Pictures of Ari

A friend of ours had family visit and they were kind enough to take some pictures of Ari. It is fun to see how much she has changed in just the past few months. The pictures were taken in October sometime. Enjoy!

I promise I will blog soon...

Since I went back to work three weeks ago things have been a little crazy around our home. I promise I will blog soon. I am loving my job and Ari is starting to adjust to school. It is nice that the three of us are so close to each other on base. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

Halloween 2010

From Halloween 2010

I know I am a little late, but it has been a crazy two weeks. I don't think Halloween is what I wanted it to be for Ari, but at least she will not remember how crazy it was. We celebrated Halloween on Thursday, October 27.

Our Branch was holding a Trunk or Treat. Brother Wells was going to give the message so he offered to take us. We also had to go and pick up keys to our new home that same night. Bryan also had a meeting that was suppose to finish by 5 and went until 7pm. We had to pick the keys up at 6 but ended up getting them at 6:30 and then arriving at the Trunk or Treat at 7:30. Just little late.

Needless to say Ari was tired by the time we got to the meeting house and didn't really really understand what was going on. She got a few pieces of candy and I took as many photos as she would let me. They had a bowling game that she loved.

I promise next year will be better for Halloween and we will show Ari what it is really about. And maybe just maybe daddy will get to be there. I feel bad that Bryan has missed both Ari's Halloweens. Enjoy the photos.

I almost forgot to mention it was only 100 degrees and Ari would not take this costume off. I don't know how she wasn't dying of heat.

Day at the Beach

A couple people from Bryan's work invited us to join them at the Beach. We had a fish fry and enjoyed the warm water. The weather was just starting to cool down.

Captains Cup Softball and Volleyball

I forgot to mention before that Bryan has been playing softball with his command. He is really enjoying himself and is glad to have his own mitt and cleats. He usually plays third base. The pictures are not great, but he is the guy just past the pitcher.

From Base Softball

After his in field home run.

From Base Softball

Warming up for the game

From Base Softball

We have also been playing volleyball. We played in the Captains cup Sand 4's tournament and ending up winning it. We played one of the ships in Bryan's command in the final. Kinda funny. It was a lot of fun, but made me realize how out of shape I am. I was the setter so I had to work more than usual.

Bryan also ended up playing the last night of the Captain's Cup 6's indoor tournament. They ended up winning this tournament as well. I'll post a picture of our trophies latter. BTW I ended up officiating the final match with Ari in my arms. I'm starting her young. She now walks around the house with a whistle in her mouth pointing at the ground.

New Attachment

From Mi Mi

Ari hasn't really attached herself to a specific toy, before now. She has always had a "B" (blanket) issue, but MiMi is her new attachment. MiMi goes every where with us. If I forget her I have to go back into the house for her. I guess there could be worse things.

From Mi Mi

From Mi Mi

Mi Mi

Ari has been missing her Mi Mi (Miya), her puppy. She asks for her about every day. When we are on Skype she calls her name until my parents take the laptop into the room to see Mi Mi. Well, it was killing my dad to hear Ari asking for her Mi Mi every day. So he sent her a Siberian Husky stuffed animal that looks just like Miya. He had to order it from Alaska. You don't find many stuffed huskies that are black and white. Mi Mi now goes everywhere with us.

From Mi Mi

From Mi Mi

From Mi Mi

From VA Bch - Sandbridge

Random Pictures of Ari

From Drop Box

Ari with Morgan

From Random pictures of Ari

Ari posing for a picture

Bahrain School Volleyball

Well, it didn't take us long to get back involved with volleyball. We met the right guy and now we are in. Brother Wells from our ward is the boys high school volleyball coach for the Department of Defense school. We have had the opportunity to go over and help the boys prepare for an upcoming tournament in Europe. The boys are really willing to learn so it is great.

Brother Wells is also in charge of the officials on base. I was able to officiate the Captains Cup league last week and earn a little extra money. We appreciate everything Brother Wells does for us. He has kind of taken us under his wing. Bryan is hoping to be able to play in the upcoming 4's sand volleyball tournament at the end of the month.

From DOD Volleyball

I forgot to mention that Ari helps as well. She is in charge of picking up the cones, she just may not do it when we are ready for her.

From DOD Volleyball

Ari's new found love

Ari has a new love and it is coloring. We started out by coloring Nana pictures for her birthday. BTW do not by the animal shaped markers. They make a mess. Coloring is something she can do by herself. She doesn't need me to sit right by her. This is a new found freedom for mommy.

From Coloring

Eating Good...

Since we have arrived in Bahrain we have only been out to dinner a couple of times. We forgot t take the camera the first time, but we ate at a really good shawarma diner. The next place we went to dinner at was an Indian cuisine diner. We ordered lamb chops, prawns fried rice, and the delicious bread. All three of us found this place to be a hit. Ari loved the lamb chops. We were excited because she doesn't eat a lot of meat. The portions were enough for left overs. Oh, we also ordered an avocado and chicoo milkshakes. They were really good surprisingly.

From Dinner

From Dinner

From Dinner

18 Month Check Up

From Hogle Zoo 2010

So it just dawned on me yesterday that Ari needed to go in for her 18 month check up.  We were already on base so we stopped by medical and they could see her that day.  This will be Ari's 4th pediatrician.  We really like our new doctor.  I wish I could remember her name.  Here are Ari's stats.

Weight: 13kg = 28.6lbs (95%)
Height: 82cm = 32.3 inches (75%)
Head: 19 inches (90%)

Ari is a little parrot these days.  She wants to know what everything is.  We tell her and she repeats it a couple times and then she tells daddy about it when he gets home.

She knows most of her body parts (head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, neck, lips, teeth, tongue, knee, toes, fingers, belly, leg, arm, feet, eyebrows, back, bum, belly button, toe nails)  and most characters from Sesame Street (Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Zoe, Abby, Cook(ie), Big Bir, Telly, Gro(ver), Osc(er) and Winnie the Pooh (Tig(ger), Ee(yore), Pooh, Darby, Owl, Rab(bit), and P(iglet).

Ari also enjoys Skyping with her family members.  The people she wants to talk to mostly are her Mimi (Miya her dog), Nana, and her Unc.  Probably because this is who she talks to most often.    Funny story, the other day I was packing her bag in her room and I hear the Skype dial tone.  Ari had called her Nana all by herself. 

Ari is also very social.  She loves people and kids.  While on base she waves to everyone we walk by.  We have met people we other wise would not have.  If she sees another child she is walks right over and tries to give them a toy she has.  Sometimes she scares the other child away.  I hope she always remains this outgoing.  

Now to tell about one of her not so favorable characteristics.  She is so stubborn and has started to throw some fits.  I have to remind myself that I am  the mom and it is okay to say no.  Ari thinks that if she says please she should get it, not the case.  She understands time out and will go and sit in her room.  She doesn't like us to get mad at her.  She gets sad and goes to her room or hides under her B(blanket).

Ari is showing signs of wanting to potty train.  She has used the potty a couple times, but we are not pushing it.  Once we move into our home we will take her to pick out a potty.  I am hoping it will be as easy as getting rid of the bottle.  Ari gave up the bottle because she wanted a sippy cup like the other kids.

We are so thankful for her.  I don't know how we could have made it through the past year without having such an easy child.  She just adjusts to whatever environment she is in.  

Week 2 in Bahrain

So I guess I didn't tell everyone why we are in Bahrain and how long we will be here.  Well, we are here because of Bryan's job and we will be here for 2 years. 

I don't have any pictures, but I can at least tell you what we have been up to.  Bryan started work last week.  He is excited about his job and really enjoys the people he works with.  He leaves for work between 6 and 6:30am and gets home around 6pm.  He will not always be working this late. 

Ari and I have been going out with different agents looking at homes.  We haven't found anything else that looks promising. We are still considering the two homes I posted pictures on.  We are not in a hurry so we are continuing to look this week.

We were able to hook up with the church military contact and attend church on Friday.  The church is about 15-20 minutes west of the base.  Brother Wells, or rather Grandpa Wells picked us up for church.  The church is held in a huge villa.  The classes are held in different bedrooms.  The church is officially recognized in Bahrain which is great.  They have a nursery with about 4-6 kids.  The nursery ranges from 18 months to 4 years old.  I am sure it won't be long until we have callings.  We really like our Bishop. 

Funny story, the Bishop and his wife are actually looking to move closer to the church so they let us tag along with them on Saturday.  After we finished with them.  Brother Wells took us out to look at places as well.  We went to dinner with Brother Wells and his wife after to a little place down Shawarma Ally.  I am giving our ward an A grade.  I think we are really going to like it.  Oh, it was fast and testimony week and some of the testimonies were interesting. 

Well, I have gone on enough.  Bryan is officially on his own at work.  I will continue to keep you posted. 

Recipe for a Military Spouse

 A friend of mine posted this on her facebook account.  I really liked it and thought I would share it.

Recipe for a Military Spouse
2 cups Patience
1 c Courage
3/4 c Tolerance
dash of Adventure
...1 lb of Ability
To the above ingredients:Add 2 tbs elbow grease and let stand alone for a year. Marinate frequently with salty tears.Pour off excess fat and sprinkle ever so lightly with money then Knead dough until payday. Season with international spices. Bake 20 years or until done. Makes unlimited servings. SERVE WITH PRIDE

Welcome Aboard Allred Airlines

I put together this little tour in Google Earth so you can see the route we took to get to Bahrain. Please remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the captain has turned off the 'fasten seatbelt' sign.

Week 1 in Bahrain

The first week in Bahrain was mostly filled with Indoc. class. The class was mainly for Bryan. Ari and I spent the first couple of days out in the hall. Ari was not amused with the information they were providing us with. The class did offer a tour of the island. We were able to go and see the Grande Mosque, the National Museum, a camel farm, and lunch at the Veranda. Ari's favorite part was the camel farm. She was not afraid to touch them. She actually was one of the first to touch the camels. The rest of the week she kept saying "amel" for camel.

Our apartment is pretty big. We have a king bed and Ari's room has two twin beds. Our kitchen is pretty big as well. It also came with a stackable washer and dryer. It is nice to be able to eat in and do our laundry. I have found that all bathrooms in Bahrain smell. It must be the water or something. I have bought a couple air fresheners. The furniture in Bahrain is amazing. We are less then 10 minutes from base. We do most of our shopping a the Exchange on base, but stop at the cold store occasionally.

We also went out house hunting. We have had good and bad experiences with that. There are some really nice homes. They are just out of our budget. We did find two and we are trying to make a decision. One is brand new construction while the other has a pool. I think we might lean towards the pool. As soon as we decide we will post pictures. I can tell you this much we are going to be spoiled.


On Friday the base a kids rock-n-roll band come for the second year in a row. Ari was not into the show too much. She did want to get up on stage with them. She had fun dancing and playing with all the balloons they had. We look forward to some of the fun activities the base puts on.

I don't know if it has dawned on us yet that we are in Bahrian. It is still like a vacation. I think once we get moved into our own place with our stuff and we get somewhat of a schedule it will be different. I can tell you that it is expensive like a vacation. I am already having my mom send us things that we can get in the states cheaper. Until our next post.

Goodbye's are Hard...

From Goodbye's are hard

You would think we would be pros at saying goodbye at this point. Well we are not and I am still a big crier. I can at least make it through security before I start bawling. I don't think Ari quite understood what was going on until she started asking for her Unc and we couldn't deliver.

From Goodbye's are hard

It was a long three days of traveling. Our first two flights were with Southwest and all of us got seats. The flight staff was cute with Ari and brought her special snacks. They took our picture for us. When we got to San Diego Brent Collins came and rescued us from sitting at the airport. We forgot to take our camera with us. We went and got dinner and met Paij and Morgan at the park. We hope to make it back to San Diego it is so nice. Thank you Collins family for taking time to see us. Morgan is so grown up.

Our next flight was with United to Washington DC. This flight was horrible. They told us at first that we may not sit by each other. They had each of us on a different row in the middle. I am so sure someone wants to sit by our 17 month old? Luckily people traded with us. We no leg room. If I am telling you I had no leg room you can imagine what it was like for Bryan. We survived and made it to DC.

I forgot to mention while in San Diego we found the USO. They are a group that support the military. They stored our luggage for us in San Diego and while in DC we spent the whole day hanging out there. They fed us, supplied us with books and games for Ari. It was just nice to have a place to rest.

Bryan was able to get our seats upgraded from DC to Kuwait. Ari actually did pretty good. There was a two hour period where she didn't want to sleep while everyone else was trying to sleep. Other than that she did great. She played the first half and then slept the other half. We had a short layover in Kuwait and then a 45 minute flight to Bahrain. When we got to Bahrain she fell asleep.

Our sponsor picked us up and took us to the hotel. Bryan left with him to go and get dinner and check in. Ari and I went to bed and woke up when he got back. We ate a little bit and went back to sleep. We had an early morning of indoctrination to Bahrain.

Random Ari Photos

From Random Ari

Ari helping me pack for Bahrain

From Random Ari

Ari helping with the laundry

Utah State Fair

Bryan, Unc, and Auntie took Ari to the Utah State Fair. Ari had so much fun seeing all the different animals. She even got to sit on a bull. I think this is the first time she has been able to touch so many different animals. She was not scared at all. Bryan told me she was braver than a 4 year old little boy who didn't want to touch the calf.

Starvation

The second half of Labor Day weekend we spent at Starvation. In the past this has been one of my families favorite places to camp. We love the lake. Bryan and I were excited to wake board and ski. We ran into a problem the lake was so choppy. We went out on Saturday and got thrown around. Luckily the Lucero family brought there jet skis and we spent the weekend playing on them. I need to get the really good photos from my dad. Ari loved the boat and jet skis. I forgot to mention that Memphis has been trained to be off leash. He was able to roam while backpacking and also while at the lake.

From Starvation 2010

From Starvation 2010

Long Lake Day Hike

For Labor Day weekend Bryan's family likes to go backpacking and he really really wanted to take Ari. I felt strongly that Ari was too young so we met in the middle and Ari and I went up for the day.  Ari had a blast.  I am not against camping I just don't think backpacking with a 17 month old is the best idea.  You can see what happened in less than 5 hours.  She got a battle wound.  Maybe in a couple years she will understand danger and she will be more careful.  Wait what am I thinking she is her father's daughter and therefore  a dare devil.

Salt Lake Bees Baseball Game

Aunt Jan had a great idea to have the family go to the Salt Lake Bees Baseball game.  It was a ton of fun.  We ate dinner there and rode the train.  The game was a long one.  We left at the bottom of the 5th because it was 10:30 and everyone was tired.  Thanks Aunt Jan!

Nana's Pool

While in Utah we were spoiled to be able to go to the pool every weekend.  Ari loves it because it is zero entry and there are lots of fun toys.  Her favorite slide happens to be the big kid slide.  She loves going down the slide with daddy and Unc.

Random Ari Photos

Ari loves anything she can sit on. This is her cute couch Auntie and Unc bought for her

Ari's cute backpack from our neighbors in Virginia Beach

Payton and Ari reading at Lisa's wedding.  Payton is so good with the babies

She is already obsessed with the phone.  We are going to be in trouble!

Ari and her Unc

Ari is sure going to miss her Unc.  Whenever she is in trouble she starts crying for Unc.  Does this tell you something??? It tells me that she is spoiled by her Unc and knows she does no wrong when it comes to her Unc. 

Cross Country Trip Number 2

You would think Bryan and I love car trips or something.  We actually hate driving and are glad to say that this was our last cross country trip by car for the next two years.  Can you say YEAH.....

Here are some photos.  West Virginia was gorgeous.  We didn't see much of Kentucky because we drove through during the night.  I did almost get in a car accident because some idiot was watching the fireworks.  We also drove through St. Louis, one of our favorite cities to visit.  We were too tired to stop and play. We just wanted to make it home.  We also know we never want to drive through Kansas ever again. It was the most boring state ever.  Nebraska you are off the hook.

Can you see the picture with blood splattered across our windshield.  I want you to know I think Bryan hit a bird, he says it was an insect.  If it was an insect it was some mutant blood thirsty insect.  Colorado had one amazing lightening and then hail and rain storm.  We actually had to pull of the road and wait it out.

Once again Bryan and I set some record for crossing the country in less than two days.  We left Virginia Beach around 3pm on Friday and made it to Broomsfield CO Saturday at 10pm after waiting an hour for the storm to pass.  We stayed Sunday with Bryan's Grandparents and then hit the road Monday morning. I was missing my baby.

Summer 2010 - Ocean Breeze Water Park

Before I can post about Bahrain. I have some posts to catch up on. Again I use this blog as a family journal so I would like to record some of the following events.

While Nana was in town over the 24 of July we decided to go and hit a big Water Park.  Ari loved it.  She went down the little kid slides and the lazy river, but then decided it was too boring.  She spent the rest of the time going down the big slides with daddy. She is truly daddy's little dare devil.  I would have been screaming.

Dragon Fruit

This post is for Josh.  While we were doing some shopping at the Exchange on base we found a new fruit.  It caught our eyes because of the beautiful color.  When we looked for the name of it, we were surprised because it

was Dragon Fruit.  We were familiar with this name because Josh had a drink called Dragon Fruit.  We decided to try it.  We had to ask the gentlemen working in the produce section how to eat it.  He told us it was like Kiwi.  The next morning we pulled it out and tried it.  I found it not to have much flavor. We are thinking it was not ripe enough.  It is suppose to be sweet like Kiwi. We are going to give it a try again.  We are so excited to try new foods.  Ari didn't think much of it. 

We made it....

We wanted to let everyone know we made it to Bahrain safely.  I will post more on our travel adventures when I recover from my jet lag.  This is a picture of the beautiful mosque we saw while driving to our Hotel.  We actually get to take a tour of it on Tuesday.  We love you all and can't wait to share our experiences with you.  BTW we have one resilient daughter. 

Shenandoah Valley

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

Emma throwing rocks after Bryan taught her how. When asked what her favorite part of the trip was she replied throwing rocks with Bryan.

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

The deer were not afraid of people. They walked right up to them.

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

This deer waited until we finished our lunch to come and find crumbs.

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

The weather changed in the afternoon and it actually got down to 58 degrees.

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

This is the cute Parker family that we dragged around DC and Shenandoah. Did I mention Heather is 6 1/2 months pregnant.

Quick DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

The trip was made possible because the youth in our ward had a Temple Trip planned and we decided to make a weekend trip of it. This is our cute Young Women group minus the Pres. and a couple Beehives. I will miss serving with these women and serving the girls.

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

This picture is of Bryan and me standing at the WWII monument. I finally was able to see the monuments at the National Mall. Thanks Parker family for making the 10 mile hike around town.

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

We made it to see the White House

From 2010-08-02 DC Trip

Picture of the Korean War Monument