Still alive!!

I know I Know! I promised!!! But I still don't have a working computer!!! Ok except for right now!! I have Drews computer back from the doctor ;) But I will be mailing it off to him tomorrow!

Whats the hold up on a computer you say? Well the wonderful US of A has decided that no item containing a litium battery can be shipped to APO boxes and the PERFECT computer Drew found contains a back up litium battery :( We may just resort to going without one until we move back to the states in June but that also means I don't have a real computer until Drew gets back in December, just my tablet and phone :(

So here is a speedy quick catch up of what the boys and I have been up to!!

 Well after we left my friend Amandas house last weekend everything became a blur! HAHA! 
We had several errands to do Saturday before I got ready for the birthday party I attended!! First stop... 
HUGE sale and the BX. I don't normally do our clothe shopping on base because it's a rip off, they hardly have anything I like and then everyone else will wear the same things! I do most of our clothes shopping online or out on the economy! But this sale was FAB!!!!

I got all these clothes for $75 saving $315!!!! I'm still really happy about, a week later hahaha. I had a nail appointment after that, and birthday party for a little sweetheart, then home to get ready!!!

The details of my getting ready are pretty boring but Isaiah did tell me I was pretty and that made me happy!!

So I took the boys over to my friend Tamaras house for the night. I got there early thinking Gabe would have  a hard time settling in but boy was I wrong!!! He was all over the place!!! It really made my night so much easier knowing he was happy! So I left the boys and headed to meet the girls!!!

Remember I said we were all getting dolled up and cute?! Well it was beyond that! Everyone looked amazing and felt amazing too!! The birthday girl of course shined more then all of us! I usually see Sasha pretty casual or in gym clothes but she stepped out of her car in the hot little black party dress and she blew me away!! She looked amazing from head to toe and she knew the smile on her face all night was the best one I have ever seen on her!!!

We forgot to get a group shot but here are most of the ladies who went out Saturday night!!!

We headed to Norwich, got our grub on at a yummy Mexican restaurant then headed down the road to get our ass shaking started!!!

We hit up three clubs, the first was um ok! The coolest part was them having acrobats lifted into the air in hoops doing tricks!! That was pretty awesome! We stopped at another club for a couple minutes wasn't much of an improvement from last so on we went. We all wanted to really get down and dance, shake our asses to some hip-hop!! So headed to a club called Mojos, it was packed and some people were pretty much having sex with there clothes on! But as soon as we heard the music of the night we knew it was the right place!! We stayed there for quit a while until some creepy men started grab assing at the other girls, so after a few "kind" words with them, we threw up the deuces and peaced out for the night!!! 

I do have to say never feel old, being at a young 24(25 in Decemeber), but going out to British clubs does the trick! The drinking age here is 18 so there are a lot of YOUNG kids trying to have a good time and just being plain ol' stupid because they can be! But I still had a great time and I know I will always love dancing!!!

Got home late that night/early morning, I'm talking nearly 4 am!!! I can't remember the last time I saw 4am without it being for feeding one of the boys as babies!! Got as much sleep as  I could then started getting ready for 80's day down in London!!

Aside from the obviously sweet gear I picked up for the day, I needed a jacket because it was a chilly England morning! I wanted to keep with the theme and as soon as I checked the wardrobe full of coats and hoodies I knew I found what I needed! This jacket has a lot of sentimental value to Drew and I and especially his parents! This jacket use to belong to Drews Dad  John back in 1876 ;) just kidding!!! But this is the jacket he was wearing when he asked Kelly, Drews mom, to marry him!! Drew has held on to over the years and I remember several of dates having this being worn. It was a simple way to have Drew close to me for the day

 *cheesey*

 I met the girls out in Cambridge to take the train down and we were on our way!Have I ever mentioned I'm a Harry Potter nerd? Well I am! And no stop at Kings Cross is complete without a stop at platform 9 3/4!!

Yup I am silly bear!!!

 All the looks and stares we go were awesome hahahaha people had no idea what to think of us!! We had a quick little walk around/ lunch in Covent Gardens then headed to the theatre!!

The show was absolutely amazing! We sang and danced the whole time through. It completely reminded me of my childhood, growing up with a  man still stuck in the 80's, but it was actual good memories so I didn't mind it!! When the show ended one of the girls suggested going around back and meeting the cast, WHO KNEW?! So thats what we did!!! I had my eyes on one man the whole show, he was hot, hilarious, a good singer, good dancer, and did I mention HOT?! So when he came out I went a little 15 year old star struck teenager on him and begged to have my picture with him, ok maybe not beg but I was a little excited!!!

HOT right?!!

All the way back to the train and the train ride home we kept busting out the songs stuck in our head! It was a blast! We said our goodbyes and last Happy Birthdays to Sasha and all went our separate ways! I enjoyed this weekend more then I can really describe. I was honored that Sasha considers me a close enough friend to share her day with and I got to celebrate her and make her feel special!! It also was a good way for me to get away from the boys a little while, and have some me time!!

I love my boys to the moon and back but when you don't get that 4/5 o'clock text message saying" I'm on my way" and you can breath a sigh of relief for help with your crazy kids, life can get a little overwhelming!!! I'm so thankful to Tamara and her husband Tim for taking care of the boys for me. We haven't ever left them over night with anyone but family so this was a little hard for me but I knew they were well taken care of and Isaiah told me what a great time he had the whole way home Sunday night!!

It has been a hard week for all of us trying to catch up on missed sleep and Gabe got a little bug this week as well but seems to be better! Isaiah is still loving school and from what his swim teacher has told me, he is going to be like the rest of our families and love the water!! I'm hoping to go next week and watch him swim and hopefully get some pictures to share with you all and of course Drew!!!

Well the kids are getting hungry and to be truthful...so am I!!! Left overs tonight, nothing special, but I have started our new clean eating lifestyle and with a few more weeks of trial and error I will be ready to share what we are doing with that!!

Hope you all are well and have a safe and fabulous weekend!!!!

Until next time...

Boys will be boys!

My dear friend Amanda and her husband Chad are in Italy to celebrate there fifth aniversary!!! They were able to snag a sitter for the whole weekend except for last night to this evening, so I stepped in to fill the gap!! But oh how I could us a getaway to Italy!!!

 

I have spent the last 15 hours watching 4 BOYS all 4 and under in age!!!! Sounds crazy right!!!

To be honest it hasn't been that bad! They are all so close in age they have just been keeping eachother busy and I only have to step in here and there to break up a wrestling match getting out of hand or to make sure everyone is sharing nicely!!

 

 

I thought I knew a lot about boys raising two myself but really, why are boys so gross? I can't change a daiper without at least one of them up in my grill to check if theres poopy or not and damn near touching said poop to make sure I know that it's poop! Why are boys so rough? Isaiah and Gabe have just gotten into the wrestleing stage and for the most part it's pretty mild because Isaiah understands he has to be soft with him! But having 2 bigger boys has not helped!!! They have not gone more then 20 mins without a wreslting/kungfu/hitting match!

 

We have about 8.5 hours until the sitter for the rest of the weekend comes and I'm hoping we survive!!!

 

I have a big weekend ahead of me and am looking forward to a solid nights sleep tonight!  A busy day tomorrow during the day followed by a crazy 24 hours to celebrate one of my favorite people ever!! My friend Sashas birthday is Sunday and as this is her last one here in England and it's getting close to her leaving :( She is going out with a bang!!!! So tomorrow night 16 of her closest friends are all getting dolled up in short sassy prom/homecoming dresses going up to Norwich to dinner then club hopping(Yes Drew is ok with going clubbing with my girlfriends don't roll your eyes at me!) We will be out late Saturday night, then getting up Sunday to get decked out in 80s gear to head down to London to see Rock of Ages!!! It's a pretty well kept secret that I love me some 80's buttrock! So I am excited to sing along with the songs I grew up listening to all my life!!

 

This is going to be so much fun celebrating someone so special to me and it will be nice to have some SHAYNA time! I get to be a big grown up women for about 24 hourd! It's going to be great!

 

I'm hoping to have a computer soon so I can share pictures from the weekend because it is going to be great! So stand by for that post!!!

 

Until next time... 

 



busy busy

UPDATED 9/21/2012

I know I said I would be checking in here more often but my computer has officially gone off the deep and I prefer to update with pictures and don't have the option and i know everyone is dying t hear about my life and the boys ;)

Well a week ago Isaiah started pre-school!!! He is absoultely loving school! He goes everyday from 9-12 with swimming lessons on Thursdays! This school is turning out to be completely awesome!!

With Isaiah in school so much Gabriel and I get a lot of time together and I get more gym time with driving near the base area everyday instead of only three times a week! 

With Drew gone I feel like a machine! I want so badly to shick and awe him when he comes back!! My new gym routine will have me working out 6 days a week with ine active rest day a week! I currently do a HIIT( high intensity interval training) three days a week and work on my cardio the others. I wi.l be changing it up in a few weeks with some weight training but this is good for now!!

The boys seem to be adjusting well with Drew away, Gabriek surprisingly has been a lot more clingy and really only wanting me but being ok with a couple other people. This has made a hard adjustment because I feel like I can't walk away from him at all but I do get a lot of extra snuggles from him and Isaiah too so that has been nice. Isaiah tells everyone that Daddy is off fighting bad guys( relate it to a movie and the kid will understand anything! hahaha) so don't be surprised if he lets you know!! I've been adjuatung well too, it a,ways seems the worse at night once the boys go to bed and I'm all alone but at the same time the quite time is great! Silly as it sounds I'm more thankful for my dog when Drew is away, she sleeps on his side of the bed and makes it feel like someone is in the bed with me so that has helped a ton!!

Hoping to get a computer soon and I will continue posting as normal and hopefully more often! Great week ahead for us!! Hoping the same for all of you!!

Until next time...

Childhood cancer awareness month

It's officially September! September has a big meaning to me and most of my family, it is Childhood cancer awareness month. Some of you may have just raised and eyebrow as to why that would have meaning to myself and my family, well let me tell you!!

You know how some moments in life you look back on and can remember exactly what you were doing what was going on around you and who was with you. For most Americans that day is 9/11, I can tell you right off the bat how I found out what was going on in NY without even a second thought! These next two memories are the exact same way. 5 years ago I was taking my lunch break at beauty school, I had just sat down and was going to start eating when I opened my phone and had a text message from my step mom that my niece( nearing her third birthday) had been diagnosed with leukemia the night before. This was one of those text messages I had to read several times over to actually have it sink in and realize it was real. I left school immediately!! Thankful my school was extremely close to the hospital and I was there in minutes. When I got there I walked into her room and my heart broke even more. My sweet niece, first born niece. was laying in a hospital bed with tubes and machines all around her :( my sister 8 months pregnant right by her side and my brother in law on the other. When Anna saw me she got excited to see me, and for the first time ever said my name the right way ( Shea-nuh, instead Say-nuh), another one of those little things you remember out of everything else.

The mood in the room was obviously not ahigh happy one but it didn't matter we needed to be together as a family for Anna. I stayed at the hospital as long as I could because my bitch of a boss would not let me have the night off(  I later quit this job because of this boss comparing her sons busted lip to my niece having CANCER and there was no reason I should have had the night off...Fuck you lady!!!) I tired for the next several months to do all I could to come to the hospital and see her but sometimes it just didn't happen. Anna however was a star and kicked cancers ass!!! She was doing so well in treatment she was even breaking standards for treatment, she was my little hero!!! That November 8 months after she was diagnosed she was the most beautiful flower girl in mine and Drews wedding and not too long after that was done with treatmeant

This is one of my favorite pictures of her and I from my wedding. She was getting really bored having to wait for us to go and get married, but snuggling me in our watching white dresses made happy long enough!!

Well you'll remember I said my sister was pregnant at the time of Anna diagnoses. She had little Madeline on April first( same as Uncle Drew) She was a beauty from the beginning just like her sister!! Well almost exactly 3 years later she was diagnosed with leukemia as well. I got the call early in the morning here in England and I knew it had to be bad news because it was a call on our stateside number which only our family back in Washington ever call on and there is an 8 hours time difference between us. It was my sister Becky calling to tell me. I thought the first time getting that kind of news was hard but let me tell you to hear the same words again for your niece who you love so much and now at this point being a mom myself, my heart broke in so many ways! For my niece because I knew the road that was in front of her and for my sister and bother in law, to have to hold your childs hand yet again and try to explain to them what is going on, I can't even imagine it and frankly I don't want to! Nor would anybody else!! It was very hard to not get on a plane and fly straight home but I knew I would be in the way and really I wouldn't be doing anything productive accept be another shoulder to lean on. We had a trip planned home shortly as well so that was my only smoothing factor.

I kept a close eye on my sisters Facebook updates and her caring bridge updates. I called when I felt like it might be an ok time, and I always knew that if she didn't pick up that wasn't going to be surprise but I always wanted to try. We finally made it home in June and we got to my parents house from the airport and went straight over!! It was so nice to see them and hug everyone and feel like I could do something now!! Maddie much like her sister kicked its ass!!

Here is Maddie

Sister lovins!

The girls having a tea party with Isaiah winter 2010

Both my nieces are my heroes, they have faced so much at such a young age and have come out on top! I am so thankful to God for the amazing healing he did in there bodies and how much strength he gave them. I am thankful he helped my brother and sister through these hard times and even though the path may have gotten dark at some points, they came out on top too, they even renewed there wedding vows to each other last summer! One of the few couples I can look up to see that "for better or for worse" was really what they meant!

Aside from there story there are some very real facts about Childhood cancer I want to share.

• Childhood Cancer remains the #1 disease killer of America's children --more than AIDS, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and asthma COMBINED, making it the leading cause of death in children 15 and younger

•  About 12,060 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2012. Childhood cancer rates have been rising slightly for the past few decades.

September is childhood cancer awareness month, the ribbon for it is GOLD!!! I know many people get caught up on buying PINK over and over, and let me firstly say that I support ALL cancer awareness and research because I fully believe that all cancers are linked together and once one is cured then slowly but surely all others will get cured as well and the DEVIL can take this disease back down to hell where it belongs!! BUT I wish people would remember the other cancers need love too not just breast cancer!!!

I am also FIRM in not playing the stupid "cancer awareness games" on Facebook! Yes it got a lot of media attention the first time around when everyone was putting up there bra color( others taking it too far and going on about lace and such) but in hind sight, you did nothing productive! I can sit and write this blog and people will probably say the same thing BUT I have been there! I have been in the hospital seen other patients and helped where I can and this post is actually about Childhood cancer not my bra color( or as one of sisters friends joked, the character on my sons underwear), this blog post is not all I will do because that would be too easy! I would like to encourage those that can to volunteer, that means more to hospitals patients and there families then anything else! Do you have a craft? Make some stuff to donate to the children, it will light up there face to receive it, trust I've been there for those random gifts!

During this month I will be wearing GOLD when I can and telling as many that will listen the story of my nieces and how amazing they are. And hopefully one of these years when my life isn't so crazy I will organize some kind of fundraiser to give back to the people who need it most!!! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor day weekend!!!

Until next time...