Etsy...

Who here is on Etsy? I'd love to check out your creations! It wasn't until my sister convinced me to create an Etsy page to sell some of the things she had previously hired me to make that I finally caved. I love all the fun things you can find on there -- not to mention it's a fun creative outlet for me. Most recently, I was hired to do a few ads for a fellow photographer as well as a couple birthday invitations. I only mention any of this because one of them stands out and I think it's hilarious…

The Last Eight Months...

I've often wanted to try and get on here, but it just never seems to happen. And now here we are...eight months later and just now blogging. I can't believe the last time I was on here was after Samuel's 2nd birthday in June. Sad, really.

I can honestly say, things have been going amazingly well. After Samuel turned 2, we took some leave and took him out to Disneyland, Los Angeles and the surrounding beaches, and finally San Diego. Oh, how wonderful it was to be able to go back there! We haven't been to San Diego since before our time in the Army, but it felt like we were going back home. James was ready to quit his job and stay, ha. We were able to do our typical family portraits with the tripod while out at La Jolla, too. Good times.

It's A Party, It's A Party For Samuel!!!

Our little miracle turned TWO years old on Friday! I'm still trying to grasp the idea of having a two year old...where did time go?!

To celebrate his big day, we threw a Yo Gabba Gabba party for him on Saturday with some of his little friends here in El Paso. I'd like to think it turned out fairly well. With the temp being around 102 and the sun shining bright, the water games were quite a hit. It was definitely fun to see Samuel party it up with his little friends. In fact, he had such a blast that he passed out immediately after everyone left -- the sweet boy!

Chaos Company...

As always, I feel like it's been forever since I have been on here and am not really sure where to even begin. The last month has FLOWN by! Samuel spent time with all of his grandparents, James took Command over Chaos Company, I became the FRG (Family Readiness Group) Leader of that company, and we've somehow been busier than ever while James is away in the field. I am really starting to think I'm going to have to start scheduling in free time so we can just veg out every once in awhile. After all, Samuel barely has a chance to play with his toys these days and that needs to change. Being busy is great when James is gone, though, so I suppose it's a good thing that our days are flying by...

A Busy Month...

March was a very busy month for the Moore family. Looking back, it seems like it was rare if we even got one day a week to just hang out at home and let Samuel play with his toys. I'm starting to wonder what the point of having them is if he never gets to use them, ha. Samuel and I are part of a few different mom/toddler groups, so between meet ups with them, birthday parties, tumble tots, story time, and now speech therapy, "the boy" was constantly on the go. Oh, and how can I forget? Samuel got to meet the gang from Gabba Land in person! March was definitely a fun month...

Here, I was actually looking forward to aiming for a slower month in April, but it looks like it will be quite the opposite. We recently found out James will be taking Command here in less than 2 weeks and with that, I'll be the new FRG (Family Readiness Group) Leader. It's a very exciting time, but also very hectic. I'm super happy for James! He'll be in charge of Chaos Company. Ha. Every time I hear that, it makes me laugh. Chaos 6...it's very fitting, ha. And what better timing? They'll be prepping for their big field problem almost immediately following the COC. Chaotic to say the least. :)

To make the month of March even better, it also included Obadiah's 11th birthday. Our little old man enjoyed his day with his own bottle of beer and lots and lots of treats. How is it possible that he's 11 already?! Sweet Obie.

I had more to write, but nothing is coming to mind now, so I'll leave whatever it was that I wanted to say for later and finish up with a few pictures...

While at the Yo Gabba Gabba concert, they told us no DSLRs were allowed, so here we are with our old school PnS while waiting for the show to begin...

Samuel LOVED the bubbles!

But he wasn't so sure about meeting his favorite characters in real life...

Poor Samuel. He loves YGG, but between the live show and his 1st Birthday cake, he can also get very emotional when around his friends...

Samuel's first concert t-shirt, ha...

And here's one of the many videos taken while we were there. You can tell it was an emotional night for Sam...

On a different note, I've been loving watching Samuel have fun at the various play dates...

The toddler version of kettle bells right here, ha.

Observing the older kids as they build with lincoln logs...

And here's a typical pic of Samuel at tumble tots...

Fast forward to later in the month, here's Samuel at his buddy, Chase's birthday party...

Since it's already so warm out, Orange Leaf is a must. I suppose it doesn't hurt that it's within walking distance of our house...

Last but not least, here's our old man. Happy 11th Birthday, Obie!!!

Now on to April...I can only hope that things slow down and that we're able to enjoy every moment!

A Day Full Of Emotion...

Today was a great day. It was also a very sad day. While my sweet sister was welcoming her new daughter, Mackenzie Grace, into the world, a dear friend was grieving the loss of her sweet angel on what would have been her due date. Add in there the standard emotions that come with having our three in Heaven...

Oh, and the biased love for the name Mackenzie since that would have been Jacob's name had he been a girl... (ps. I'm glad you picked it, Deb!)

Yeah, it was a day full of emotion...

I'm just so incredibly thankful that while I have emotional days like today -- celebrating and grieving all at once -- I can do so with this handsome little man in my arms...

A Book About Samuel...

It finally took an expiring coupon code for a free photo book to finally get me in gear and create a book about Samuel's arrival. How has it been 15 months since he was this tiny? It seems like only yesterday...

Click here to view this photo book larger

10 Years...

As of August 9th, James and I have been married 10 years...10 crazy years. It's hard not to look back and think of all that we've been through during that time. Getting a crazy puppy named Obadiah -- a dog that has been there with me through EVERYTHING. Moving away to Germany for 3 years to start what now looks like a career in the Army. Excitedly starting our family, only to then say goodbye to our first son, Jacob, as we prepared for our 1st deployment. Visiting various countries and exploring countless cities while living overseas. Losing what we thought would be our rainbow (Jordan) almost as soon as we found out we were pregnant -- all the while trying to adjust to our new home in WA as we prepared for our 2nd deployment. Getting out of the Army and finally finishing my degree in psychology, while also buying a house in our hometown. Almost immediately turning around and getting back into the Army, resulting in the attempt at selling a house in a terrible market. Preparing for our 3rd deployment when we were surprised by the insanely exciting news of our pregnancy with our daughter. Later experiencing the horror of losing Olivia while James was away in Afghanistan. Trying to cope with the crazy grief that is what life's like when you have 3 angels in Heaven and nothing more. Moving to GA in hopes of a fresh start and break from deployments. Immediately being shocked by the news of our 4th pregnancy, bringing a whole new level of anxiety and fear yet incredible hope. Enjoying the fact that because of the move to GA and job in TRADOC, James had finally been home more than he'd been away in our whole marriage. Getting further into photography and actually making it more than a hobby. Experiencing the indescribable feeling of joy when I heard our son, Samuel, cry for the first time. Finally getting to live life with a child here on Earth -- in our arms! And now living in TX and enjoying life with the little man that is ever changing as each day goes by...

All the deployments. All the field problems and other various months away thanks to the Army. All the road trips and various vacations. The good times. The sad times. The incredibly tragic times. James has been there by my side through it all. I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with him -- one that will never break or fall apart. One that only gets stronger through each experience that we face together. I love that man and I couldn't imagine my life without him in it!

So with that being said...

James got a 4-day pass and we decided to get out of town with the boy. Due to the heat, we sent Obadiah on his own vacation at a local doggie daycare -- otherwise he would have joined in on the fun, too! As usual, the only hotel we booked in advance was for Obadiah. We just packed some clothes and a cooler of water, got our atlas, and drove. That's our preferred method of travel when doing road trips. If we see something interesting along the way, we stop and check it out. That happened to be the case this time around with Tombstone, AZ. We hadn't even thought to go there, but when we saw the exit for it, we thought what the heck, why not?

I suppose I should also mention that with our anniversary on the 9th, we continued a little tradition of ours. On our wedding night, after all the festivities had ended, we were starving and decided to order pizza. For whatever reason, we have continued that each year. We still like to go out for a nice dinner out, but on our actual wedding anniversary, we always continue our cheesy little tradition. This year was no different. On our way out of town, we stopped at our favorite place in Las Cruces, NM and enjoyed some NY style before continuing on. Good times.

So with our traditional dinner knocked out, we headed west. Samuel thought it was AWESOME being able to run around the hotel room and explore every nook and cranny. He even did his crazy dance in excitement.

(like this...)

The next day, we checked out Tombstone, AZ, had In-n-Out in Tucson, AZ (a first for Samuel!), and agreed that we have to come back to Phoenix at some point after having a quick stop and seeing all that they have to offer -- I mean, come on...they have an Ikea among other things! Ha. We continued on towards Sedona, AZ, but ended up making an unexpected stop at the Montezuma Castle National Monument first. It's so fascinating to see such historical marks! After we learned a little more about that area, we arrived in Sedona, which was BEAUTIFUL! (Thank you to those that recommended us stopping there!!!) After taking a little hike through one of the state parks within the Sedona area and letting Sam run around, we ended our night in Flagstaff, AZ. Considering the fact that the only place I've visited in AZ before now was the airport, I never realized all that it has to offer. Flagstaff reminded us somewhat of a mix between the PNW and the town we went to college in. We loved it!

With that under our belt, we headed on to the Grand Canyon the next day and spent the morning there. Since I still haven't gotten around to taking Samuel's 1 Year pictures, it also turned into a mini photo session for the boy. Talk about a beautiful background! We really lucked out, too, as the rain didn't hit until after we were heading out...

Since we couldn't just stop there, we headed on north towards the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. However, before getting there, we checked out Bryce Canyon. As we were walking up to the first scenic view, James said, "Is it bad that I almost think this is more beautiful than the Grand Canyon?" Ha. I couldn't help but agree with him. Talk about indescribable beauty! We probably spent more time there than anywhere else. We loved it!

The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument didn't end up providing as much entertainment as expected since we didn't bring the truck. Apparently, you can only get to most of the points of interest by a dirt/sand road that is impassable when wet. So considering the fact that we didn't have our truck and the storm clouds kept coming and going, we didn't want to risk it. We tried at first, but ended up facing a flooded road, so we turned around. The last place I want to get stranded is in the middle of nowhere! It was still beautiful and provided a connection to the next best thing -- Capital Reef National Park.

I feel like a broken record talking about the beauty behind all of these national parks. Utah should just be deemed as one massive national park -- that's pretty much all you do is hop from one to the next! We thoroughly enjoyed each park, and I'm so glad we decided to hike to Hickman Bridge while at Capital Reef. Minus being a genius and hiking in sandals that lack any kind of grip at all (resulting in a cut up knee and toe after slipping on a smooth rock), it was a great experience to get up there with Sam. James refused to use the Ergo so as to avoid a scene that bordered looking like abuse since Sam flips out if he's confined in any way shape or form, so he had the pleasure of carrying him all the way up there. We got such a kick out of watching Sam enjoy the ride, as he laughed and talked all the way there -- as if to say, "This is fun guys! Let's go further!" Then on the way back down, he slowed down and eventually fell asleep on James' shoulder -- it's hard work being carried! The sweet boy.

I wish we would've had more days to explore, as we would've gone even further north into more national parks...such is life. We'll just have to go back! We had a wonderful trip and created many great memories with the little man. I'm so glad we were able to go there as a family. While Samuel won't remember any of it, he definitely enjoyed himself in the moment!

I posted pictures to my Facebook page here, but if you're not on FB, here are a few...

Sam's favorite part about being in a hotel -- the phone. He kept picking it up and saying, "Ah?! Ah?! Ah?!"

Loved Sedona!

Sweet Sam while in a park in Sedona...

Appreciating the view at the Grand Canyon...



And the freedom after being in the car! Running in any direction we'll let him...



This might substitute as Samuel's 1 Year picture. It was crazy bright and sunny, but it's the closest we'll probably get to a posed picture for awhile ...



Loved the view...



Samuel counting the states that he's been to...



The happy couple...



Bryce Canyon...





Sweet boy...



By far, the best part of the trip!



On our way back after trying to get to one of the arches in Great Staircase Escalante National Monument...



Love it...



Samuel enjoying a break...



I sure wish that boy would be willing to keep his hat and sunglasses on for longer than 30 seconds...



Some of the many cows that blocked the road throughout the trip...



A family picture...



Father and son while in Capital Reef National Park...



Loved the hike to Hickman Bridge...

Enjoying being the only ones in the area...

Another family picture...

Enjoying the view and the new toy...



It just doesn't get any better -- the view, the peaceful silence, time with family...



Love these boys!



What an amazingly memorable trip with my boys. I'm so thankful that I have them. I'm thankful that after 10 crazy years, James and I get to celebrate together vs. over the phone like in the past thanks to the Army. Now on to the 11th year and many more experiences to come -- hopefully more happy than sad. The last year was full of so much joy -- I hope it stays that way for awhile! Heck, we're in a non-deployable unit, so we've got a few things going in our favor right now...

Anyways...here's to 10 years of marriage and many more to come!!!

The Boy Turned O-N-E!!!

It's only a month late, but I'm going to attempt blogging about Samuel's 1st Birthday while the little man is running circles around me here in the office while holding checks up in the air that need shredded and squealing with excitement...

So, here we are -- parents of a toddler. Samuel's first year in our arms absolutely FLEW by. Kids grow up fast, sure. But I wish we had a pass -- one that would allow time to go just a tad bit slower. I was just telling Sam at lunch that there's almost no proof left in our kitchen that we had a little baby here -- no bottles, no bibs (he rips them off the second we try to use them if/when we do), no formula, no baby food or those tiny spoons, etc. Now it's straw cups, big grip silverware for him to use, lots of whole milk and fruit in the fridge, etc. Heck, if I was willing to clean up a mess daily, he would prefer just using a regular cup -- he gets super excited when I let him. Where did my baby go? He's almost running now -- RUNNING! While he could care less about putting away his own toys, he loves to put everything else in our master bedroom closet -- apparently that's the catchall for things that aren't in their place...according to Sam. He has the few words that he says clearly and many others that, to him, are hilarious. He initiates peekaboo by pulling a blanket over his face before nap time and belly laughs. Oh, I love this boy. This toddler. I'll admit...I'm sad the baby days are over, but I'm also excited about what's to come!

I know time is only going to go faster from here. While I've been seriously slacking on the blog, I have been using Instagram like crazy. With not being able to sneak away as much to the desktop as I once did, it's been a quick/easy way to documenting the little man's life. Documenting a life through pictures -- can it get any better? Ha.

In the meantime, here are a few from June 7th -- the Sam-man's FIRST BIRTHDAY!

We had a Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday, since the little man LOVES that show. As we brought him in the living room, he was super excited to see Brobee hanging from the ceiling...

 Looking at his decorations...

Apparently, Grandma Julie's Looney Tunes wrapping paper is AWESOME!

I love you, Muno...

Just a little excited...

Checking out his Brobee cake. If I only knew how he would react later while being told he had to eat...  

A close-up...

Muno and Brobee cakes...one for us and one for him...

(Note to self, prepare for stained hands if you buy food coloring gel at Walmart.)

Some family pictures...

And now...(drum roll, please....) The smash cake experience...

I took his eyebrows off, I'm done...

I don't want to eat Brobee!!! He's my friend!!!

Dad, thanks for saving me. That was traumatizing...

Take it away. I can't bear to look at it...

I don't understand why this is supposed to be fun...

Poor Samuel. As you can see, he wasn't too fond of the smash cake idea. Nope, not at all. He did, however, love everything else...

June 7th brought back so many memories -- memories of joy, happiness, and really...it brought back the feeling of complete shock. It still amazes me at times that we have this little man. I doubt I will ever forget how I felt when I was told he was alive and well directly following his birth -- such a different experience than with Jacob, Jordan, or Olivia. It was most certainly one that I will forever cherish.

And now, before I go...

How could I forget Samuel's 12 month chair picture?!

It's so crazy to think this much time has gone by!

And now on to our second year with little Samuel Ryan in the house. I can't wait to see what's in store!!!