Noni Summer Party

So, you would think that we would just skip out on Benj's work party since he's still at Basic Training but...we didn't wanna miss out on the fun and we were still invited! So I asked my Mom if she would help me with all the kiddies have some fun!

If you can see it, Gabby has a churro and a chocolate shake. They had a 50's theme to the party so they had the appropriate music going and all sorts of yummy food and snacks. They had popcorn, sno cones, nachos, and cotton candy all you can eat! For dinner they had burgers and fries or you could put a plate together from a buffet table.

They had a bunch of carnival games and Will's favorite part was the prize he got to pick! One of the prizes was a cheap toy watch. He kept looking at his watch and would say things like, "My watch says it's time to go to another game!"



They also had a bunch of bounce houses and what kid doesn't like bouncing around?

This one was pretty cool. They harness the kids and then they go up like a space ship and bounce around for a bit!

Will was a sweet brother and painted Lydia a piggy bank. He did a pretty good job!

They also had a camera that would film us all dressed up for 5 seconds and then they would give a flip book of it! It was pretty fun! They had a mini ferris wheel, bingo for kids, a hula hoop contest, airbrush tattoos, and a bunch of other things I'm sure I'm forgetting! We all had a really good time!

Counting Down

You better believe we are counting down the days till we see Daddy! It's nice to have something concrete to point to when they ask how long till Daddy gets home!

We've already knocked down 8 of those chains since I took this pic!
You can't see it but the chain ends on our family picture where Benj is. They "kiss him goodnight" (the picture) every night!

Princess Gabby's 2nd

My sweet Gabrielle turned 2 on the 7th! I can't believe how fast the time goes! We had her grandparent's over to celebrate and we definitely felt a void without Benj there! Gabby got to choose the cake I made and she wanted to be a "Pincess". So here's my amatuer attempt. (With the help of a cake pan of course!)

Grandma and Grandpa Russell gave her clothes,


clothes,

reading and coloring books,

and if you can get past the "cheese" you can see a Princess tea set!

From Grandma and Grandpa Zabriskie, she got a pretty necklace (which Will managed to break within a minute of opening) with a bunch of cute pendants,

a homemade purse, and a stuffed turtle. (So now she sleeps with the turtle in one arm and her soldier bear in the other, so cute!)

Cheesy smile before we sing.

Chowing down!

Gabby is my sunshine! She is so energetic and when she's happy, you certainly know it! I love to see her "deep shoulder action" when she dances and she sings like no one's listening! She is my little cuddle bug and has such a tender heart! I love her to pieces!

Hey, hey hey, Goodbye : (

Well, the day finally arrived for Benj to leave for Basic Training at Ft. Benning.

Here's sweet Benj with Gabby. Gabby wants to be like dad and wear his boots!

He had to report to the hotel on the 4th at 6pm. He checked in and I left with the kiddies. They let us take Benj to hang out from about 3pm-8pm the next day. His flight wasn't scheduled to leave until the 6th. We went to Gateway Mall and wandered into Build-a-Bear. Gabby's b-day was coming up and we hadn't gotten a gift for her so we decided to make a bear for her. We each got to put a heart in the bear. Gabby got an extra one and gave it to Benj. He slipped it in his pocket and said he will carry it always.


Will even got to help replenish the stuffing supply in the machine!

They "washed" the bear

And dressed "soldier bear" in his Army National Guard uniform.

Gabby sleeps with "Daddy Soldier Bear" every night now!

Then we got outside just in time to see the fountain show with a song. It was awesome!

We went to Denny's to get some grub and headed over to the Church History Museum so the kids could enjoy the Book of Mormon Exhibit they have there. They had a blast! You could put quilts together and "sew".

Will really enjoyed fishing off of Nephi's boat!

They had some traditional Mexican dancing complete with skirts for the girls, vests for the boys, and video screens displaying the dance to music! The skirt didn't quite fit around her waist!

Benj couldn't resist getting in on the dancing

It was a nice family day to end with before Benj left. We sure have missed him but are so proud of his willingness to serve his family and this beautiful country! If you want info on how to follow what he's doing day to day, you can check out my facebook wall!

Lydia's Sitting Up!

On June 8, our little Lydia started sitting up! It sure is a relief to mom! She plays to her little heart's content! Isn't she cute?

My happy girl!

Give her some toys and she's a happy camper!


Love those big smiles!

This was the picture of her actual first time sitting up. I love the squinty face!

Now, hopefully she'll just stay sitting up while her Daddy's doing Basic Training at Ft. Benning!

You Can!

That's right folks! Benj finally got his golden opportunity to join the National Guard. An officer position opened up and we snatched it! As of nowBenj is SPC Benjy Russell. Once he's done with training, he will be a Communications Officer with the 145th Field Artillery Unit. He does basic training starting July 5 for 10 weeks at Fort Benning in Georgia. It's gonna be loads of fun! Not only is he training in the humidity and heat but this is known as the toughest place to do training! Benj is tough too though, so he can do it! Luckily, he also secured a slot doing state-side training for OCS (Officer Candidate School). So instead of heading straight from Basic to another location for 18 weeks, he'll be home! Yay! He'll do that training 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year until he completes it, which is about 16-18 months. Then, he'll be doing his actual training for his job for 18 weeks out of state.

Here's Benj swearing in. That was loads of fun. The kids must've known what we were getting into because they were all throwing tantrums and crying. Good times!

This is Benj's "army" face. You fear him, don't you?


And, here's a smile; such a trooper for humoring me! We realize this will be a challenge for the whole family but we know that this is right for us and with the Lord's help, we can do anything! Or, as the National Guard puts it, You Can!

Family Pics

Our neighbors had the great idea of doing their own family pictures after church on Easter Sunday. So they were gracious enough to take our family pictures as well. We couldn't resist doing some of the kids together!

From left to right: Kameron, William, Kenner

Gabby, Jasmine, Lydia


I love the GQ pose Will's sporting!

This is just perfect for Gabby! She is my sunshine!

Lydia's not sitting up yet but it still turned out so adorable!

And...the whole gang! I'm sure grateful for my family! I never thought that I could be so incredibly happy! I feel so blessed!