Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Something Cool about Travis on Veteran's Day
Travis has proudly been serving this country for over 7 years now. So far we've only been to 3 bases. He's working on his 2nd Masters that the AF has paid for. And he has owned 6 different types of uniforms (the flight suit is a favorite by the wearer and the washer/ironer). He's never been deployed (knock on wood), but has had his share of time away from his family. Being in the military does bring with it a sense of devotion, loyalty and pride. Travis is proud of what he has accomplished and grateful for the experiences he's had. There are many things that have surprised us about the AF (especially how religious it is). All in all, I think if Travis had to do it all over again, he'd still chose to be in the military.
Even though I know at a moments notice he could be ripped away from us, I'm still proud of him and will always support his decision to join. This really is the best for us. We enjoy living in places we otherwise would not have and meeting new people. I am able to stay home with the kids. And as often as I complain about the quality of healthcare, it is free.
I truly can say that the military life is its own little world!
Something cool about Travis....
He was in the AF Times! Click here to link to the article.
I have copied the article below and will have to post the picture later (dumb blogger!)
Travis has been dabbling in the Cyberspace realm lately, so that is why he's the only space guy in the group (the rest are communications people). At one point he was unofficially asked to teach, but had to turn it down.
Happy Veteran's Day, I Love You, Captain Tubbs!!
Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AFIT graduates first class of cyberspace warriors
by Bill Hancock88th Air Base Wing
Public Affairs
11/1/2010 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Officials with the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence conducted the first Cyber 200 and 300 course graduation here Oct. 28.
Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command, served as keynote speaker for this first class of cyberspace warriors. More than 100 students graduated from AFIT's newest educational courses designed to develop and train a dedicated cadre of cyberspace warriors.
The Cyber 200 and 300 courses were designed for all cyberspace professionals including the entire "17D" or Cyberspace Operator career field. The courses provide an understanding of the design, development and acquisition of cyberspace systems. They also explore cyber asset capabilities, limitations, vulnerabilities and employment in joint military operations.
"I have a great job being the AFIT commandant, and historic moments like this are one of the reasons why," Brig. Gen. Walter Givhan said. The general was the opening speaker for the graduation held at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base club.
"AFIT graduated its first class over 90 years ago," he said. "In those days of wood, wire and fabric, our forefathers realized how important education was to this developing technology. Now, as we stand here again transitioning to cyberspace, we once again realize the importance of education and the need for the collective intellect that has served us over the years."
Cyber 200 and 300 are professional development courses for cyberspace professionals as they transition to intermediate and higher level responsibilities. Graduates enrolled in the program were from across the Air Force and DOD cyber community, including the 7th Intelligence Squadron, 83rd Network Operations Squadron, 315th Network Warfare Squadron, 690th Network Support Squadron, 24th Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command, National Guard Bureau and U.S. Strategic Command.
General Kehler provided comments on the rapid growth of the Air Force's cyber capabilities and challenges faced in this operational domain.
"This is a remarkable time in our Air Force," said General Kehler. "One day you will look back and say, 'I was there.'"
Since 2005, members of the AFIT Center for Cyberspace Research have worked closely with officials at AFSPC headquarters and 24th AF to develop and deliver people with the technical skill sets required to operate in the cyberspace warfighting domain.
"Space and cyberspace bring us the ability to have very small groups of forces act and behave like very large forces," General Kehler said. "Cyberspace is an enabler. It allows warfighters to navigate and call in help with supreme accuracy. It allows warfighters to see the battlefield in real time. This focus on space, and now cyberspace, will allow the United States Air Force to continue the dominance over our adversaries.
"If we do not pay attention to what is happening in cyberspace, our adversaries will take advantage of us by taking our advantage away. That is how important it is for us to train and educate in this cyber domain," General Kehler added.
"It is tremendously important that we, as a service, have decided to embrace cyberspace as an operational domain," he said. "Fly, fight and win in air, space, and now cyberspace is enormously important to our future.
"We have done a lot in a very short time," the general said. "We have developed what we believe to be the appropriate blend of tactical and technical training. Along with these first 200- and 300-level graduate courses, commanders should know that all Airmen will now come to them with a block of cyber training obtained through our basic military training.
"The courses will be re-tooled continually and aim to keep cyberspace professionals current and at the cutting-edge, keeping pace with the quickly changing technologies of the cyber domain.
"This was the best Air Force training class I have ever attended," said Capt. Travis Tubbs, a 200 Cyber graduate and class leader."What really impressed me was the level of quality instructors and their willingness to help."
Captain Tubbs was the only non-communications student attending the 200 Cyber class. Currently the captain is pursuing a graduate degree at AFIT in Space Systems.
"I was privy to the early development of these courses and begged my thesis advisor to allow me to attend the class. I'm glad I did," he said.
As a result of AFIT's cyberspace initiatives, research and close interactions across the Air Force, in June of 2008, the secretary of the Air Force designated AFIT and CCR as the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center for Excellence, whose charter was to bring a level of understanding to the Air Force on cyberspace operations across the service.
"This is a good start," said General Kehler, predicting AFIT's role in developing cyber warriors for the nation will continue to grow and mature. Along with the audience of distinguished guests, faculty and students, the event brought together key personnel from the operational cyber community. General Kehler added, "I would not have missed this opportunity to be here."
Among the distinguished attendees were U.S. Rep. Mike Turner; Maj. Gen. Edward Bolton, the Air Staff's director of Cyber and Space Operations; and, Maj. Gen. David Fadok, Air University vice commander.
For more information visit the AFIT Center for Cyberspace Research website at http://www.afit.edu/en/ccr/centerprograms.cfm?a=cyber.
Even though I know at a moments notice he could be ripped away from us, I'm still proud of him and will always support his decision to join. This really is the best for us. We enjoy living in places we otherwise would not have and meeting new people. I am able to stay home with the kids. And as often as I complain about the quality of healthcare, it is free.
I truly can say that the military life is its own little world!
Something cool about Travis....
He was in the AF Times! Click here to link to the article.
I have copied the article below and will have to post the picture later (dumb blogger!)
Travis has been dabbling in the Cyberspace realm lately, so that is why he's the only space guy in the group (the rest are communications people). At one point he was unofficially asked to teach, but had to turn it down.
Happy Veteran's Day, I Love You, Captain Tubbs!!
Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AFIT graduates first class of cyberspace warriors
by Bill Hancock88th Air Base Wing
Public Affairs
11/1/2010 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- Officials with the Air Force Institute of Technology and the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence conducted the first Cyber 200 and 300 course graduation here Oct. 28.
Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command, served as keynote speaker for this first class of cyberspace warriors. More than 100 students graduated from AFIT's newest educational courses designed to develop and train a dedicated cadre of cyberspace warriors.
The Cyber 200 and 300 courses were designed for all cyberspace professionals including the entire "17D" or Cyberspace Operator career field. The courses provide an understanding of the design, development and acquisition of cyberspace systems. They also explore cyber asset capabilities, limitations, vulnerabilities and employment in joint military operations.
"I have a great job being the AFIT commandant, and historic moments like this are one of the reasons why," Brig. Gen. Walter Givhan said. The general was the opening speaker for the graduation held at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base club.
"AFIT graduated its first class over 90 years ago," he said. "In those days of wood, wire and fabric, our forefathers realized how important education was to this developing technology. Now, as we stand here again transitioning to cyberspace, we once again realize the importance of education and the need for the collective intellect that has served us over the years."
Cyber 200 and 300 are professional development courses for cyberspace professionals as they transition to intermediate and higher level responsibilities. Graduates enrolled in the program were from across the Air Force and DOD cyber community, including the 7th Intelligence Squadron, 83rd Network Operations Squadron, 315th Network Warfare Squadron, 690th Network Support Squadron, 24th Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command, National Guard Bureau and U.S. Strategic Command.
General Kehler provided comments on the rapid growth of the Air Force's cyber capabilities and challenges faced in this operational domain.
"This is a remarkable time in our Air Force," said General Kehler. "One day you will look back and say, 'I was there.'"
Since 2005, members of the AFIT Center for Cyberspace Research have worked closely with officials at AFSPC headquarters and 24th AF to develop and deliver people with the technical skill sets required to operate in the cyberspace warfighting domain.
"Space and cyberspace bring us the ability to have very small groups of forces act and behave like very large forces," General Kehler said. "Cyberspace is an enabler. It allows warfighters to navigate and call in help with supreme accuracy. It allows warfighters to see the battlefield in real time. This focus on space, and now cyberspace, will allow the United States Air Force to continue the dominance over our adversaries.
"If we do not pay attention to what is happening in cyberspace, our adversaries will take advantage of us by taking our advantage away. That is how important it is for us to train and educate in this cyber domain," General Kehler added.
"It is tremendously important that we, as a service, have decided to embrace cyberspace as an operational domain," he said. "Fly, fight and win in air, space, and now cyberspace is enormously important to our future.
"We have done a lot in a very short time," the general said. "We have developed what we believe to be the appropriate blend of tactical and technical training. Along with these first 200- and 300-level graduate courses, commanders should know that all Airmen will now come to them with a block of cyber training obtained through our basic military training.
"The courses will be re-tooled continually and aim to keep cyberspace professionals current and at the cutting-edge, keeping pace with the quickly changing technologies of the cyber domain.
"This was the best Air Force training class I have ever attended," said Capt. Travis Tubbs, a 200 Cyber graduate and class leader."What really impressed me was the level of quality instructors and their willingness to help."
Captain Tubbs was the only non-communications student attending the 200 Cyber class. Currently the captain is pursuing a graduate degree at AFIT in Space Systems.
"I was privy to the early development of these courses and begged my thesis advisor to allow me to attend the class. I'm glad I did," he said.
As a result of AFIT's cyberspace initiatives, research and close interactions across the Air Force, in June of 2008, the secretary of the Air Force designated AFIT and CCR as the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center for Excellence, whose charter was to bring a level of understanding to the Air Force on cyberspace operations across the service.
"This is a good start," said General Kehler, predicting AFIT's role in developing cyber warriors for the nation will continue to grow and mature. Along with the audience of distinguished guests, faculty and students, the event brought together key personnel from the operational cyber community. General Kehler added, "I would not have missed this opportunity to be here."
Among the distinguished attendees were U.S. Rep. Mike Turner; Maj. Gen. Edward Bolton, the Air Staff's director of Cyber and Space Operations; and, Maj. Gen. David Fadok, Air University vice commander.
For more information visit the AFIT Center for Cyberspace Research website at http://www.afit.edu/en/ccr/centerprograms.cfm?a=cyber.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Kitchen Tips Tuesday: Crockpot liners
Today I discover the wonder invention of crock pot liners. Not like crock pots aren't a wonderful invention to begin with. Then Reynolds has to take the next best step by making a liner to help with the tedious clean up! Click here to find out more: Reynolds Crock pot Liners
I made Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Soup. After dinner I pulled out the bag, poured the leftover soup into a plastic container and threw away the liner. Then I stored the crock pot away. NO MESSY CLEAN UP! So I recommend this product to all who love the convince of the crock pot and the luxury of not cleaning one :-)
Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Soup (from the cookbook Cynthia's Mom compiled)
3 cups of chicken broth (or 1 can)
1lb. cut up chicken (I used raw, but I'm sure you could use already cooked)
2 cans of Cheddar Cheese Soup
14 oz. bag of frozen Broccoli
1 cup of water
Mix together, pour in crock pot, and cook on low all day (6-8hours)
I added 2 cups of cooked macaroni before serving. I also thought about adding rice or the church's soup mix (because it has alphabet pasta and the kids get a kick out of that!).
I made Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Soup. After dinner I pulled out the bag, poured the leftover soup into a plastic container and threw away the liner. Then I stored the crock pot away. NO MESSY CLEAN UP! So I recommend this product to all who love the convince of the crock pot and the luxury of not cleaning one :-)
Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Soup (from the cookbook Cynthia's Mom compiled)
3 cups of chicken broth (or 1 can)
1lb. cut up chicken (I used raw, but I'm sure you could use already cooked)
2 cans of Cheddar Cheese Soup
14 oz. bag of frozen Broccoli
1 cup of water
Mix together, pour in crock pot, and cook on low all day (6-8hours)
I added 2 cups of cooked macaroni before serving. I also thought about adding rice or the church's soup mix (because it has alphabet pasta and the kids get a kick out of that!).
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
November?!?
I simply cannot believe it is November! I've been absolutely horrible at posting anything. I have forgotten what life is like with an infant. And believe me, he is an angel! So why haven't I parked myself in front of my computer to type out lour ittle existence here on Earth every night?? I'd like to blame Netflix, Earl, and a hungry Aussie.
However, now that we're done with our "My Name is Earl" kick and I'm blessed with a terrific night sleeper and Netflix is not a novelty anymore I can resume my posting. So be on the look out for more issues of the Tubbs Tribune.
Thank you to all our faithful followers. I will try to not let you down..again and again...
However, now that we're done with our "My Name is Earl" kick and I'm blessed with a terrific night sleeper and Netflix is not a novelty anymore I can resume my posting. So be on the look out for more issues of the Tubbs Tribune.
Thank you to all our faithful followers. I will try to not let you down..again and again...
Monday, August 23, 2010
Welcome Aussie!
Aussie's First Picture:
Cleaning the van, inside and out, and installing the car seat bases in both cars
Cleaning the garage and putting camping stuff away
Packing the hospital bag
Trouble all ready for school: Supplies and clothes bought
YW
MOPS, I'm doing Hospitality again this year
Travis' B-day (we did a mystery dinner last weekend)
Backpack B-day (decorations and cake bought, presents wrapped)
Haircuts for boys
Trouble had a talk in church last week
Birth plan to Midwife
Work on Baby quilt
Got our new phones (our Sprint HTC EVO) (which is a story all in its own)
Spare bed made
Baby stuff ready - car seat, co-sleeper attached to bed, blankets washed, supplies stocked
and other boring things like groceries bought, cleaning done, laundry, etc...
I had everything done I wanted to or at least done to a reasonable level so I could relax when baby did come.
ANYWAY~ I took a nap and slept through all the dumb, annoying contractions that don't really count. I woke about 4:30pm and meandered. We got everything ready to go the hospital in the van. At 5:30pm I had my first I-cannot-walk-through-this contraction. I told Travis. We fed the kids, gave them baths, and did our usual nighttime routine. I wasn't much help, but I wanted the kids in bed before we left. Travis called Jonathon a little after 7pm and told him to come right away. He just had to read stories to them and lay them down. At this point the contractions were less then 3 min apart for a minute long and extremely painful. I thought I was going to DIE! I called the hospital, told them I was coming and to be prepared because I labor quickly.
We got to the hospital at 7:30pm. There wasn't a room ready. I knew I needed my waters broken so I didn't have some of the back labor I was experiencing. The contractions were one right after another. I barely got undressed. The nurse checked me and I was at 7cm and fully effaced. I refused an IV, which did not go over well. The doctor would not break my waters without putting in an IV first. I explained that the Midwife said if I didn't want one, I didn't get one. But still they refused. I was in pain and desperate. I knew if they just broke my waters, my pain would subside long enough for me to rational. Yet they wouldn't do it.
By this time Travis is in a full out yelling match with the Colonel in charge. Finally they checked me again and I was complete! It took less than 40 minutes for me to go from 7cm to complete. All this time with my waters intact which, I KNOW FOR A FACT, makes labor worse than it should be. I thought I was going to DIE!
Finally I said, put the stupid IV in, JUST BREAK MY WATERS!! The nurse put the IV in and THE DOCTORS LEFT THE ROOM!! OOHHH, I was so mad! The nurse then "helped" me break my waters by checking me.... Then, guess what!?! I stopped contracting completely. I got break, hallelujah! Another Dr. came in and put gowns on. On the next contraction I pushed twice and popped out a beautiful baby boy!
So I was only at the hospital for an hour and managed to create all sorts of drama! The Colonel came in later and apologized for everything that went wrong. He thought Travis was going to hit him. He reported the incident to the 'guys upstairs' and they thought maybe Travis was an abusive husband. Ha Ha! Nope he is just extremely protective of me and what I want. Travis would have fought him to the end if I didn't give in. The Midwife apologized for not being there. So this may or may not affect Travis' career. Travis called his chain of command to explain what happened just in case hospital decides to pursue anything. Travis was told that there really wasn't much they could do, unless we decided to file formal complaints. We haven't decided. All I know is that I was okay in the end and things could have been smoother if they had followed my wishes. This was the first time I've had an IV. I've gone natural with all the kids. I always say, next time I'm getting an epidural. Travis just laughs at me!
Ironically outside my hospital door there is a sign that says,
"Tip of the Month: Rule #1:The customer is always right Tip #2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule#1. (Its hard to read on this picture)
Baby Aussie is doing well. I took him in for a two day follow up and he's gained back to his birth weight and he's not jaundice. He took up nursing quickly and eats about every 3 hours.
The kids have been fantastic with him. Backpack hasn't shown any jealousy issues (yet). In fact he is concerned with every noise Aussie makes. If Aussie is crying, Backpack will say, "What happen?" and when I change his diaper Backpack will say, "Baby owie?" (Because of the circumcision). Dynomite has been an excellent help fetching baby items for me and wanting to hold Aussie. Trouble is up to his old tactics of trying to make Aussie laugh.
Since Travis is home working on his thesis he is able to take a break from being in his office upstairs all day to playing with the kids, taking Trouble to and from school, and taking charge of mealtimes. I've been able to keep up on the housework and take care of all the little things that come up. The best part is that all the hard work of getting ready for Aussie has paid off because now I'm just able to relax at home and not feel stressed! I just get to contently hold my snugly little guy (and read a few books).
My mom will be out here at the end of next week and Travis mom will come out the last weekend my mom is here. I'm so excited! The best part is that when they're here I'll be all recovered so we can go have some fun!!!
Denay right after delivering Baby Aussie:
Giving daddy the evil eye :-)
Denay later that night when we got settled into the room. Unfortunately this hospital doesn't have a nursery. Its nice to have the baby with you, but its also nice to get some rest before all the real work begins...
Backpack so happy to have a little brother. Someone he can pick on ~or~ love on...what do you think??
So sweet Dynomite! She'll be a good mommy's helper!
Trouble is really excited. He can't wait to play with Aussie.
One proud Daddy...
Aussie's first trip in the car seat...to go home! Yeah!!!
The next day at home. I have all I need...the baby, a book downloaded on my phone and some chocolate cake :-)
We welcomed Aussie into this world at 8:29pm on August 21st. He was 6 lbs 1.7 oz and about 19 inches long.
Saturday I was feeling pretty miserable. I wanted to sew, but I also wanted to get out of the house. We took the kids to the Boonshoft Museum and walked around. I has some soft contractions, but I was feeling like I didn't really want to have the baby tonight. When we got home I put all the quilt stuff away and looked over my "Before Baby Comes To Do List" which included:
On Friday I was having contractions but nothing serious. I actually thought I would go the hospital that night, but they subsided. Trouble has his first day of school that day. Cynthia had the other two that morning, so I finished up some last minute MOPS stuff and did some sewing on the baby quilt. Later that night we hosted an impromptu BBQ with our new neighbors. We also had over another family in our ward and Jonathan Climer. His wife and baby are out of town and he said he'd watched the kids when I went to the hospital. So we thought we should have him over for dinner before hand. I didn't go to bed early, like I should have. I stayed up and prepped for church. I e-mailed out a bunch of instructions of thing to do in case I wasn't there. I packed the kid church bag and got clothes out for Saturday and Sunday. I slept well. At least if I didn't have the baby, I was ready for church.
Saturday I was feeling pretty miserable. I wanted to sew, but I also wanted to get out of the house. We took the kids to the Boonshoft Museum and walked around. I has some soft contractions, but I was feeling like I didn't really want to have the baby tonight. When we got home I put all the quilt stuff away and looked over my "Before Baby Comes To Do List" which included:
Cleaning the van, inside and out, and installing the car seat bases in both cars
Cleaning the garage and putting camping stuff away
Packing the hospital bag
Trouble all ready for school: Supplies and clothes bought
YW
MOPS, I'm doing Hospitality again this year
Travis' B-day (we did a mystery dinner last weekend)
Backpack B-day (decorations and cake bought, presents wrapped)
Haircuts for boys
Trouble had a talk in church last week
Birth plan to Midwife
Work on Baby quilt
Got our new phones (our Sprint HTC EVO) (which is a story all in its own)
Spare bed made
Baby stuff ready - car seat, co-sleeper attached to bed, blankets washed, supplies stocked
and other boring things like groceries bought, cleaning done, laundry, etc...
I had everything done I wanted to or at least done to a reasonable level so I could relax when baby did come.
ANYWAY~ I took a nap and slept through all the dumb, annoying contractions that don't really count. I woke about 4:30pm and meandered. We got everything ready to go the hospital in the van. At 5:30pm I had my first I-cannot-walk-through-this contraction. I told Travis. We fed the kids, gave them baths, and did our usual nighttime routine. I wasn't much help, but I wanted the kids in bed before we left. Travis called Jonathon a little after 7pm and told him to come right away. He just had to read stories to them and lay them down. At this point the contractions were less then 3 min apart for a minute long and extremely painful. I thought I was going to DIE! I called the hospital, told them I was coming and to be prepared because I labor quickly.
We got to the hospital at 7:30pm. There wasn't a room ready. I knew I needed my waters broken so I didn't have some of the back labor I was experiencing. The contractions were one right after another. I barely got undressed. The nurse checked me and I was at 7cm and fully effaced. I refused an IV, which did not go over well. The doctor would not break my waters without putting in an IV first. I explained that the Midwife said if I didn't want one, I didn't get one. But still they refused. I was in pain and desperate. I knew if they just broke my waters, my pain would subside long enough for me to rational. Yet they wouldn't do it.
By this time Travis is in a full out yelling match with the Colonel in charge. Finally they checked me again and I was complete! It took less than 40 minutes for me to go from 7cm to complete. All this time with my waters intact which, I KNOW FOR A FACT, makes labor worse than it should be. I thought I was going to DIE!
Finally I said, put the stupid IV in, JUST BREAK MY WATERS!! The nurse put the IV in and THE DOCTORS LEFT THE ROOM!! OOHHH, I was so mad! The nurse then "helped" me break my waters by checking me.... Then, guess what!?! I stopped contracting completely. I got break, hallelujah! Another Dr. came in and put gowns on. On the next contraction I pushed twice and popped out a beautiful baby boy!
So I was only at the hospital for an hour and managed to create all sorts of drama! The Colonel came in later and apologized for everything that went wrong. He thought Travis was going to hit him. He reported the incident to the 'guys upstairs' and they thought maybe Travis was an abusive husband. Ha Ha! Nope he is just extremely protective of me and what I want. Travis would have fought him to the end if I didn't give in. The Midwife apologized for not being there. So this may or may not affect Travis' career. Travis called his chain of command to explain what happened just in case hospital decides to pursue anything. Travis was told that there really wasn't much they could do, unless we decided to file formal complaints. We haven't decided. All I know is that I was okay in the end and things could have been smoother if they had followed my wishes. This was the first time I've had an IV. I've gone natural with all the kids. I always say, next time I'm getting an epidural. Travis just laughs at me!
Ironically outside my hospital door there is a sign that says,
"Tip of the Month: Rule #1:The customer is always right Tip #2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule#1. (Its hard to read on this picture)
Baby Aussie is doing well. I took him in for a two day follow up and he's gained back to his birth weight and he's not jaundice. He took up nursing quickly and eats about every 3 hours.
The kids have been fantastic with him. Backpack hasn't shown any jealousy issues (yet). In fact he is concerned with every noise Aussie makes. If Aussie is crying, Backpack will say, "What happen?" and when I change his diaper Backpack will say, "Baby owie?" (Because of the circumcision). Dynomite has been an excellent help fetching baby items for me and wanting to hold Aussie. Trouble is up to his old tactics of trying to make Aussie laugh.
Since Travis is home working on his thesis he is able to take a break from being in his office upstairs all day to playing with the kids, taking Trouble to and from school, and taking charge of mealtimes. I've been able to keep up on the housework and take care of all the little things that come up. The best part is that all the hard work of getting ready for Aussie has paid off because now I'm just able to relax at home and not feel stressed! I just get to contently hold my snugly little guy (and read a few books).
My mom will be out here at the end of next week and Travis mom will come out the last weekend my mom is here. I'm so excited! The best part is that when they're here I'll be all recovered so we can go have some fun!!!
Denay right after delivering Baby Aussie:
Giving daddy the evil eye :-)
Denay later that night when we got settled into the room. Unfortunately this hospital doesn't have a nursery. Its nice to have the baby with you, but its also nice to get some rest before all the real work begins...
Backpack so happy to have a little brother. Someone he can pick on ~or~ love on...what do you think??
So sweet Dynomite! She'll be a good mommy's helper!
Trouble is really excited. He can't wait to play with Aussie.
One proud Daddy...
Aussie's first trip in the car seat...to go home! Yeah!!!
The next day at home. I have all I need...the baby, a book downloaded on my phone and some chocolate cake :-)
Monday, August 2, 2010
2010 Week #21: Boonshoft...again
Monday was Memorial day. We had some friends over and it was lots of fun. That will be my next post. Tuesday we combined with Xenia ward for a mutual night activity. The kids went to a local park and played water games. Unfortunately I ended up on the business side of things so I wasn't around to watch much. On Thursday, Cynthia and I took one of our YW out to lunch. It was good to talk to her. She got Backpack a free ice cream! On Friday for our date night we watched Alice in Wonderland. We really enjoyed it and thought Tim Burton did a fantastic job. Of course it was a little on the freakish side! Saturday the kids and I hung out at the Thompsons. The kids had a great time playing in the water. Then than night we had the adult session of Stake Conference. Travis and Bro. Thompson had to go early for the priesthood session, then Cynthia and I met up with them between sessions for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant. It is so nice being 15 mins from the stake center as compared to the 2 hours in North Dakota.
The rest of the week was spent getting ready to go to California. (How was that for a boring summation of our life!)
And yes, we did hit the Boonshoft. We must really like this place :-)
They have traveling exhibits. This one was one how things are made.
Trouble is making a spring from a long garbage tie.
Backpack on the first stage of putting different textures on a penny.
Dynomite helped me make a wax spoon.
Trouble and Backpack are finishing up the penny.
Dynomite is demonstrating what a vacuum feels like.
This station was showing how an assembly line worked. First you gather all the pieces, then you put them together, in this case, a train car.
Dynomite gathering what she needs.
There was a skeleton of a car. Backpack is finding all the pieces and putting them in the car like a jigsaw puzzle.
Still working on that car!
It was fun. There was also a die cutting machine, where the kids cut out pieces to make a box and a 3D horse. We love having season passes because we can go and spend just a few hours in one place instead of rushing around and spending the whole day trying to see everything. 
The rest of the week was spent getting ready to go to California. (How was that for a boring summation of our life!)
And yes, we did hit the Boonshoft. We must really like this place :-)
They have traveling exhibits. This one was one how things are made.
Trouble is making a spring from a long garbage tie.
Backpack on the first stage of putting different textures on a penny.
Dynomite helped me make a wax spoon.
Trouble and Backpack are finishing up the penny.
Dynomite is demonstrating what a vacuum feels like.
This station was showing how an assembly line worked. First you gather all the pieces, then you put them together, in this case, a train car.
Dynomite gathering what she needs.
There was a skeleton of a car. Backpack is finding all the pieces and putting them in the car like a jigsaw puzzle.
Still working on that car!
It was fun. There was also a die cutting machine, where the kids cut out pieces to make a box and a 3D horse. We love having season passes because we can go and spend just a few hours in one place instead of rushing around and spending the whole day trying to see everything.Did I mention that when I'm gone Travis tends to keep himself occupied with random things?? This time I came home from mutual with a popcorn experiment. Travis popped a huge bowl of popcorn then proceeded to test different types of butter. He even included water so I could cleanse my pallet between bites. He wanted to see if I could tell the difference between different butters.
The different types of butter:
1)Butter
2)Margarine
3) Powdered Butter made following the directions
4)Powdered Butter made following his instincts
5) Krogers brand popcorn butter flavoring
5) Krogers brand popcorn butter flavoring
6) Jiffy Brand popcorn butter flavoring
I think on the bread I couldn't tell the difference between the way HE made powdered butter and real butter, but I knew which one was margarine. On the popcorn I like the Kroger brand (it's sweeter), but couldn't tell any of the others apart. Except margarine, because the popcorn was soggy. So in the end I have no idea what he was getting at! Really he is trying to find the perfect popcorn topping, so I guess he's still looking for it :-)
Friday, July 30, 2010
2010 Week #20: Tea Time & a Dragons Game
The truth is that I never know what I come home to when Travis is in charge. Just for the record, it is always creative and fun...and something I never have the energy to do!
I took Trouble to the dentist for his regular 6 month cleaning. He did an excellect job! The hygenist did a 180 degree x-ray of his mouth. We could see the majority of his adult teeth waiting to come in.
We come home to this:
A TEA PARTY!! Travis even taught them to drink with their pinkies up :-) The tea party consisted of Kraft Handi snacks, crackers, chopped canned peaches and juice. Totally adroable!!
It was a farily busy week. I had a teeth cleaning on Wednesday, too. But I also needed some filling redone so Thrusday I went first thing to have that done, then that night we fed a family that was moving soon. They have 9 kids, so it was quite the crowd at our house that night. Then after they left I hosted book club. We have a chocolate fountain, it was a hit!
On Friday, Trouble graduated from pre-school! (seperate post)
On Saturday we were invited to a Star Wars Birthday for the Stahl's oldest son. Dynomite showed up with Princess Leia hair:
We were there from 10am to almost 1pm. The kids had so much fun wiping out Darth Vader with silly string, combating bubbles with foam light sabers, and destroying the Death Star with a bat. Plus lots of food and cupcakes. 
We've always been impressed with way a pitcher throws:
Trouble was excited to there. The kids' first baseball game.
Dynomite was busy looking cute for all the people sitting around us paying attention to her.
And you can never have too many pictures of this cute face...
The Dragon mascots did a little dance.
A strike against the Dragons.
Showing the scoreboard:
Nope, they didn't win. We were there just to enjoy, which we did. So all was not lost.
This night we were suppose to go to the Ward Talent show, but were all very exhausted and Travis sent me to my room :-) Instead, for sanity's sake, we all went to bed early!
I took Trouble to the dentist for his regular 6 month cleaning. He did an excellect job! The hygenist did a 180 degree x-ray of his mouth. We could see the majority of his adult teeth waiting to come in.
We come home to this:
A TEA PARTY!! Travis even taught them to drink with their pinkies up :-) The tea party consisted of Kraft Handi snacks, crackers, chopped canned peaches and juice. Totally adroable!!
It was a farily busy week. I had a teeth cleaning on Wednesday, too. But I also needed some filling redone so Thrusday I went first thing to have that done, then that night we fed a family that was moving soon. They have 9 kids, so it was quite the crowd at our house that night. Then after they left I hosted book club. We have a chocolate fountain, it was a hit!On Friday, Trouble graduated from pre-school! (seperate post)
On Saturday we were invited to a Star Wars Birthday for the Stahl's oldest son. Dynomite showed up with Princess Leia hair:
We were there from 10am to almost 1pm. The kids had so much fun wiping out Darth Vader with silly string, combating bubbles with foam light sabers, and destroying the Death Star with a bat. Plus lots of food and cupcakes.Travis was off cleaning the church. When he came home we went to a Dayton Dragons game. Dr. Cobb, one the guys Travis works with, has season passes to the Dragons games. One of the games was rained out and scheduled for May 22nd, a day he couldn't go. He gave Travis the tickets along with a VIP parking pass. We sat in section 113, row 5, seat 20, just to the left of the Dragon's dugout. In other words, they were awesome seats! We only had two tickets, so we had to buy them a child tickets to get in and sit on the grass. However, no one was sitting next to us so the kids had their own seats anyway by us.
We arrived right at the end of the 5th inning. If you know baseball and the attention span of little kids, then you know that that was perfect timing!
We're watching the pitcher, the pitcher is watching the Bowling Green Hot Rods runner:
We've always been impressed with way a pitcher throws:
Trouble was excited to there. The kids' first baseball game.
Dynomite was busy looking cute for all the people sitting around us paying attention to her.
And you can never have too many pictures of this cute face...
The Dragon mascots did a little dance.
A strike against the Dragons.
Showing the scoreboard:
Nope, they didn't win. We were there just to enjoy, which we did. So all was not lost.The kids were fascinated with the giant baseballs and bats. They climbed on top and Travis snapped a million pictures!
When we got home I had a package waiting for me. There is something called Macaroni Kid. On this blog a lady list lists the kids friendly community events around town. There is a national blog, plus a local blog for different places. She posts alot of great information. She ran a contest for people to find 5 subscribers. I found 5 for her and she sent me a basket with summer supplies! 
When we got home I had a package waiting for me. There is something called Macaroni Kid. On this blog a lady list lists the kids friendly community events around town. There is a national blog, plus a local blog for different places. She posts alot of great information. She ran a contest for people to find 5 subscribers. I found 5 for her and she sent me a basket with summer supplies! 
This night we were suppose to go to the Ward Talent show, but were all very exhausted and Travis sent me to my room :-) Instead, for sanity's sake, we all went to bed early!
