We're baaaaack.....:)

Wow! It has certainly been awhile since I wrote on here. We have been so busy moving from Germany to the states, setting up our new home, getting back into the groove of things, and now the holidays. However, things are starting to settle back to somewhat normal (won't be completely so until Daddy is home), and I hope to be able to update this more.

We are all doing well. Paul is in Korea, doing well and trying to adjust (again) to living over in Asia. We are missing him like crazy, and he is missing us as well, and this is proving to be incredibly difficult....but God is faithful and is wrapping His loving arms around all of us and bringing us through. Aly is a 10th grader going to the local high school and really loving it. As usual, she has made a ton of friends and is really enjoying the shopping back in the USA and hanging and texting all the time with her friends. :) Ryan and Kaylee are homeschooling this year with yours truly as their teacher. After alot of thought and prayer, we knew that this was what we were supposed to do for them this year, and they are thriving and loving it. Ryan is also in basketball, and Kaylee is dancing (ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop) and cheerleading. David is, well, David. Sweet, cute, full of energy and all over the place. He is growing so fast and LOVING have a backyard to run in. He is also doing some little preschool work while the other kids do their schooling, and enjoying himself as well. Sadie, being that she does not realize she is a dog, is adjusting well and making the new house her own too. :) And me, well I am taxi-driving the kids, organizing, always cleaning house and doing laundry, and holding this whole schedule together, lol. I am still doing my school, and I am teaching at the same dance studio that Kaylee is taking classes at, and of course homeschooling the kiddos. I am also still going to be doing my photography, but of course I am now trying to restart in a new place and gain new clients. We stay pretty much on the go all the time, but also make sure that we have plenty of family time snuggled up together just enjoying one another and having down time when we need it. We are going to an awesome church and are really loving it. There is a wonderful kids program and youth group, and just a real feeling of family there, and of course most importantly, the Lord is really moving there and speaking. It has been great.

Although I miss Germany and Japan alot, I am really loving the blessing of being back stateside and being in driving distance so that my family can drive up from Florida and I can drive down there whenever we feel like it. Not to mention, our family right here in town with us right up the street. David just loves to go to his "Meme, Papa's house" and I am really loving being able to be right here with my sweet brothers and FABULOUS sister (love you Cass :) ). It has been such a blessing, I missed them so much!!

Please keep us in prayer, and especially remember Kaylee as she has had an incredibly difficult time being away from her daddy. They are very, very close and she has taken it harder than anyone. However, even with all of the rough adjustments and the ups and downs, I am so thankful because God is good and He is always with us. Not to mention, my kids are fabulous, so obedient and respectful, and we enjoy each other truly (even on the slightly naughty days...hehe). This year, I know, will be different, hard at times, and have us kind of topsy turvy on our routines, but we will get through and will be stronger, closer to one another, and most of all closer to God. Already, I have learned so much and gone through some things (aside from being apart from Paul) that felt unbearable at times, and yet the Lord has touched my broken heart and brought me through every time. This year(especially this last part of it) has been one of change, realization, pain and heartache at times, growth, and closing of some doors and relationships that I had been unable (or unwilling) to let go of before. However, the Lord orchestrated some things and opened my eyes and helped me to take care of those very things that I needed to let go off. Then, in the midst of it all, he placed wonderful people there to hold me, comfort me, and encourage in the middle of it all, especially in the absence of my sweet husband. Now, after all of the heartbreak, tears, change, and "pruning", I look forward to where God is leading and taking me in this coming new year, and what He has to show me and teach me in all of it. Because even when facing heartache or trials or change, God surrounds us and brings us joy every moment just in the fact that He is there and loves us. I am so thankful for that!!!

Well, just a little update for now, and I will try to keep it updated better from now on (I know, I always say that...LOL).

Love you all,

Britt

Homeowners!!

So...some of you have seen the pictures and some haven't, so I thought I would post one on here of our new home. We officially closed on Friday, so we are first time homeowners!! We are so excited, and I am so thankful to have a home to come to after I arrive off the plane instead of worrying about checking into hotels and living out of suitcases.

A BIG, HUGE THANK YOU to Dad and Dar who made this all possible for us by going to look at the house, setting everything up with us, signing for us, and helping us make this happen. We love you guys so much!

Sweet Sixteen!!! :)

Well, my oldest baby girl turned 16 today!!! Wow!! Last night she did some stuff with her friends and then met up with me and Paul and the other kids at the mall and we had dinner and then today was our girl's day out. Since our birthdays are so close, we like to take a day and just have fun!! We had a really good time today going to lunch, shopping, going to see a movie, and....getting our noses pierced. Yes, we did it. (Okay, so for those of you who think it's trashy or don't agree, that's fine, because you don't have to do it. But we did and it's cute and we like it, so no need to go on and on about it to us...haha) It was actually kind of funny because she wanted it done and she got it and then begged me to do it too (I was terrified with my whole needle issue..haha). But I finally did, and then immediately had to lay down because I felt like I was going to pass out. LOL I told her I couldn't believe she talked me into it! haha But what a fun (and funny) mother/daughter 16th bday memory it turned out to be. After our day, we came home to the rest of the family and had cake and hung together. All in all, she had a great day and loved all of her gifts (that she got early after begging me over and over...like mother, like daughter I guess...hehe).

Love you all!

Back in the swing of things...

Well, we are officially back in the swings of things. School has started back, and our regular routines have resumed. I attempted to take first day of school pics (like I always do), but I was using my new little pocket camera and I could not figure out the settings. Go figure, I work with professional cameras all the time and I couldn't figure out the tiny little Casio pocket cam. LOL So, these pics are from last night. After the kids got home from school (their second day), and did their homework and chores, we headed out to the new mall and went to dinner at Johnny Rockets. David loved the little hat that they give out to the kids, and he wore it all through dinner, to the grocery store afterwards, and at home later on until bedtime. The bottom pic of Paul and David is from a couple of weeks ago on another outing to the new mall. I love his little barefeet...hehe

School is going great for all the kiddos. Aly is in 10th grade this year, and has good teachers for the most part and good classes. She is enjoying herself and enjoying not being a freshman anymore! haha Ryan has a new, young teacher and she seems really nice. Of course, Ryan (like his big sister Aly), doesn't meet a stranger- so he is making friends and getting comfortable quickly. Kaylee got the teacher that she was wanting, but then the teacher had to go back to the states on emergency leave, so she has a substitute for the whole first week and it has been....interesting. LOL Little man cried the first day when all the kids left and wanted to go with them, but now he is enjoying the quiet time at home with mommy during the day.

We have about a month left before leaving here, and time is going by so quickly!!! Before we know it the packers will be here and we will be preparing to get on a flight. We are super-duper excited to be coming back stateside, and especially to be seeing our family and friends; but sad about having to part ways with Paul for so long. Please keep us in your prayers, as we are already dreading being apart. :(

Well, I guess I will go for now! I will have to start dinner soon....homeade enchildas and spanish rice tonight at the Cooper household. :)

Love you all!

Britt

Well, it's official...

We are headed home October 4th! It seems real now with flight and rental car plans, family get togethers being scheduled, and packing dates set.

I have mixed emotions as I am so THRILLED to be moving home for the first time in 8 years; but also sad to be having to say goodbye to my sweetie for the next year as well. I am confident that during this time apart God will draw us closer to Him and to one another and we will come out the other side even better than we started. Please keep us in your prayers not only as we prepare another big cross continent move, but as well spend this time together before the next many months apart.

I will be sure to keep you all updated as we get closer to arriving.

Love you all!

Britt

Day at the Lake

The kids and I took advantage of a gorgeous day yesterday and headed out to the closest thing we have to a beach here in Germany...Lake Bostalsee.

Paul had to work so me, Aly, Ry, Kaylee, and David headed out there. It ended up being pretty funny when we first got there, being that we had never been there and didn't know where to go or how to do anything since everything was in German. There is a special parking lot and then different gated areas to go into that get you to different parts of the lake (the beach part, the marina, etc.). Also, you have to park for the day and pay at the German meter. Well......needless to say, we were having trouble. We found a nice young German couple who helped us figure out where to go and what to do (sort of). Then, we discover the parking meter accepts only Euro coins and not bills...which would be all that I had from the ATM. So, Ryan takes off over to a tour bus that has just unloaded what appears to be a field trip from a German retirement home. Fortunantly, all of the elderly German couples thought he was adorable (and he knows more German than we do) so he was able to make change for us to park. Then, we unload all that we brought...and you know me, I don't pack light. We have a beach umbrella, a couple beach bags, a blanket, a cooler, a beach noodle...you get the point. So we proceed in a train trying to carry it all and pass all the "Oohs and Aahhs" over David along the way. We end up down where the young couple have pointed us (which was a LONG way and included many times of stopping to rest our arms from the cooler and corral David back into the line), only to see no beach and not know where we were. After we stood there feeling stupid for awhile, I find an information booth with the one lady that spoke enough English (and understood my minimal German) to direct us to the right location. Turns out it was right out the back of the area that we parked!!! Then, we get to the gate where you pay to enter the beach area, and Ryan communicates with the guy a bit in German and I walk up and smile and say, "Pay?" to which Ry says very matter of factly and like he is embarrassed to be with me, "Mom, he speaks English!" Ahhhh.... what a day so far and it was only 11 am. Hehe

However, once we arrived down at the beach, set up, and got lathered in sunscreen, we had a great time! David loves the water and has no fear of it whatsoever, so alot of time was spent chasing him and dragging him back closer to shore. The kids had a blast, and Aly and I really enjoyed some time to lay out while David sat between us having his lunch. :) It was alot of fun, and we plan to head back out there asap....better prepared this time! :)

Love,

Brittany

Princess Kaylee is 7!!!

My youngest little princess turned 7 today, and had a wonderful day and a fun princess pool party. All of her little girlfriends came and they all got little tiaras and wands and goody bags with princess goodies like lip gloss, barbie mirrors, little princess rings, etc. They played fun pool games, had dinner, and cake and slushies and opened all the presents. Yesterday, we went out and had a family day, and then took Kaylee out to dinner. To finish it off, Paul took Kaylee and Ryan to see "Night at the Museum 2" and to play Family Bingo, and Kaylee won the first round and got a big watergun. They got home late, and as soon as it hit midnight and was officially May 23rd, she wanted to open her presents. :)

Overall, she had a great birthday! Here is a pic I took of her in her tiara, I will try to get more uploaded of both her and David's bdays later.

Love you all, Britt

I'm 2!!!!!

My little baby boy, David Evan, turned 2 today! I can hardly believe it! He had a fantastic day, and as you can see in the pic, was very excited to dig into his cake. lol However, when we told him he could just go at it, he refused to have any of it until all the decorations were taken off, it was cut and put on a plate, and he had a fork. My baby has good manners!! :) In the end though, Paul and the kids did rub some icing on him so he, of course, had to go straight from highchair to bath. He loved his gifts and had alot of fun though, and is very proud to tell us, "I 2!!"

For some reason, my computer is acting up, so I will try uploading some more pictures here tomorrow.

Brittany

Spring has sprung!

It is finally so beautiful outside, that we can hardly help from staying out there. Today while Ryan and Kaylee ran around outside with some friends, Paul, me, Aly and little man hung out on the balcony grilling some chicken. I decided to snap a few quick fun shots of them goofing around...so here they are.

Love you all!

Britt

MSgt Cooper!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER FOR MASTER SERGEANT (SELECT) PAUL COOPER! :)

Paul was pleasantly surprised today to receive a call from his commander congratulating him on making the rank of Master Sergeant. We are so proud of him, and he is so happy and relieved to have made it.

Many, many thanks to all of you who were lifting him up in prayer during his studying, testing, and waiting on these results!

But above all, we thank our Heavenly Father who lavishes us with blessings and favor above our wildest imaginations!

Love to you all,

Brittany

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Well, as of tomorrow, May 12th, Paul and I will be celebrating 8 great years of marriage (although sometimes it feels like 28 years....hehehehe). I got my gift early...he gave me a gorgeous diamond necklace, and I bought him a new guitar that he had been wanting. Being that I have pink eye (thanks to the little ones...lol), we will probably wait until this weekend to go out and celebrate.

I am so thankful that God brought this wonderful man into my life many years ago, and has blessed us with a wonderful marriage and these beautiful children. I look forward to many, many more!

Here is a blast from the past with the pic of our wedding kiss. What was I thinking with that hair???!!??? LOL

I Love You Paul, today more than yesterday, but still not as much as tomorrow. Happy Anniversary sweetie!

Brittany

Easter 09

So, I thought I posted this Easter update already, but now I don't see it on the blog, so...... here it is again. Easter Sunday afternoon, we headed out for some quick pics of the kiddos, and then had an egg hunt. The pictures were a test of my patience, being that David kept running off and insisting to try to jump into the water and Kaylee's allergies were so bad she could hardly keep her eyes open, and Ryan was more fascinated with running around throwing rocks into the water than looking anywhere towards the camera. LOL! But in the end, I was able to get a couple cute shots, and all the kids looked absolutely beautiful in their outfits. The egg hunt was lots of fun for them too. Paul kept the little ones occupied while Ali and I hid the eggs, and then they were off- running like crazy to find them all. At first David didn't understand the concept, and was picking up anything to put into his basket (eggs, leaves, trash...). But after awhile, and some help from Daddy, he got the hang of it and had a blast.

I dont have room for all the pics of course, so I will just post a few. The rest you can see on the links I sent for Kodak, Picasa, email, or my Facebook and MySpace.

Happy (late) Easter! HE is risen!!

Brittany

3 Day Potty Training...and then some!

Okay, so I finally have a chance to update our blog, especially with everyone asking about how the potty training situation went. For starters, I do think that the "3 Day Potty Training" method is a great place to start, but am not entirely sure that it can really work completely and be maintained after only three days. David did very well, and is now going over to the potty, wearing big boy undies and all that, but......we still do have some frequent accidents. All in all, I would say it went well and was a great starting point (especially since he is only 22 months), but I predict we are going to have to keep going and endure the accidents and constant training (and this time with the help of pullups!!) for at least a few more weeks until we can say he is completely potty trained. He does look so cute though in his "big boy undies" though.

Also, Kaylee is part of a Multi Age Wise Kids Enrichment Club, and they recently did a performance in celebration of Women's History. I am attaching the video clip Paul took at the end of the post. You can see her in the front in her red shirt and her hair looking crazy (I dont know what she did to it between the morning and this performance a few hours later...LOL). Anyways, they sing and then after the songs, they all get the microphone to tell about one signigicant woman in history so far. Kaylee's was Ann Curry. She did such a good job reciting it all. My baby is brilliant. :-)

Everyone is doing well, and looking forward to the sunny weather that spring and summer brings! Here is a recent pic of Pippin. At his vet appt last week, he weighed a whopping 2.5 pounds! lol We just love him and Sadie both.

Love you all!

Well it's been a decade!!

Ryan turned 10 yesterday, and I am in amazement that it has been so long since I first held that sweet little baby for the first time. He had a great birthday....opened his presents after school and got to pick what was for dinner; and of all places chose McDonalds!! That's the Stokes side in him...LOL On Friday night he had his party/sleepover, and he and the boys had lots of fun. I crawled off to bed around 2 AM and they were still going strong!!

In all the excitement and craziness of entertaining 10 year old boys for a birthday party, I didn't take any pictures!! Can you believe it!!??!!! But, I snapped some of him yesterday throughout the day, and I am attaching one of him that I love. Such a handsome smile!

Love you all!!

Guess Where....

Well, we have just found out that we are moving to Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. The kids have had this as their number one prayer request for weeks now, so they will be thrilled to know as soon as they get home from school. I believe the Lord does care about the desires and dreams in the hearts of our kids just as He does about the ones in our own. It will be a blessing for them to be able to be so near to Christian, Cassidy, and Cameron as they grow up.

We are excited to see what God has for us there, and glad that even though it is quite a little car ride- we can still go see our family in Florida as well whenever we want (and get a little beach tme in). And I expect them to come see me often as well!! :)

Love to you all!

More adventures in the Potty Training Chronicles...

Well, very sadly I do not have a picture for this update as it happened so fast. But I just had to share the story.

So we did decide to do Lora Jensen's "3 Day Potty Training" and will start soon. We have to get all the supplies (20-30 pair of underwear, prizes, etc.). We decided to do that probably next week, but until then we are still encouraging him to sit on the potty, be a big boy, etc. Well, it doesn't take much encouragement, as he is quick to want to be out of his "bipey" (what he calls his diaper) whenever he goes potty. We have to watch him closely because he takes it off very quickly as soon as he goes. I think he will be the easiest one to potty train yet!

Anyhow, yesterday I was sitting at my desk working on a couple of things when I look up to see David in the middle of the living room, no pants or diaper on, with the wipes box open. He was standing there bent at the knees, holding up his shirt with one hand and wiping himself with the other with a wipey. I said, "David! What do you think you are doing!?!" To which he responded very clearly, "Wipin' my butt!" Needless to say, we were all cracking up for awhile. That was my definite confirmation that my little man is very ready to be potty trained!

I am also attaching a hilarious little comic strip that reminded me so much of our house. As if we aren't having enough potty adventures, David is also found of putting whatever he can down the toilet. Recently, he got ahold of the stainless steel drain plug for the bathtub and flushed it. He has also put a cell phone in there, and has been caught numerous times heading that way with various other objects. We really have to keep an eye on Pippin (our pomeranian puppy) because of this! LOL

Potty time

Well, we have begun getting really serious with the potty training situation, mainly due to the fact that David is inclined to strip down and remove his diaper everytime he has the slightest tinkle in there. We got an Elmo potty, and so far he sees it mainly as a toy. It has gotten frustrating because if you take your eyes off of him for a second he has removed the diaper and thrown it (and its yucky contents) onto the floor somewhere. So, I think I am going to try Lora Jensen's "3 Day Potty Training." Even though it takes alot of time and dedication those three long days, most kids end up potty trained by the end of it (of course, with the exception of accidents here and there as they get used to it. I will be sure to keep ya updated. Here's a pic of him sitting (completely unclothed compliments of himself) on his "Mo" potty, and the other of him and Kaylee sharing some luvies.

To Korea for Daddy...

Just a quick update for those of you that I haven't spoken to yet.... Paul received his orders to Korea. This happened to be the last place he was wanting to go, but after some research we have seen some good things about it, so we know God placed him where he was supposed to go. :-) As for our follow on assignment (where the kids and I will go and then Paul will join us after his year in Korea), we should know something by the beginning of May at the latest.

Although we are anxious to find out, we have peace that we will end up exactly where we are meant to be, and it will be great (of course we have our preferences...lol)!

I will keep you all updated as we get any news. Either way, it looks like we are scheduled to be leaving here the very beginning of November. Wow! Our first Thanksgiving at home since 2000!!!

By the way, Paul felt that his test for MSgt went really well. His boss has said he is confident he made it, but we will know for sure by June. He says a BIG THANK YOU for all the prayers!

Love you all!

Still waiting

Well, we are still waiting on news of assignments, but could find out anytime now. Paul thinks it will be this week or early next that he knows something; so I will be sure to let you all know as soon as we do.

Other than that, nothing much new going on here. We have had intermittent snow over the last few weeks, and it is still very cold! I am ready to see some sunshine!!

Here is a quick pic I snapped of the kids last night. They are so adorable aren't they?! ;-)

Love you all!

Where oh where will we go????

Well, the time is upon us when the Air Force will be doling out our assignment. Anytime in the next 4-6 weeks we should be finding out.

First, I want to ask for your prayers for Paul's assignment. He will be going remote, and for those of you who don't know, that means he will be assigned somewhere for a year by himself while the kiddos and I go on to our next base. He has a feeling he knows where it is he will be going, but he is desperately hoping and praying that he is able to go to one of the other two options. Please pray that he will get a good place where he will be safe and happy for that year we have to be apart.

Second, please pray for our next base. I know it is tempting to want to pray for WHERE exactly we will go, as it is hard for me too! lol But, I am trying instead to pray that God will send us where His best for us is. I don't want to settle for less than His best, and I believe He also cares about where we desire to go as well.

After Paul gets word of his remote assignment, we should know our base very shortly after that. I will keep you all updated as this progresses.

Also, please continue to keep Paul in prayer as he tests for Master Sgt. on the 25th of this month!!

Love you all!!

Report on the report cards.....

Well, it's that time for mid-year report cards, so here is the official result: MY KIDS ARE BRILLIANT!!! :-)

Alyssa has all A's and a couple B's (from the really challenging classes) and is already pulling those up to A's. Recently, on her very tough Algebra midterm, she had the second highest grade in the class. Ryan has all A's and is at the top of his class and kids nationwide in his age group with his reading. Kaylee doesn't have A's or B's yet being a first grader, but she has the highest grade marks that they give at that age. Her teacher also let me know that she is far above what the expected reading level is for her grade, and has been since she started first grade. And David, well he is a genius as always! lol

What wonderfully talented and smart children I am blessed to have!!!

Cartoons and Updates...

So, this week is cartoon week...simply because it has been such a crazy and busy week that you just gotta laugh! LOL The above cartoon is just perfect, because it depicts my life so well! hahaha

Well, I wanted to update everyone on a few things. First, thanks for your prayers- Alyssa did well on her exams and did not have a difficult time on them like she was afraid of. She is still looking forward to the beginning of soccer season, and is soon going to begin her running to condition for it. Lately, her favorite activity is talking to Cassie (my little sister who is her same age) on the phone for hours at a time- thank goodness we have such a great plan! LOL. They are so cute and silly!

Our little champion speller, Ryan, did great in the spelling bee. He did not win, as he got some word wrong that we have all never heard before...lol We were really proud of how well he did. He also got 100% on his Babe Ruth project and presentation that WE were working on until almost midnight the night before the due date. It ended up really good, and his actual presentation and the paper he wrote on it were excellent!

Kaylee bear stayed home from school on Friday because she supposedly did not feel well, but in all actuality I think she just needed a "mommy and me" day. We had a good time just snuggling and hanging out. She is just so sweet. All of my kids have different wonderful traits, and Kaylee is my one who is so loving and precious. She's the one that I don't usually have to worry about getting into trouble! LOL But, we did get a call from the school counselor saying that a dad of a little firl in her class had called up to the school all upset because his little girl told him that Kaylee told her that, "I don't like Barack Obama because he acts nice but is really fake and stands for bad things," as well as "He thinks it's okay for mommies to kill the babies in their tummies." Needless to say, it caused an upheaval at the school, and we did talk to Kaylee about not all kids being at her maturity and understanding as far as some things, and that since so many people have such strong opinions about this that school may not be the best place to bring this up all the time. However, we let her know that if she is asked about those things, she is allowed to give her views and thoughts, as long as it is respectfully (she was upset that the girl was upset because she told us that when the girl asked her about how she felt about Obama she told her those things very nicely). We also made sure that the school knew that we will not "hush" our daughter up because someone else feels that she should support Obama's views on these things. We only told them that we would talk with her to ensure that things are said respectfully and appropriately if/when she is brought into a conversation like that. Can you believe that first graders are discussing politics!!??!!! lol I was proud of my smart girl for sticking to her values and beliefs and not backing down because others told her she should. Go Kaylee! I am so tired of people using the race card to either support or not support Obama. This is not about race. I think that an African American being elected President is a wonderful thing- just not this guy. I am against the things he supports- abortion, homosexual rights, etc. It would make no difference if he were any other race. The Bible expressly FORBIDS the two specific things I mentioned above...how could I support that as a Christian? And I will not make my daughter even be made to pretend to support that either. Okay, okay, enough of that....:-)

Little man has been so funny this week. He has been absolutely wild! Getting into everything, running back and forth through the house, trying to kill Sadie...lol He is getting so big. He has been trying to play "with the big kids" more everyday and for the most part they let him. However, after awhile he gets evicted and cries for a few minutes at their closed doors before sulking in to me calling them "mean," or we respond to his yelps for help to find that they have somehow stuck him in a toybox or something of that nature so he couldn't get away. It's pitiful and cute at the same time. They are getting creative with how to blame David with stuff, or set him up to ask for stuff they want, and generally teach him all the naughty tricks that they know. :-)

Well, just wanted to fill ya in on the kids' activities this week so you know how it all went, and share a few laughs.

Love you!

Brittany

Feeling better....

So, David now doing much better. He finished his medicines and is back to his normal self. He still has a couple little "spots" here and there, but they are disappearing more everyday. Paul wet David's hair and made it stick all up, which cracked him up, so I had to snap a quick shot. LOL

Also, I included a couple of pics from the Bad Lichtenburg Castle ruins. It was really gorgeous there, but C-O-L-D! However, we have plans this Saturday (weather permitting) to return so that I can do a photo session of all the kids together. It is time for some updated professional pics of them for everyone,, and I really want to do it at the castle so we have some great memories of Germany.

Paul and I were amazed today when we realized that we move in 9 months!! Wow- that is soon. We should know in a couple months where we are going, and of course, everyone is excited about that. However, our main prayer as a family lately has been that we do not miss all the great stuff God has left for us in this last few months here, even though we are thrilled and excited about where He will lead us next. We are sitting down and planning out our travel schedule for these last few months so that we hit all the places left that we want to see. We want to hit Paris again, and just for Kaylee also visit Monet's garden in Giverny. Also, on that same trip we want to visit Normandy. Also, we are planning an excursion to Berlin, a trip to the Tulip Festival in Holland, and of course- the long awaited trip to Italy. Although I am so excited to be coming home after 8 YEARS overseas, I am also a little sad to be leaving Europe and the wonderful experience that it is.

Also, for another update, Ryan is in the Spelling Bee in the morning and he has studied hard, so keep him in your thoughts. Kaylee was invited to be a part of an after school enrichment club called "Wise Kids" and she is enjoying that so far. Alyssa is getting ready to start soccer, and will probably be taking Driver's Ed this semester- so of course, she is excited. I think it is fueled by the fact that her parents have told her she will not get a car or drive until she is responsible. LOL Man man is doing great- talking so much. He is so smart and cute, and oh yeah- spoiled! He is a mommy's baby, attached to my hip almost all the time, but the way his face lights up when Paul comes through the door is absolutely precious.

Please keep Paul in your prayers. He has been given a new position at work with alot of responsibility, and is second in command to the big bossman. :-) He is working long hours, but is home on the weekend, which is nice. However, he is also still taking classes, as well as studying for promotion. He tests for Master Sgt on February 25th, and would love all of your prayers. He is working hard, and is really hoping and praying to make it this time. It would be a blessing. Also, congrats to Paul for winning NCO of the Year! Woo hoo! Go Paul!

And as for me, I'm good- busy with my photo sessions, school, kids, laundry...LOL After I finish my current classes in March I am taking a hiatus until my next courses start on June 29th. This will give me some much needed time to do all the things I need to do before the summer starts and things get busier with the kids out of school. I am going to be doing my usual PCS cleaning out and organizing, getting rid of all the stuff we don't need or use anymore, and getting it all ready for when it is time to be packed.

Well, I better head to bed, since little man will be climbing into my bed and prying my eyelids open in a few short hours. :-) I will try to keep this blog updated better (for real this time...)

Love,

Brittany

Spotted Tot

So....this is what "severly allergic to augmentin, amoxicillin, pencillin, and all of those other '-cillin' family meds" looks like. :-(

Poor little man started out last week with a bad ear infection in both ears and had to take a powerful antibiotic for it. Well, as of last night, he had finally had enough doses for his body to realize that he is severly allergic to those types of antibiotics. He literally went from just a few spots to being completely covered, head to toe, in huge red bumps and welts in a matter of hours. After another trip to the clinic, he is now taking steroids and benadryl for 5 days to stop the reaction.

Wow!! What a week it has been so far.

Please keep little David in your prayers.