The Happiest Place on Earth....

The normal reply would be DISNEY WORLD!

 

Today I learned otherwise.

As I'm sitting on the couch with my three youngest children, Addy starts to question me on where we were going to go today.  Her list is something like this...the grocery store? Grandma's House? the park? a friends house? library?  then she pauses for a few seconds and her face lights up like she's had the greatest idea ever.  I asked her if she thought of a fun, exciting, special place to go today...I thought I new what was coming and was prepared to tell her that we can't go to Disney World with out planning for it (we had been talking about our Disney trip from last year over the last few days). Addy nods and climbs on my lap--all important things must be whispered in mommy's ear--and she smiles and giggles and then whispers, "We need to go to TARGET!"  specifically for mac'n'cheese she later clarified.  So in the Culbertson household, it appears that the newest 'happiest place on earth' is our local Super Target (and yes she knows the difference between our regular Target and our Super Target)

20 Things from my 20's

So yesterday I turned the big 3 0!  I was having a hard time dealing with this birthday and the idea of leaving my 20's behind me.  So I decided to make 2 lists, the first of which I'm going to share with you today.  1: 20 things that happened in my 20's and 2: 30 things I'd like to have happen in my 30's.
So with out further ado (in no particular order...),

20 things from my 20's

Ok this one is just a little bit of a squeeze.  Technically I was 19 when we got married, but it was only a month before my 20th birthday so I count it in my 20's
#1 Marring Brent Allen Culbertson for Time and all Eternity
                                                                       April 2, 2004

#2 January 2005 Moved to Florida

#3 Learned more about love and service through church callings.
      Primary Presidencies, Compassionate Service leader, and now Relief Society Teacher and Pianist

#4 Moved 5 times!

#5 Bought a home

#6 Learned to love weight lifting!  (there is not nor will there every be photographic evidence of this...it's just not pretty, LOL)

#7 Learned to Crochet

#8 Welcomed a teenage boy into our home and family (we love you Dane!)

#9 Traveled to Key West, FL; Savannah, GA; St Augustine, FL; and Matalche, FL

#10 Worked night shift at Target (loved the 10% discount!)

#11 Became a purple belt in Tae Kwon Do

#12 Learned to sew for my girls

#13 My Oldest Child chose to be Baptized.

#14 Participated in the wedding of my youngest Brother in Law and my Little Sister.

#15 First visit to ER with a child (and broken bone!)

#16 Aspen Elizabeth 8/26/05

#17 Ella Mae 11/06/07

#18 Adelene Rae 08/12/10

#19 Jacob Landon 07/27/12

#20 Andrew Brent 01/17/14

Needless to say...it's been an amazing 10 years and I'm looking forward to the next 10! 

Adelene is 18 months old!

Yesterday Addy turned 18 months old, where did the time go!?! She has been going to nursery for a few weeks now (perks of having a small nursery and friends as the nursery leaders!) and she loves it. There are so many things she has been doing over the last few weeks that are a constant reminder of how big she is and that she has older sisters to teach her so much.
Addy is a lover, she loves to give hugs and kisses, she is my youngest baby to learn to give a real 'kiss' instead of an open mouth slobber :). Just the other day I took the trash out while helping Aspen with her homework, we were on a time crunch so I didn't put a bag in the can just stuck it under the sink to worry about later. A few minutes later my darling Adelene went to throw some trash away and noticed I had not put a bag in, so she pulled the can out, took the trash she had put in there out, went to the other cupboard and got out a trash bag and put it in the can...now she is not big enough to open the bag but still, what 18 month old would even get that far! She is learning to talk more every day, she says Jules, mamma, pappa, please, thank you, more, uh oh, yes and no ( and shakes her head the correct way for yes and no) she amazes me every day with her observations. Last night I changed her diaper and put on her pjs. She immediately got up and put the wipes back where they go and got her dirty clothes and put them in the laundry basket, these are all things I have never set out to teach her, she just sees it and does it. Addy is going to be a great big sister, and every day I am more confident I our choice to have another baby this soon. Ps we will hopefully find out the gender of baby #4 today!

Family Day and Graduation

NOTE: This was written awhile ago, but then was left unfinished until I could get back to it!   So this all happened the Last week in September.

Last week was a amazing, crazy, and fun week!  On Tuesday Brent and I packed the girls off to Grandma and Grandpa Culbertson house and we hit the road to Fort Jackson South Carolina!  We were on our way to see Dane for the first time in 10 weeks.  We made good time, found our hotel, and then Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner (we chose them cause they put both the Braves AND Cardinals game on for us to watch)  The next morning we were up and at the Army Post by 8:30 anxiously awaiting the start to Family Day.  It was a very emotional morning for all, the excitement and anticipation was so thick in the air you could almost touch it will all the Moms, Dads, Wives, children, etc waiting to see their soldiers.  While we were waiting for the program to start we got the call we had been waiting for...Dane passed his last PT Test that very morning and would defiantly be graduating this week!

The ceremony was short and emotional (they do this every week and understand we don't really care about what he has to say, we WANT TO SEE OUR SOLDIERS!) We met Dane at his barracks, Brent didn't even recognize him when we was walking straight towards us!  We had the rest of the day to spend with Dane on Post.  We did EVERYTHING trying to cram as much time together in as possible.  We went to the PX to get him somethings.  Then we had lunch at Burger King (Dane's first junk food in weeks...it didn't settle to well...) then we went to the BCT (basic combat training) Museum where it took us through the phases of BCT and Dane was able to show us what they did and some things that were different for him.  Then we hit the bowling alley for an hour.  After that we went to the Solomon Center where they have tables and snack vender's, video games (the first the soldiers had seen in 10 weeks!) and a rock wall (Brent and I climbed the rock wall, Dane said he's done that enough in training...)  Then Dane treated us to a round of mini golf.  Later that evening we had dinner and took him back to his barracks.

The next day was Graduation.  There was a 45 min ceremony where they gave out awards to various members of the companies, one unexpected thing was they had about 8 soldiers who became citizens that day be completing BCT and they did their oath right there at graduation!

After graduation we got to take Dane off post!  As we drove through the gates you could tell Dane felt tense, he said he kept waiting to get in trouble for leaving!  We took him around to Best Buy and Walmart to buy a laptop (apparently that is a big thing for the new graduates to do, there were soldiers EVERYWHERE!) Lunch at McDonald's then to a movie theater to watch Captain America.  After another quick trip to Walmart to buy some new music we had dinner at Longhorn Steak house (if anyone knows Dane and wants to know how much he changed...he ordered the SMALLEST steak on the menu! Civilian food didn't agree with him to well)  We headed back to the barracks to hang out and help him finish packing.  Then we said our goodbyes and headed off to Savannah.  Dane was put on a Bus Friday morning and shipped up to Fort Lee Virginia where he is still in holding waiting for classes.  He did get word that he will be getting Christmas Exodus and should be home for about 2 1/2 weeks in December!

Later, I'll post about our Savannah Trip!

Hair Cut!

Okay, So I get my hair cut/colored 2-3 times a year MAX most of the time...but I'm trying to be better. Rather then my basic trim and touch up a few basic layers I went for something just a little different (I'm a hair change phobic!)  This is my Farrah Faucett inspired hair cut!  I love it.  I just curled it right after my friend Kim (THANKS!!!) cut/colored it. I didn't have ANY product so it will get better once I get the right kind of 'hold' product-and maybe some practice doing me hair :).  It took my about 45 min to do my hair with is A LOT to me, but it's the kind of 'do' that I can wash it the night before and use a curing iron or hot rollers the next day.

Here's to a bright future of me actually doing my hair more then on the odd Sunday ;).

PS I'm not big on the whole 'pic of myself in the mirror' thing, but it was the best way to get a pic of my hair since I can't get pics of my real camera currently...

Found SOME pictures...

So I still haven't found my cable but...I found some pic on my computer I hadn't uploaded...so here is the Last year or so in a brief photo summary...

Ella went to KiddieHawks Preschool for the 2010-2011 school year.  She LOVED it. Sadly the admin did away with the program after that year so we are preschooless this year and anxiously awaiting VPK next fall :)

Griffin's Martial Arts Truck-or-Treat

Oct 2010

Aspen's Kindergarten Winter/Christmas Program

Pelican Elementary Dec 2010

Ella's Preschool Christmas/Winter Program and Party

KiddieHawks Dec 2010

Addy's first food.

Dec 2010

She LOVED it, but just a few months later (by 8months) she was DONE with baby food of any kind and moved on to whatever the rest of us were eating :)

Aspen's Spring School Picture Day

They did 2 pictures, the Fall was the more traditional School pic this was a little fancier with special back grounds, etc so Aspen wanted to do something special with her hair.








Easter 2011

Mothers Day 2011

The girls were complaining about the bright sun and this is the best picture we could get of them.

Ella's Preschool Graduation

May 2011

 Her Preschool buddies, Vicky and Tanner (both members of the Church too)

 Dane's Senior Prom May 2011

Just a cute picture of Addy, but I forgot to flip it...Sorry!

Belt Testing Aug 2011

 Just an update on our Family Tae Kwon Do!  This is August belt testing group from our school.  We had three friends testing for their Black Belts!  Brent, Aspen and I also tested.  We really are loving classes and making some GREAT life long friends.



Still looking...

Okay...I promised pictures...well I'm still looking for my camera cable!?!  I haven't seen it since we moved :( I really hope I can find it soon!
Anyways, this last week we were luck enough to get two letters from Dane AND TWO PHONE CALLS!  The sad part is both times he called Brent wasn't home and wasn't able to get to his phone :(.  Dane is doing well, counting down the days to graduation (less then 2 weeks) and a return to slightly more normal life (they get more freedoms during AIT then BCT).  Unfortunately he caught his foot in a pot hole while running during PT and banged up his knee pretty bad just 1 day before his final PT test.  He passed everything except his run (which he finished just 1 min over the required time) AFTER he didn't pass he decided maybe he should tell his Drill Sgt that he couldn't bend or hardly walk on his right leg/knee.  He was sent to the Medic and came back with a brace and crutches!  He is now off the crutches and has seen a Physical Therapist that has told him some exercises to do to strengthen his leg muscles around his knee (no serious injury just needs to strengthen those specific muscles to protect his right knee)  Dane is on restricted activity for the weekend and back to full activity on Monday for his Victory Forge, a 10 mile/2 day march and then retake the PT Test on Saturday.  Please keep him in your prayers this week so he can heal quickly and completely and be able to finish out BCT with out any complications!