30,000+, Freezer meals and a giveaway

We just hit over 30,000 visitors on our blog.  We feel the love!!  So, I am going to do a give away.  Keep reading!

I have discovered the world of freezer meals.  WONDERFUL!!  I spent 3 - 4 hour sessions and have 34 freezer meals in my freezer.  (I didn't have a whole day that I could spend doing it.  It can easily be done in 1 day if you had the whole day to devote to it.  It would be better in my opinion to do it this way.) It was easier in my mind with us entering the homeschool world and talk of Aaron deploying in December.  Since I had a TON of people interested in what I did, I created a blog for freezer meals.  Check it out here.  If you have any recipes you would like to share - you can e-mail them to freezermealcrazy @ gmail dot com.  I will give credit to you! 

I used a book to figure out what I was doing.  I took a lot of my direction from this book:

Dinner is ready.  It was great.  Had some awesome points in it.  If you head over to the blog, make sure you click on the link at the top for the freezer meal basics.  So, head over and check it out!  Then, come back and leave a comment.  Tell me one thing that surprised you or one of the recipes that you would like to try.  I will pick one person who will recieve the book Dinner is Ready and a $25 visa gift card to get you started.  I will pick the winner (through random.org) on September 7th - My mom's birthday!  Good luck.  I hope this helps you as much as it helped me!

Nate is 4!!

My little man is 4.  Crazy how fast the time has flown by.  I remember moving to Ohio and being terrified.  New place and 2 months to get comfortable and turn strangers into family.  I would be leaving Kennie and Justin with people who were virtually strangers to deliver my boy!  Crazy to think back now.  I was ready to deliver by myself while Aaron stayed home with my kiddos.  However, in those 2 first months in Ohio, I was home.  My neighbors were my saving grace!  My friends at church saved me.  The Lord truly blessed my life by bringing those very special people into my life! 

Going back a little further, I will never forget going to my 20 week ultrasound.  Aaron had to work, so I took Kennie (who was almost 3)  with me.  He said he was a big enough boy to go!  So cute.  I just didn't want to be alone.  I will never forget the look on Kennie's face when the tech said that it was a boy.  Kennie screamed - "No, it's our baby sister and her name is Baby Anna!!"  He was SO mad.  His/her name was going to be Savannah Marie.  I was so sure that he was a girl.  How glad I am that I was so wrong.  What would we do without our Natey?  :) 

We would have a computer that isn't fried.  (The motherboard is currently fried.  This is after it was fixed by a friend in Ohio last year....)  Our Wii wouldn't have had to be sent off and fixed for the pirate coin that had been inserted in the slot.  He has destroyed a few cell phones, deleted a TON of saved games on the Wii and DSi, cost us a ton in diapers (and still does.....)

He also gives you this look that nothing else matters.  Yep, you know the look.  He climbs up on my lap to read me a book and just melts my heart.  The boy is going to be the scientist that discoverer's how to break into some countries secret plans and saves the world.  I just know it.

These pictures are from last summer, but he hasn't changed a bit and I just had to use them again.  Seriously, they are my favorite that I have had taken of him!!  His stats for 4 years is he is in the 50% for weight and the 25% for height.  (He has his mom's height genes.  Sorry Natey!)

My sweet boy - I Love you!!  Happy 4th birthday angel!

Could the kid get any smarter?

Any more words needed?  Love this boy!!  He looks so much older with his new glasses.  He's done everything Aaron has done and at the same age.  Only he skipped a grade earlier... :)  Let's just hope he marries someone as AWESOME as me!  ;)  What a handsome boy!

Loved this.

Had a friend share this with me. This reminded her of me. Made me laugh! Oh how true this is!! :)

Sunday morning pictures

Aaron's parents and sister are leaving Tuesday, so this morning, we went outside in our church clothes and took some pictures.  Enjoy!  Our little family is growing up!!

Family time in Whittier

Aaron's parents are here so we went down to Whittier to do a day glacier cruise.  It was super cold but it was a lot of fun.  Here are a few cute pictures.  A mass post will be coming soon.  I don't have much time now.  I've been quilting, canning and sewing.  So, watch for my catch up!

Missing Man

Well, by now most of you have probably heard about the C-17 crash at Elmendorf AFB while practicing for the Air Show.  Well, it was just a few miles from our house.  Doug, our neighbor was scheduled to on that flight, but was pulled the morning of.  This tragedy has deeply affected this community and some of our dearest friends.  Despite the crash, the Air Force decided to proceed with the Air Show.  During the time the C-17 was supposed to fly (right before the Blue Angels) they did the Missing Man formation.  I had never heard of this, but was very moved by the significance of it.

The 4 F-22's flying in formation.

One of the F-22's left the formation, the other 3 leaving their space empty.  I became emotional during this.  I didn't know any of the 4 men that were killed.  We do know people effected, but this did not effect us.  However, I really liked the symbolism in the Missing Man formation.  When someone important who "completes the formation" (if you will) is taken from you, it is hard to explain to others how there is this whole in your heart.

As we watched the F-22's circle never filling the missing spot, I could help but think how real that is.  You learn to function.  It becomes normal to see the empty space.  The empty side of the closet, the open chair at the dinner table.  However, the whole is never filled.  There will be people that come and go in my life, especially because I am military (or married military) but the role that people play in my life will never diminish.  I never thought it would be as difficult to leave a place as it was to leave Ohio.  Still, over a year in Alaska and my heart still aches.  I still feel that empty space.  Long for the game nights.  Impromptu dinners between friends houses.  Walks to lunch at the school or pool parties in the back yard.  I am gone, but have not forgotten. 

To all those who have sacrificed in any way for our freedom, I salute you.  I thank you.  Others may not understand your sacrifice, but I will be forever grateful for my freedom and my ability to raise my family knowing that I will be with them forever. 

To the 4 families who lost their dad, brother, husband, grandson or friend, my heart aches for you.  May our Lord comfort you in your time of need!