Have you ever been so behind...

Haydn's 3rd birthday with most of our family in town.

So, the blog since Haydn was born has been sporadic, I know,  and now that my baby is 3, I have no excuse other than three boys and callings in church have kept me busy.  I have so many pictures, events and stories that have gone undocumented. My goal is to catch up before baby #4 is born in 8 weeks.  We have settled into our home for the most part.  We have lived in it for just over 3 weeks, and in that short span of time, we have unpacked our home like crazy, registered children for school, in-processed our medical records, been to two doctor appointments, celebrated Father's day and two birthdays, hosted family passing through, hosted a 5-day long family reunion, shopped like mad to furnish our home (now that we have an extra 1000 square feet, we had some space to fill), and lastly stock our fridge and pantry with food multiple times. There has been so much going on, I am sooo ready to relax.  I think I hear a Disney movie marathon for the kids calling my name.

George is 33!

So,  I'm a big fat liar.  I meant to blog before the very next day after my last blog post.  What can I say? One stays super busy when parenting three kids alone.  As for waiting so long to blog again, we've been home almost a full week and adjusting our lives to living as a family again. It's a process, but we're navigating through it just fine.

So, the Chapman family has been busy.  Let's start with George's birthday.  He was able to come home Memorial Day weekend, but he had to leave on Sunday, the day before his birthday and Memorial Day.  It was a bummer, but we tried to do fun things while he was home and have a birthday party all weekend.  I picked him up Thursday morning and took him directly to Jaren's school so that he could eat lunch with Jaren one last time before school ended. Later in the day, we watched Jaren's last soccer game.  The next few days we did as much as we could as a family doing  things like bowling and watching movies at the theater. George gave the boys their official bowling names and they love them.  We each have our own bowling names: George-Jorge, Erin-Juanita, Jaren-Escobar, and Dallin-Tiago.  Haydn will receive his official name when he's old enough to bowl!

 On Sunday, we went to church. Several people thought George was home for good and prematurely welcomed him back into the ward, which was no big deal except for the very next week, we were getting calls for the missionary calendar and cleaning the church.  After church, we had George's favorite dinner-plain old tacos.  We then ate some yummy chocolate cake. I think I found my chocolate frosting recipe.  I even received a compliment from the birthday boy, which is a big deal! We then quickly packed up the car and drove to Denver to say goodbye for another ten days. We did our best to make him feel special and I hope he did! If anything, it was good to be together again.  We both get grouchy when we spend too much time apart.

Horribly Behind, PART I

*This post is more like a journal entry, so be forewarned: It could get boring!

It is hard to believe that it is May already. Not only that, but it is also hard to believe that in 35 days, George will be officially done with Weapon's School.  Time has flown by much too quickly.  Not that I am complaining, I just can't keep up with everything.  Three boys (6, 4, and nearly 2), two busy callings in the ward, school events, spring soccer, spring break, visitors, birthdays, Easter, and hosting a girl's night out have kept me extremely busy. I like busy, now I just need something to show for what we've been up to.

Let's start with where I left off last.  I sacrificed devoted nearly a month of my life preparing for the Relief Society birthday celebration.  Not only did I plan almost every single detail of the Relief Society birthday, but I spent weeks making invitations, pom-pom napkin rings, pom-pom's of all sizes to hang from the ceiling and I helped put together a half-hour video for our presentation.  Several lovely ladies from the ward were very helpful in making the celebration a success and it's such a "relief" for the birthday to be over, pardon the pun!

Pom-pom's galore. Final count was definitely over 100.

After a brief recovery from the Relief Society birthday, George made a quick last-minute trip home. He purchased his tickets the night before he was to leave and though the weekend was short-lived, it was heavenly!  Nothing beats waking up to the one you love, making and a eating a nice breakfast, and then watching your children giggle and laugh from being tickled by their father.  Sadly though, the only picture I have of George's visit is this one below.  Everyone was tuckered out from the night before since George's flight arrived in Denver around 9:30, which meant by the time we arrived home, it was after 11 PM.

The following weekend was spring break.  I decided a while back to go to Washington and see my parents, brothers and my Grandma Martha, who is 91 and not doing so well.  I hadn't been back to Washington in nearly two years and it had been that long since I had seen everyone, except my parents. It was a good visit and we topped it off by heading to Utah for my sister's new baby's blessing.  It was so good to see everyone.  I even gained a traveler on the way home and was able to spend good quality time with my Grandpa Ira.

A picnic with Grandma and Grandpa in the backyard.

My little brother Kellen.  He's kind of a big deal.

My older brother playing with my boys and my twin.

Kite-flying with Grandpa Ira.

More pictures and stories to come.  I'm tuckered out.

President's Day Weekend

On Valentine's Day, George informed me that he would not be able to come home and see us President's Day weekend like he had suggested just a few days before.  We were all bummed and in tears because separation is hard and when you get your hopes up for something, disappoint is a little harder to bear.  So instead, we decided that I would drive the family 13 hours to see him.  My gracious sister (one week away from delivering her fourth child) offered to watch our kids at her house in Utah, but the kids were missing their daddy, so we visited with her and her family instead on our way to and from Las Vegas.  We just happened to come while my mom was in town preparing for another sister's wedding.  It was a mini-family reunion and was so refreshing to visit with them.

We arrived early Friday evening only to be disappointed again.  We would not be able to see George until late that night.  After 49 days of separation, two days driving, and telling tired, hungry children that they wouldn't see their daddy until the next day, we were not a happy bunch.  To add to our misery, when I arrived at the hotel, I was informed that I would not be able to check in because the reservation was under George's name.  Imagine the scene: three children in a hotel lobby, all of whom were tired, hungry and out of the car for the first time since the last potty break and an emotional mother just trying to hold it all together and keep her children from climbing on lobby chairs and running out the automatic doors.  The guest services manager was just performing his job for "security reasons", but did I really look like a threat?  Was I going to load my children into a $100+ room/night and go on a shooting rampage? After he refused my plea to make an exception, I was silent and began to cry (normally I'm not a crybaby, but under the compounding circumstances there was no stopping the flow).  After a few awkward moments of me looking around trying to figure out what to do, he finally made an "exception".   Next challenge of the night:  bringing our luggage, blankets, pillows, cooler and other junk up to the second floor and down two very long hallways by myself with three kids.  I was really beginning to regret my decision to come see George.

A happy reunion.

I saw George just after midnight MST and he was gone the next morning by 6, so the kids finally saw their daddy around 1:30 on Saturday.  We just hung out in the hotel room all day waiting and anticipating the happy reunion.  It was worth it and all my doubts were cleared up once we were all together again.  Though it had been extremely difficult the day before, we were happy, whole and all of our recent trials were forgotten.  We went to lunch on cloud nine and then came back to the room and took naps together. The naps were heavenly! Later that evening, George and I were even able to go on a date by ourselves thanks to the Nelson's, a family that we knew at a previous base.  The kids had fun swimming, playing and watching TV while we toured Pottery Barn, ate at an authentic pizzeria named Settebello's, and walked around outdoors until it was too cold and we decided to sit in a warm café and sip on hot chocolate. 

The next day we went to church and then afterwards we drove to see the Las Vegas temple.  Las Vegas is huge and it takes about 20-30 minutes to get anywhere, so while we were driving I had to keep George in check because he was getting drowsy (in his defense, others who have attended weapons school have fallen asleep in drive thru's because of sleep deprivation).  We made it alive and in one piece to the temple, but just barely.  Walking around the temple grounds was just what we needed to wake up and also to take in some of the beauty all around. We then jetted over to the base to check out George's living quarters. Of course, once we finished touring the room, we went back to our hotel room to take naps again.

The rest of our time with George flew by. We were gone the next morning. Was it worth it? Absolutely! But I hope next time we're together, George is the one making sacrifices to be with us! Love you hon! :)

May and Attempt at Haiku

What is there to say,

when the month of May

has slipped away?

It finally felt like spring,

flowers bloomed, the grass turned green

and once we saw a tornado.

The days grew longer,

we played outdoors

and ate on our new picnic table.

The last soccer game was played,

Daddy had a birthday.

Time flies when you're having fun!

It's Been Far Too Long

Chalk it up to laziness. I had much rather read everyone else's blogs than update mine lately. I'm not sure why. Something to do with having three kids, hmm.... anyhow. I am feeling motivated today. The weather is beautiful, it feels like spring, and I have two (Yes!) kids sleeping at the same time for longer than 20 minutes. Oh, scratch that. Dallin woke up just now and is yelling obscenities in his room. Not really, but he is quite the screamer sometimes. At least I had a good 30 minutes to myself. That's all I can ask for.

Due to my lack of posting over the last 27 days, I have quite a bit to share. Mostly I will just share pictures with a few short descriptions.

First off, George has been traveling A LOT this year. So, I keep busy doing things like this

and this (just call me Martha)

and this

(It looks colder than it really was, I promise!)

When he is around, we like to do fun things as a family, like this

Can you believe we paid $12 a ticket for 4th row seating to see Disney on Ice ? It was awesome!

Wish us Luck on Independence Day!

Today is my last day as a mother of two. While George is at the store getting last minute stuff done, and my mom is taking care of the kids, I thought I would take just a moment to collect myself. I've got 5 hours before we drive down to the hospital and pull an all-nighter hoping that the baby comes on the 4th of July and not the 3rd. I am a little scared and excited, but mostly just all nerves right now. There's just something about anticipating what is going to be happening to you in so many hours. I think I'd much rather be taken by surprise, but being induced does have it's perks. So, wish us luck and hopefully we'll have a special Independence Day story of our own to share with you all! Happy 4th of July!

What We've Been Up To

*UPDATE: After several requests, I have included the recipe for the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, click here.

The last nine weeks have been very, very busy! As you may already know, George went away for six weeks for some training and when he came home, he brought his mother with him. Although they drove from Florida, it was a good opportunity for his mother to see all of her grandchildren in Montana, Arizona and Texas for a fraction of the cost of a plane ticket. She stayed with us for three weeks and recently went to go home and leave the cold, windy Montana weather forever. While she was here, we accomplished a lot of painting, cooking, eating, cleaning, reading, learning new things, and shopping for Christmas and birthday presents. There was never a dull moment. Although we enjoyed her stay with us and miss her already, it is nice to be together as our own family after a long nine weeks. Here are some photos of the last few weeks.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, mmmm! I made it!

Celebrating my Mother-in-Law's Birthday

The White House Christmas tree, chopped down in Montana! It's over 70 feet long and 138 years old.

Family picture. Too bad my camera wasn't cooperating!

A nice picture of Omi and her grandsons.

Saying goodbye at the airport.

YEAH! George is back and...

Moments after George arrived home

Dallin had just woken up, but he really is happy to see his daddy!

...life is great! It has been a hard six weeks for the kids and I to be without a husband and father. I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy some moments, but the majority of the time, I felt like I was doing a balancing act and barely managing myself and my family. George has been home since Wednesday night and it's amazing how much better it feels to have him here with us. We've gone from survival mode to feeling whole again. I didn't even realize how much I missed him until he came home. What a sweet reunion it has been!

Utah, This is the Place

Last week, we escaped to Utah to spend some quality time with family and friends! It was also a trip to rejuvenate my spirits. Due to the timing of my trip, not only was I emotionally uplifted but spiritually as well thanks to General Conference! To sum it up, the trip was awesome and just what I needed. I was happily surprised to see a few of my extended family members in Utah that weekend who normally live elsewhere.

In addition to the excitement of visiting and renewing friendships, I was also able to go to some amazing places in Utah. I may classify these places as amazing because these places do not exist where I live. You know the saying..."Distance makes the heart grow fonder"? The same applies here. I was able to go to Costco, a real hair salon, Chuck E. Cheese's, Robert's Crafts Store (a.k.a. Mormon Craft Mecca), Deseret Book, the Hogle Zoo, Olive Garden, and the Treehouse Children's Museum in Ogden. A few words about the Treehouse Children's Museum: go there and see it for yourself if you are ever in the area. It is so cool. If I ever have a playroom for my children, I would try to duplicate some of the play areas in that place. Trust me, it is awesome.

I took a lot of pictures, and even though you are only viewing a fraction of them, forgive me for posting so many. Pictures really do tell a lot.

My niece Taylor and I.

Girls Night Out with the cousins.

Having fun at Chuck E. Cheese's

Look at those monkeys!

Dallin and my niece Morgan at the zoo.On the zoo train.Our good friends the Coombs' boys and my photogenic children. Jaren hanging with the Nelson cousins.The Treehouse Children's Museum. Awesome isn't it. More Treehouse photos.

A photo of the music room I lifted off the website.

Jaren in the Oval Office. Future president in the works?Dallin and I with one foot in Montana. Symbolic perhaps?

Snow in September

Okay, so it really didn't snow here, but it did snow this weekend in Montana. What a way to start September, huh? This weekend, my parents drove up and spent Labor Day weekend with us. We've been telling our family for a long time that this is our last summer here, so if they want to see Glacier and Yellowstone, this is the time to do it. So, my parents came at the end of the summer, literally. When they showed up, we were enjoying 85 degree weather. When they left, they drove home through 8 inches of snow on the pass. Luckily, we were able to go to Glacier before it snowed. It was short-lived but we were able to drive on Going-to-the-Sun road. It really is as beautiful as I've heard it was. The only regret about this weekend was that my dad was not able to take Jaren fishing for the first time. The weather and a few other things conspired against us preventing us from enjoying the weekend to the fullest. But, we had a great time and as usual, Jaren and Eddie were the most bummed when my parents drove away.

So now that I've caught you up with the weekend, let me fill you in on a few other recent developments. Dallin finished his treatment of cranial molding two days ago. He wore his helmet for four months and it has made a lot of difference. The only unfortunate consequence of wearing a helmet for that long is that Dallin is so used to it being there, he is constantly getting bumps, scratches and bruises all over his head. In fact, this evening he fell down the stairs. I always thought that if he fell down the stairs it wouldn't be so bad because he was wearing a helmet. Well, wouldn't you know it, he never did fall down the stairs until tonight.

Jaren started preschool today. He was so excited to start and hopefully still is excited about preschool. Unfortunately, when George picked him up today he said he had been a bad boy and was hurt in his eye. I hope that doesn't mean he got into a fight with another kid, but I'm thinking he did. He's a small kid but he also stands his ground. He's been known to "stand up" for himself at church when other kids have tried to take away his toys. We'll have to work on some of that behavior.

Finally, some sad news for George and I. Last week, George and I found out that I would be having another miscarriage. We didn't announce that we were pregnant again because it was so soon after my first miscarriage (I miscarried June 19 and was 1o weeks pregnant on Sunday-can you do the math?). I began miscarrying yesterday, so we're off to a really great start in September aren't we? Well, to be honest, even though having two miscarriages in a row really isn't that great, I feel comforted in knowing that Heavenly Father has a plan for George and I. I have been humbled several times recently and though some might doubt Heavenly Father's love for me in having me suffer through these, I have felt sustained in my trials and have grown closer to Him as I pray more fervently than I would have if I didn't have trials. I guess I'm one of those people who need a reminder every now and then to keep me humble and prayerful. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few things and let you know that we are doing fine. Life is still good and everything will work out just the way it's supposed to.

Oh and on another side note, George is leaving next week for six weeks. Anyone feel like visiting?