Trent is 5-years old!!!!

Trent had a fun-filled birthday. He woke up to decorations throughout the house. Then Suey and Katie took the boys out for doughnuts before school. After school, it was lunch at McDonalds and then a shopping spree (spending his birthday money from Lama) to Toys R Us. He had so much fun "shopping!" Before dinner, he got to open his presents from Suey, Drew, and his mom & dad. Then it was burritos with pico de gallo (his favorite!!!) and more cupcakes for desert.

Here are some pictures from earlier this week and his birthday:

Saturday, Rob took Trent to shoot for the 1st time because he's FIVE now! . He got to shoot his 22 bolt action rifle that was Katie's Dad's from when he was a kid. And then it was off to Chuck E. Cheese's with our friends. Hurray!!!

Another Sunday on the River

This time we brought Aunt Suey with us and our friend friend Dale who's in Yuma for a few weeks.

Good times in Yuma, AZ

I have been having such a good time in Yuma.

Last Thursday, my Mom's Club had a Mom's Night Out complete with wine & cheese at a mom's house.















On Friday, it was bowling with the MAWTS wives

and then Saturday, it was out at the bar (crazy, huh?!) with Rob and people he works with and their spouses.

Belated pictures from out trip to the Bay Area in July

Potty training Drew.....round 2!

Since about the age of 18 months, Drew has been able to control his pee. We played with potty training and wearing underwear for a while back then and Drew did fairly well, but at a certain point, he didn't want me telling him to go potty. Since he was still pretty young, I decided not to fight it and just go back to diapers. Well, I'm really ready to be done with diapers. Drew's still stubborn and I don't see that changing anytime soon. So, we're at it again. This time, I'm using pull-ups which I used very little with Trent because I didn't feel they really helped.....but they do save me a few loads of laundry and dealing with peed in underwear and shorts. Every time he goes pee in the potty, he gets an M&M. The kid *loves* M&Ms!!!! So, for the last 2 days we have been doing this and he has pretty much stayed dry. I still have to remind him to go potty and remind him of the reward, but for now, we're doing good. He's also getting better at dressing himself.....and actually *wanting* to dress himself. I feel pretty good about "round 2" because at night, when I put a diaper on him, he tells me he doesn't want to wear a diaper - a good sign. So, wish us luck and wish us to be diaper free....yippee!!!!

Time for me....

I'm starting to feel really good about how I'm using my time here in Yuma. Due to several contributing factors, like a big dog with a small backyard, the Yuma heat, and the fact that we don't have cable, both Rob and I have started taking turns taking Libby for evening runs. Personally, not one to run much, I started off by taking long walks in the evenings after the boys were down for the night. But suprisingly (maybe it's the new shoes) I've been running for longer stints lately. I probably make it out at least twice a week and it's such a good feeling - the fresh air, the lack of a bulky jogging stroller, the time alone and the fact that I'm improving my health - all a plus in my book.

And, with Trent in school 5 mornings a week, I've chosen to return to doing Casework volunteering for the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. I volunteered over 300 hours while we were stationed at Cherry Point and really enjoyed the work that I did. While in Beaufort, it wasn't as feasible with a newborn, but I'm happy that I can now return to the charity work I enjoyed so much before. As for now, I plan to volunteer 2 mornings a week while Trent's at school and Drew is with a sitter. Once the Child Development Center on base re-opens their drop in care (currently closed), I'll probably put Drew there so that he's engaged with some other kids his age.

It's nice for me to have somethings that are just for me. I've always found groups and activites that I enjoy and now that we're somewhere new, I get to re-evaluate the things I've done and start over. I've added some new things to my plate as well as some things that I haven't done for a while and I'm putting others on the back burner for now. It's been fun to spice things up a bit :).

Tucson, AZ

Yesterday was our big adventure to Tucson. The main goal was to attend the Arizona vs. Idaho game (our first Idaho game since graduating as we've been out East for the last 7 years), but with a 3 1/2 hour drive, we decided to make a little more of our trip and took the boys to the Tucson Children's Museum. $7 for adults and $5 for kids sounded like a deal until I asked for the military discount where you get a kid free, so Rob and I each got a free kid and paid $14....gotta love a discount! The boys had a great time, their favorite was being doctors, but also they did sand art, played in a firetruck, sat on a police motorcycle (complete with lights and sounds!), and SOOO much more!

We then headed to a little Mexican restaurant only a few blocks from the stadium. Rob and I grabbed a beer and all of a sudden, I felt like I was back in college......fan apparel, Bud Light, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and someone chanting, "I want beer" (only this time it was Trent - what???!!).....ah, the comforts of home. But I never before felt more like a minority - us in our yellow IDAHO shirts amongst a sea of red - I was afraid people might throw stuff at us. But we were proud of our school - not our team. Unfortunately, we had to watch the Wildcats "bear down on the Vandals." Oh, it was awful! To begin with, right as the game was about to start, there was lightening so they delayed the game and told everyone to leave the stadium and seek shelter. We went into a common area just outside the stadium (but still covered) and Rob ran to our car for our all-weather gear....we were sort of prepared, it was at least in the car only about 2 miles away. While we waited for the game to start, the boys who could not fight the urge, ran through puddles until they were soaked. Well enough....even once the game started, it was raining. We sat through as much as we could with the rain coming and going. By about the middle of the 2nd quarter, with a score of Arizona 28, Idaho 0, and two very tired boys, we headed home. I was saddened even more as I checked for game updates on my iPhone on the way home to discover that the Vandals let the Wildcats score 3 more times for a final score of 70-0.....OUCH! Trent was bummed that the score for the Vandals was still "0" when we left and I'm sure seeing the score remain "0" for the entire game may have lowered his Idaho Football Fan Enthusiasm.
More pictures:

Tucson