer/cupboard handles, the handles on his dresser, the hinges on the doors, totally random places. Don't know why he's doing it either.

 Now on to the bowling trip. We joined a program where your kids can bowl for free all summer. (www.kidsbowlfree.com) All you have to pay for is shoe rentals if you need it. You can also add up to 4 adults for just $25. Pretty awesome deal. Especially for us since we're going to need lots of indoor stuff to do this summer.

This is the smallest and lightest ball they had and he still had some trouble carrying it.  

 They have these cool things for kids that they set their ball on and it and they can push it, instead of having to throw the balls.

Here's Taegen doing a victory jump.

 I love this one.

"YES!"

 This is what Ellie did the whole time. She didn't seem to mind too much. 

The one with the finger paints and truck

Taegen did some finger painting last week. I put the blue paint on his chest and nose and he said "get it off!" He did not like it. 

 I wipe it off only to see him do this a couple minutes later....

 You might as well add the shaving cream while he's already a mess. He had so much fun. The high chair tray was stained for a while. Luckily Mr Clean's magic erasers get off just about anything!

 cool shades

 Jon had to fix some things on his truck and he let Taegen help. I think they both had fun with it. Jon'll get himself a grease monkey for a son whether Taegen likes it or not. haha

 Here's Taegen using one of his own tools to "tighten a bolt with his wrench"

 He did actually use real tools too.

 Taegens tools

Trying to be just like daddy working underneath the truck.

 He moved some of them to be closer to daddys.

The one with all the boredom

I just love this video. Her laugh is so cute. It's even better when it's Taegen making her do it.

The other day we were really . bored. I mean, really bored. So what did we do? Well, we built an obstacle course, of course! 

 Don't touch the red tape!

 Oh course dad had to give it a try too. (he ended up ripping down some of the paper..boo!) It was def not made for an adult :)

 And here taegen is with a bracelet of Ellie's. His exact words were "mom, I can't hear you I have a snake in my ear"

 We took a walk down the road to the shopping just around the corner and Taegs was my big helper and pushed the stroller the whole way. And look grandma and grandpa, we got the front wheels for the stroller! haha

The story behind that is I bought this stroller, and immediately put it in the back of my car. I got to the airport to pick up gma and pa for their visit a couple weeks back and when I pulled out the stroller the front two wheels were missing! When Jon went back a week later him and a couple workers found out that there were a couple of the strollers with missing front wheels, so they believed him and gave him two.

The one where Ellie is 8 months

I'm a little late in this post, but my baby girl is 8 months old! Its crazy how different she is from Taegen. At 8 months old Taegs was crawling all over, giving kisses, said dada, pulled himself up from crawling, and he ate a whole bunch, 2 jars of food each time. Ellie does none of those, and she barely eats 1/2 a jar. haha. Well she can kind of give kisses. But thats it. In fact, she just rolled over for the first time from her back to belly for the first time yesterday. She sleeps on her side/belly so I knew she was capable of doing it, she just wouldn't. If she gets to be 11-12 months old and she's still not moving at all, then maybe I'll be a little more concerned.

This picture is a little deceiving since she can't actually get in this position by herself. I put her here and she sat there for a minute, but normally she fights it like crazy. She just plops right back on to her stomach. As you can see, she didn't like it very much.

I have no idea whats going on with blogger. These pictures on my computer are rotated the right way, but it keeps putting them in sideways. Weird. Sorry. Looks like you'll just have to rotate your head to see the cuteness of these ones :)

 She loves to stand. thats all she wants to do now. Makes me think she'll skip crawling, but we'll see.

 He first time with a balloon. She had a hay day with it. Its actually what I used to motivate her to roll over.

- I thought she was getting her 2nd tooth right after her 1st one came in, but I guess not. She's still only got one tooth. Her bottom left front tooth. 

-She doesn't put things in her mouth. To get her to open her mouth to eat I have to shove the spoon in there so she'll taste the food and realize theres yummy stuff on the spoon. I have these things called num num's and if I give one to her she'll just hold it. I have to grab her hand and put it in her mouth for her. And as soon as I let go, it's back out of her mouth. It is nice that most times I don't have to worry about her putting things in her mouth and choking.

-She is the pickiest eater. The only flavors of food she likes is peas, green beans (some days), mixed greens, corn and sweet potatoes, and some times if I'm lucky, regular sweet potatoes. Almost all oranges ones she wont touch. And absolutely no fruits.

-To get her to eat I have to give her something to play with to distract her.

-I've finally got her consitpation under control. I've been having to put some slippery elm in her food. 

-She's finally on some what of a sleeping schedule. She takes a morning and afternoon nap. the times are not set in stone, which makes it nice for me if I'm out and about. She still wakes up at night, at least once. It's different every night though. Some nights she'll go to bed really late (9-10)and then sleep till 6. But if she goes to bed on time she'll wake up at least once.

-I go to the gym multiple times a week and if I put her in the front of the stroller she starts freaking out after a couple minutes. I guess she likes to be able to see Taegen.

-To let me know she's done eating she spits at me. But not until I've put some more food in her mouth. It's rather messy. She still opens her mouth like she wants more, but as soon as it hits her lips she starts spitting.