Support our Troops

I have been hearing about this issue from various different circles, and I loved the approach one of my friends took. So I borrowed the link off her blog, and the little excerpt about what is going on. Please take a few minutes to follow the link and then write a short response to your Govt Officials about your opinion. I have already done this, and I truly believe that cutting benefits is not the right approach. Military veterans, troops and their families have already been asked to sacrifice so much for our Country, this is not the way to repay them. Health care is vital, and it should not be the benefit that is cut back on. Thanks D. for inspiring me, and I hope that other's will follow your example and get involved about issues they feel strongly about too. Your the best!

From D.'s blog:
Please follow this link to read more on the options that may affect our military health care. There is a link at the end that will allow you to write your Officials.
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,182097,00.html

From Soldiersmind.com -
A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office details just one proposal that would increase out of pocket expenses for medical care for Military Families and Veterans, while others would lose their VA benefits altogether. Other proposals would raise Tricare fees, co-payments and deductibles. Veterans whose medical condition isn’t service related could end up no longer being eligible for VA medical care at all. While nothing has been approved at this juncture, the Congressional Budget Office director at this time is President-Obama’s choice to be his director of the Office of Management and Budget, and who led the work on this proposal, Peter R. Orszag, so it very possibly will have a very real, very devastating affect on our Troops and our Veterans.

Snacks and Culture

Our dear friends that we knew in Texas moved about the same time we did. They chose to go International and are now stationed in Japan. Our kids miss them dearly, and still constantly ask to go to their house to play. You can imagine their excitement when we received a Christmas box from them. This was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture. The box was full of interesting items from Disney character chopsticks to fancy brewing mugs. I would have to say that the surprise that got the best reaction were the selection of Japanese treats and snacks that were sent. The girls could not wait to dig in to these new and delectable goodies. After explaining to the kids that these treats are from a different country, and other countries don't use as much sugar as America...so they probably aren't as sweet, we let the kids sample each treat. The consensus was positive. The girls liked all the treats. I think the favorite was this one that was like a dehydrated marshmallow covered thinly in chocolate. Thanks dear friends for a neat international experience!

Rockin

Cora rocking at Rock Band 2. She obviously doesn't have the skills she needs to play along with the real game. So we set it to the freestyle mode, and she loves to "rock out". The J Crew band is just grooming their newest band member that's all!

Can you say S-P-O-I-L-E-D!!!

The Nintendo Wii was a very hot topic in our household this year before Christmas...as I am sure it was in most other households as well. Matt and I went back and forth, debating the idea of getting a Wii to death. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we had about 4 different opportunities to get one, planning on surprising our kids for Christmas. In the end, we opted not to get one. We were already taking our kids to Disneyland, and while they did not get a lot of presents...they pretty much got what they asked for. So Matt and I thought we would just let the idea keep until next year. Then our Christmas trip to Utah happened. Our cousins have a Wii, and we played it quite a bit. Our kids loved it, but more importantly Matt loved it! So we thought, well we might pick one up whenever we can find one...maybe. We got home from our Christmas vacation to a bonus Christmas surprise. Grandma had sent us some bonus Christmas money...just in case Santa had forgotten something on our lists. We had a family meeting and asked the kids what we should do with the money...They unanimously called out " we want to buy a Wii".

The girls helping to set up the Wii

Hannah and Anya getting their game on

Cora bowling...her favorite game besides fishing

Dad Bowling...you would think he beats us all....but...

Hannah has a mean throw and gets a strike most of the time. She is our current family bowling champion

After deciding to get a Wii, Matt seriously started to look for one. He called every store that sold one within a two hour drive of us. Do you think anyone had one? Of course not!! That night we dejectedly went to the p/x...just to see. They didn't have one in stock, but we could put our names on a list and they would call when they got one. So we decided to order one that way, even though we had no way of knowing when one would come. The next day, Matt gets a call. the P/X has one in stock...do we want it? The rest is history...our kids are officially Spoiled, there is no hope for them now!

Sledding, a new tradition

We went sledding last year as a family on New Years Eve, and had so much fun that we decided to make it a new family tradition! This year we went twice, once as just us, and then a second time inviting Aunts, Uncles and cousins to come along. We had a pretty big group the second time around...probably close to 15 or so. It was great. The only incident happened with Hannah. She got mowed over like a bowling pin when she was trying to climb back up the hill. She wasn't hurt badly, just a little bit of ice rash the side of her face and a goose egg on her forehead. Next year she said she only wants to go as long as no one runs into her again. Other then that we all had a blast! Even the little ones were going down the hill, and climbing back up excited to go down again. If there wasn't a tube or sled to use, then snow pants filled in. What a great new tradition! Especially since we, supposedly, aren't supposed to see much snow in Southern Cal.!

New Years Eve Recap

As you can tell, I am still updating my blog from the Holiday frenzy. For New Years Eve, we went to our annual Jeppson family party and game night. We didn't get the turn out we usually get, but even still, it was crazy with fun. There are kids every where you turn, and there are games to be played. The best part is the food. We have the best grazing table in Utah county going during the party. All most any kind of food you can imagine is there, it is heavenly! The kids had a blast, playing computer games and watching movies with all their cousins. We are so grateful to have the family we do, and the bigger we get the more blessed we are! Thanks Jeppson extended family for a wonderful New Years Eve!

It's Christmas!

Christmas morning in Utah dawned early and white! Yes, we had a white Christmas! The girls ate breakfast as quick as they could ( my only requirement before the unwrapping and candy frenzy begins, at least they will start the day off with a good meal), and then lined up in the hall waiting anxiously to see what Santa had left them. Finally Dad arrived with the cameras, and we turned the kids loose. They all had a nice little pile from Santa, and I hope he left them some things they had asked for. Anya really wants a dog, but compromised by asking for a robotic dog instead. She named him Fido, Sorry Anya...with Dad's allergies a dog is just not in the cards right now. Hannah had asked Santa for her very own Geode's that she could crack open. She is always my child that asks for different, off the wall stuff. Last year it was a marshmallow gun shooter. Cora asked for a princess barbie and more ponies. I think they were all very pleased with what Santa brought them. As for Matt, I got him a most coveted Dwight Shrute bobble head...from the show "The Office". It was awesome! Matt got me the most luxurious robe. It is so comfy, and soft that I could live in it all the time! I love it so much that it is hard to get dressed in the mornings, because I don't want to take it off! "Santa" also left the Jeppson family a Blue-ray DVD player, that he got for an excellent door buster price after Thanksgiving. We have all really been enjoying that. After presents the feasting began, we bounced back forth between grandparents (they live next door...lucky us! Sure makes the Holidays easy), all day eating and visiting. It was a great Christmas. Anya said it perfectly as the day closed:"This was the best Christmas, because Dad got to be with us and doesn't have to go away again for a long time".

Christmas Eve with the "Thundering Herd 2"

We arrived in Utah Christmas eve afternoon, after coming home from Disney the day before. It was a quick turn around, basically repacking on a larger level, loading up the family car (we took Dad's car to Disney) and heading out for Utah. The drive was uneventful, which we were grateful for, since we were able to make our standing Christmas eve with the Wilkinson's. Every year, we get together with our cousins for "Christmas soup" , a Christmas devotional, and Christmas lights. It was a lot of fun this year, all our kids are old enough to appreciate all the lights at the festival. This is a tradition my kids look forward to all year. They constantly remind me during trip planning meetings that we can't miss Christmas Eve with their cousins!

We went to Disneyland!!

We have been very busy the past few weeks, with traveling and Christmas. So, I am just now updating my blog with what our family was up to the last couple weeks of December. We were finally able to go on our promised family trip to Disneyland. We decided to go right before Christmas this year, and take advantage of Dad's block leave. We love to go to Disneyland during the Christmas season, mainly to see Jack, the pumpkin king. Disney's Haunted Mansion is decked out with scenes from " The Nightmare Before Christmas", which just happens to be one of my kids favorite Holiday shows. Anya says she likes it because it combines two of her favorite Holidays together in one show. We had a great time, and the weather was perfect. We spent three days there, and got to do everything we wanted to do...plus some extra ride visits. Cora's favorite ride was "It's a Small World". She wanted to go on it at least once every day. If it was getting late she would say " mom, how bout small world?". It was really fun this year, since the girls could pretty much go on everything. We introduced them to the Indiana Jones ride. Hannah went with me (Cora is still a little too short for that one), and she held onto the bar with a death grip the whole time. At the end of the ride she proclaimed " Anya is going to totally freak!". We also got to explore the California Park, which was a completely new experience for our family. We were pleased to see that they are trying to incorporate some of the attractions from Disney World. We got to go on old favorites like Soaring, and the life of a bug show. We also got to see the stage production of "Aladdin". That was a wonderful experience, we all enjoyed that one. Matt and I noticed upon arrival that the California Park had our old Nemesis from Disney World, The Tower of Terror. We have been to Disney World Twice, and chickened out of going on the ride each time. We decided it was time to face our fears...boy did we regret that! We finally get our nerve up to go on the ride, and while on the ride some smart Alec kid decides to stick his hands out the doors when they open. So, here Matt and I endure several, multiple floor plummets that defy gravity...only to have the ride stop midway through. The kid was escorted off the ride, and before Matt and I knew what was happening...the ride starts AGAIN. Matt and I looked at each other and screamed "Crap...Not Again!!!". I have decided...upon surviving the plummeting elevator...never to go on that ride again! I think Matt agrees! Other then that, Disney was wonderful and magical...just like it is supposed to be! Below is a slide of some pictures capturing our trip. It is a bit lengthy, but there are some cute pictures there if you have the time to look.

Pictures of Our Disneyland Trip