Out of the frying pan...into the cold

Our vacation has officially begun! We arrived in Idaho a few days before Christmas and will be here until the end of January, when our adventure will take us to Nashville and onto Ft. Campbell. Rexburg welcomed us graciously with it's snowy weather, brisk wind, and below zero temperatures. When there was finally enough snow I asked the girls if they wanted to go sledding. Maya had a confused look on her face so innocently replied, "What's sledding?". My little island babies are getting a brand new look at the world. Papa gave the girls their first taste of sledding by tying a rope from the tractor to a sled and pulling them behind.

Skylar was brave enough to go over the icy bridge down the big hill on her stomach

Maya thought it would be better if daddy came down the scary hill with her.

Hold on tight!!!

The weather here is a tad bit different from Hawaii

I decided to join in the fun and wore my dad's coveralls that were 3 sizes too big (but were exceptionally warm).

Our little snow bunny all bundled up

Student of the Month!

I am finally catching up on my blogging and writing about the things worth mentioning. In November Skylar was Student of the Month and we are so proud of her. At 6 1/2 she is an amazing little girl with so many talents. It's hard to believe my little girl is growing up so fast.

She was sad to say goodbye to her friends and teachers at Solomon, but is looking forward to starting at a new school and "meeting new crushes" as she so eloquently put it.

Our top five. . .

As our second deployment has come to an end, Matt and I have been reflecting on just WHY it is so great that he is home (besides the obvious reasons, family togetherness, being alive, etc etc.). So for all of those wondering, here are a few things we are grateful for. . .

top 5 reasons Matt is grateful to be home (in no particular order of importance)

1. Showers without shoes. In Iraq they are required to wear 'shower shoes', aka flip-flops, while they shower. Apparently it's annoying to wear shoes in the shower.

2. A pillowtop mattress. No springs in the ribs while sleeping is a definite bonus!

3. The commissary with an endless supply of food and possibilities. Food is a way to this man's heart.

4. Civilian clothes. It makes him feel like a person! He can decide to wear the polo with the stripes, or the ugly flourescent yellow t-shirt he's had since High School, either way...he gets to choose.

5. No sand storms!

Top 5 reasons it is nice to have a husband again

1. There is someone to watch the kids while I _____ (insert anything here---go to the gym, get a pedicure, get my haircut, go to the dentist, take a nap, attend enrichment night, any verb phrase will do!)

2. Because I now can say "Go ask your dad" to any question, demand, or request that my kids come up with.

3. Not having to brave the commissary alone with three kids in tow (or carry armfuls of groceries into the house, while all three simultaneously have a meltdown from the torturous task of grocery shopping). I can just go by myself (gasp!), or send Matt, or we can make it an FHE event and all go together!

4. Sundays period.

-I don't have to sit alone during sacrament meeting, there is someone to help entertain the kids, take them potty, escort them to the water fountain, color with, etc etc etc. If the baby is hungry, I can leave to go feed her, and I dont have to take her sisters with!

-I don't have to watch football alone! (assuming I indulge in a little post-church football--Go Giants!)

-And there is someone else to eat my Sunday pot roasts (and/or other delicious Sunday dinners)

5. Being able to breathe again. Anyone who has ever lived without their significant other for any amount of time knows the heavy feeling that comes over you when they leave. The burden of doing everything alone, while supporting someone you love who is fighting overseas, can be overwhelming and down-right impossible some days. Having him here I can finally breathe , and there is someone to help lighten the load of everyday life again. Matt was only gone a total of 10 months (instead of the regular 12). We were fortunate enough to have him home for the very end of my pregnancy and for the birth of our 3rd daughter.

All laughter and joking aside, of course the best part about having Matt home is this:

Being together as a family!

Welcome Home Daddy!

September 19, 2009--The Homecoming!

It has been three weeks since Matt stepped off the plane and back into our lives again. It feels incredible to be together as a family. When he is here, it makes me wonder how I ever did it without him. Life has been busy since he arrived as we are preparing to make our move to Kentucky and/or Tennessee in December. Ft. Campbell is spread across both sides of the border, so it's a coin toss as to which state we will end up in. Here are a few highlights from his homecoming.

IS HE HERE YET??? (waiting...)

(tick, tock, tick, tock)
The soldiers marching in to the Rocky theme song
Happy little girls
Finally a family again

Welcome home Matt!!!

Back on the island again

A FEW PICTURES OF OUR JOURNEY TO THE MAINLAND

PAPA giving the girls a tractor ride in front of the house. You can see the Rexbug temple in the far right corner of the picture

At Mesa Falls when Papa Dolezal came for a visit

Picnic Lunch at Mesa Falls

The Upper Falls

Flowing into the Snake River

Laila and me at Mesa Falls

Skylar, Maya, and their cousins



The infamous Clements family "Weenie Roast"

and a bikini baby!!!

An amazing sunset at the Sand dunes

and a two headed sand-dinosaur!!!

Sitting by the fire (and ash) at the Dunes

Going for a Girls Night Out with all the sistas (Katie and Les were in the front)

Camping in the tetons at our annual Anderson Reunion

Roasting mallows and eating smores....mmmmm

The FREEZING Mornings

and crisp afternoons.

Building boats with papa for the boat race

and on the Hobo Hike--arrgh matey. These little pirates found juice boxes and fruit snacks at the end of the trail. Perfect.

Reflecting on years past

and welcoming the new campground!

Visiting other family campfires

And finally back in SLC at a hotel downtown with the girls

Going shopping at the gateway and getting stalked by 15 year old boys who thought I was a babysitter to my three kids.

Finally on the 6 hour flight home

The girls did pretty well on the flight and were excited to be home

That's right...we're HOME!!!

Birthdays, anniversaries, and babies OH MY!

So, here it is almost June and I have been notedly absent from the blog scene for the past month or so. But, of course there are reasons for this.

First this happened--April 27th, our 7th Anniversary!!

(and one very large meatball)

The very next day (April 28th) our little girl turned FOUR!!

And she wondered what she would do with a brand new bike helmet

And only hours later (about 1 a.m. on April 29th) --this happened! Our baby girl was ready to meet her sisters!
I was all smiles here....

And then this happened---(contractions!)

But soon enough---this happened (I am a TEN!)

Finally--she is here!
Welcome to the world Laila Capri Dolezal.
April 29th, 2009 at 1703, weighing 5 lbs 15 oz , and 18 inches long.