Sand Storm

I just wanted to post the pictures from our nasty sand storm we had last week. It was really windy and really dirty from the sand flying around. The bonus was a little bit of rain...which is a big deal here in the desert...lol

Creative Fun

We have had to come up with some creative fun to beat the summer time boredom. The other day I helped Eliana dress up in my little black dress...I posted a picture of me in the same dress just because I think it is funny how we both look in the same dress. We were pretending she was a famous movie star and she is giving me interviews. I love how funny she is...she is such a star to us.


interview 2

My Dare Devil

Elias begged me to do the bungee jump thing at the mall back home in Tx. It was pretty cute to watch so I took some photos and video to post. Enjoy! :)

Trip back home to Tx

Well it was a really long and hot trip which took around 35hrs to drive. I had never drove more than 4 hrs in my life. So this trip all by myself with the kids and dogs was a HUGE thing for me to do. I feel proud that I pulled it off but will never drive that far again by myself unless I truly have to. We stayed first with my sister in Austin. With a house full of kids and dogs it was quite the adventure. The kids loved spending time with each other. The weather was very hot so we mostly stuck with indoor activities. The book store was one fun trip we took...the kids love books. Ice cream at Basket Robins was a nice cool treat. I also drove another 3 hrs from Austin to Houston with all the kids minus my little nephew. There we sent time with my aunt and uncle. The kids got to go to the zoo and play barbies with my aunt. We were also treated to yummy brisket...which was worth the 4hr drive. I took Eliana and her best friend from back home to this huge pizza place. It was so cute to see them together again it was like they started off right where they left off over a year ago. Let's see we also did some rescue work and helped 2 little doggies find their home after they were wandering the streets. My cousin had us over to her house to stay for a few days and we had fun swimming over at her pool. Then we headed back to Austin stayed a few more days.Had a mini-birthday party for the kids because they will miss each others birthdays for quite some time. We feel blessed to have been able to see our friends and family. It was hard to depart as this may be the last time we see them for around 3 years. Thanks to all of my family for opening up your homes to us.

Congrats Gunnery Sergeant

I just wanted to blog about how proud we are that Philip picked up GySgt and was promoted today in Quantico,VA. We wish so badly we could have been able to see him get promoted. I know he is so proud to be a part of the Marines and is especially thrilled to have the honor of Gunny. I will post pictures from the ceremony once Philip e-mails me them. Congrats babe we are so proud of all you do!!!


Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is a staff non-commissioned officer (SNCO). It has a pay grade of E-7.