We got orders!

So anyone who knows me and knows me well knows that I have always said I "NEVER EVER EVER want to live in Utah." And I seriously meant it. There has not been a bone or a fiber of my being that ever wanted to live in Utah. Im not sure why, I cant exactly explain it except I have met too many "utah mormons" that I have not liked very much, and even though I have met WAY more people from Utah who I have loved and adored, I have still never changed my mind. Even as a teenager I was adment that I didnt want to live in Utah or attend BYU. When missionaries come over for dinner and talk about Utah, I always cringe, because Its seriously that engrained in me that I dont want to live there.

Well for reasons Im not even sure of myself I have been fighting this battle within myself over the last few months. Last year we were reenlisting in the military and had to put out our Base of Preference list (BOP). Because Noah wants a tower rating, (it will make him a hot hiring commotity to have duel ratings) we looked at all the tower only bases. Hill AfB in Utah was one of those bases. Noah didnt even talk to me about Hill because he knows of my "never want to live in Utah" mindset. We went through the list and nothing was appeling. Nothing had all we wanted: Strong church, temple close, good shopping, nice weather and 4 seasons, a safe place to raise kids, good schools and close to the coasts (because I am anti "middle of america" living. {yes I know Im anti lots of stuff}). After going to the temple praying A LOT and I mean A LOT I felt like we needed to add Hill to our list. The inner battle was beginning, and so I prayed even more, because of course Heavenly Father knew how much I didnt like Utah and never wanted to live there and he would never send me there right? Haha, I joke right? Whats that saying, "want to make Heavenly Father laugh tell him your plans." And thats about how I was feeling.

But the amazing thing about Heavenly Father and his plans is that he ALWAYS knows how to comfort a heart. and he sure did comfort mine. I told Noah what I was feeling, a little afraid that he would laugh at me, but instead he smiled and said, "Ive been thinking the same thing, but I didnt want to say anything to you about it because I know you dont like Utah." Well By the time we submitted our list (with Hill as #3), the inner battle was raging and the want to live in Utah was winning. I actually wanted to live there, it had everything I wanted and was prefect for Noah because it was a tower only. I was to the point where I kind of wished we had put it at #1 because I wanted to go there. I was still fighting the battle though because I am stubborn and 27 years (okay maybe more like 20 years) of thinking the same way is hard to change. So I went through the full gamut of emotions. I really want Hill, to, Please Heavenly Father dont let us get hill. I really wished we had put Hill as #1, to, why did we put Hill on our list? So when the orders got Denied I thought, Okay Heavenly Father, that must have just been a test to see if we were listening to you and trusting you and we did. So thanks for that little test and thanks for not giving us Hill.

But being military and wanting to get out of Vegas so Noah could get more experience in his job and wanting to leave the killer heat and bad schools and insane allergy problems, we decided to submit orders again. So this time we went over the list, changed a few things and submitted the list again, this time with Hill as #5. I cant even tell you why we put Hill except for the fact that my heart did sink a bit when we didnt get it last time and because there was still that inner battle being fought. (sometimes I feel a little crazy with how much I go back and forth on wanting Hill and not wanting Hill). Our orders kept getting pushed back and pushed around and nothing was happening with them so we decided that we were happy in Vegas. Maybe even live here a long time (even thought that was an inner battle too, because part of me hates change and doesnt want to leave and because I love so much about Vegas and we are so set up here, but also because I hate so much about here too.) We had gotten to the point where we really were hoping they gave us orders back to Nellis.

Again at this time we were getting worried about Noah getting orders to Korea, everyone was getting them, and Noah was hot for orders there. We just wanted orders, to anywhere, hopefully somewhere nice. Honestly I would live anywhere so Noah was home for a year with us verses staying put and him getting hit with Korea orders. (we would have to stay here in the states while he was in Korea for a year).

I had a dream back at the end of January, and in my dream I dreamed we were living at Hill and a bunch of our friends were there hanging out with us in our yard. The front had grass the back had snow. I know totally weird dream stuff. I dreamed we had a bigger van and that someone was talking to me about trying out for the MOTAB (something I have always thought would be fun). I told Noah about it the next day, mostly because last time I had a dream like that, It came true. I dreamed I was the primary president and the church was on fire and I was running around looking for lost kids. I was called to be the primary president 2 days later and my "mission" while the P.P was to search out and bring back the lost kids. I also had a dream right before we found out we were pregnant with Aowyn that we had our 3 boys and a little girl and we were running around in the yard playing. I rarely dream (or at least remember my dreams) and when I do there are never real details or anything remotely normal about them, so when I do have those "semi normal" dreams I always remember them and read stuff into them. So when I told Noah he looked at me, laughed and said, "You know EVERYONE wants Hill and the chances of us actually getting it are really slim, so dont get your hopes up." I do have to admit my heart was very happy with the dream.

So fast forward a couple of months to last weekends conference when Noah and I are reading our Patriarcle blessings and talking about what we are getting from them this time. Then we are watching conference and feeling very much like we are supposed to be in Utah at some point in our life. And so here we are today at about 11 am. Noah gets a text from a friend who is watching our Bop list, he tells us we got orders. So Noah calls me (im out shopping) and says, "Are you ready for orders, cause we got em?" Me "Wha???" Noah "Yeah, to Hill AFB." And so there it is, the shaking, the nerves, the lack of being able to concentrate, the sick stomach, the overwhelmed feeling, the giddiness, the anxiety about moving, the sadness over missing our friends, the tears over leaving our home for the last 6 years, and the heart pounding out of my chest. The full gamut of emotions again. We are moving our wonderful little family to Hill, to Utah and we will be there by July 30th. I am moving to Utah, I am going to be a Utah Mormon or rather a mormon living in Utah. My best friend called and laughed and said, " I cant believe YOU are going to live in Utah. YOU, YOU are going to live in Utah." laughing myself now, Yep, thats me, anti Utah Aurie, is going to be living in Utah, and is actually pretty dang excited about it.

Braddocs 2nd birthday

Braddoc's 2nd birthday was a low key event with some of our good friends.

Braddocs best friend Brynlee was there and a Mickey Mouse cake.

That was all he needed and he loved it.

Is almost 4 enough old enough to shave? Well it is if you are just pretending. :O) Landons Aunts Kala and Emma (noahs younger and older sister) sent the boys all fun presents. They sent Tayton a pooh toy and some pooh car seat hangers and Braddoc a alien monster stuffed toy and Landon a shaving kit. As soon as they opened the box Landon wanted to go right away and shave, we told him he had to wait till bed time. "why mom because thats when daddy shaves?" so silly, "yes because thats when daddy shaves and you can shave with him."

So that night before bed they boys went into the bathroom and shaved like men. He had so much fun and has asked almost every night if he can shave, it is precious.

Learning to shave, and doing pretty darn good.
Getting ready to brush his shaved face? no he was doing his hair (like levi) when he was done.

Such handsome men, soon to be clean baby faced men.

man I love this kiddo he just cracks me on constantly.

tommorow he has his 4 year check up and Braddoc has his two year, so hopefully I can post about them each growing. when I told Landon he had a doctors appointment tommorow he asked me is the doctor was going to poke him. I told him it was his 4 year appointment and he would have to probably get his shots. "Mom get the phone now and call the doctor and ask them and tell them I dont want to get shots, and not to poke me okay?" I laughed and said we would talk to them tommorow to see and if he did have to get shots he would get a band aid and stickers (which he loves) and it seemed to have made him feel better. But I thought it was so cute that he wanted me to call and talk to the doctor about his shots.

OH MY GOSH!!! I AM SOOOOO GIDDY!!!

Noah is coming home! TONIGHT!!!! Okay I have to go get ready. I got a phone call a few hours ago telling me that he was coming home today!!! YIPPIE!!!! I am so giddy and excited I cant even contain it. :O) WOOO HOOO!!!

(maybe now Ill get back into blogging.) :O)

what else would it be besides.........

More Landon sayings!

So I realize I have been posting lots of Landons crazy stunts and sayings but he is just at that age where its all so cute and I want to remember it all.....so in case you are not to over loaded with landon stuff..........

Landon came into the kitchen today with a blanket pulled over his head like a shawl and then wrapped around his body and said "Look mommy I like Jesus, he loves me and I love him. You give me hugs like Jesus."

I walked into the bathroom the other day after getting Braddoc out and putting him to bed and Landon was still in the tub playing. Totally one of those picture perfect moments that you know wont last long enough for you to get the camera. But he was sitting there with a wash rag drapped over the side of his head with one eye covered and said "Arrr mom look, I a pirate." (where he picked up that pirates says Arrrr I have no idea)

Tonight he layed in bed talking for quit sometimes, sometimes I could here he carring on conversations with who knows what and other times he would yell out stuff. Once I heard him yell "Niey Night Landon," followed by some jibberish and then "OHHH you drive me crazy mom." Hahaha that kid makes me laugh!

Obviously I say these things to him way too much:
He has been saying to me when he gets excited about something or he is mad at me about something (two totally opposite ends of the spectrum) "You drive me crazy" Today I told him we were going to get ready for church first he told me "I want Tara not mommy to take me" (she is one who has been taking him while Ive been in recovery) and I told him "Mommy is feeling a bit better so she is going to go today and so is Braddoc." "YES!!! oh beautiful mom, you drive me crazy." (with a huge grin on his face)

When I tell him he cant do something or have something, like a snack 10 minutes before dinner he will look at me stop walk away and say "Arr Im sick and tired" sometimes he will add in the "this" part like me. Obviously I tell him "I am sick and tired of you acting like this" way too often.

Tonight before bed he had to give all of his cars a goodnight kiss and then told them, "I love you, its okay I have to go to bed now, but I kiss you all, and have sweet dreams" When I leave his room everynight I tell him I love you and he tells me "I love you too, have sweet dreams."

We just sit and talk alot and one time I decided to tell him a story about a Prince and a Dragon and another about an elephant. Now he asks me all the time too tell him about "Prince and dragon and elephant" When I get to the part where they fight he fills it all in and tells me weither he used a sword, or punched him, or did magic (makes and shooo shooo sound while pointing his finger) or wheither he was mean or not. Its pretty cute to watch him finish the story.

I had to meet with the Bishop today (primary stuff) and while we were in there Landon was jumping off of chairs (I kept asking him to stop but it was hard for me to listen too so I just let him) then on about the 4th time he tripped a little and fell he looked at me and said "Mom, that guy pushed me." The Bishop and I both started laughing. "Who pushed you honey" "that guy on the chair, he pushed me like this (showed me how he was "pushed") and then I went like this (showed me how he fell) you tell him thats not nice, its mean." so I told "him" and then Landon looked at the chair and said "Thats not nice, we dont push, especially not in church nursery."
Where does he come up with this stuff?

Awww the joys of boys!! this one cracks me up. I have some silly picture posts but tonight is not the night for that.... more to come!!! :O) Im sure you are all holding you breath in anticipation.

Just a few random thoughts from my mind today....its a scarey place to be!!

My split personality child!
Landons new thing: When he likes something or wants to do something he says "Oh Beautiful, I like that, me too!" or "I want to go on a walk, lets do it, me too!" or "Im tired, i want to take a nap, okay, me too!" Who knew a two and a half year old could have a split personality.

A weird quirky habit of mine:
I was eating M&Ms after dinner, well sneaking them so Landon would not see. (I know Im bad but my husbands gone and I can FINALLY eat chocolate, well sort of) anyway I realized that I eat my colored candy that comes out of a bag really weird. Now by colored candy I mean stuff like M&Ms, skittles, jelly beans, shock tarts, sweet tarts, you know stuff like that. Anyway I get them in my hand and in my mind I sort them out be color and narrow down into even groups. So say there are: 1 red, 2 blue, 3 green, 3 purple, 4 orange and 5 yellow I will eat them like this.... one yellow so there is:1,2,3,3,4,4 and then one orange and one yellow so there is : 1,2,3,3,3,3 and then one green, one purple, one orange and one yellow so there is: 1,2,2,2,2,2 and then: one blue, one red, one green, one purple, one orange, and one yellow so there is just one of everything left and then I eat all those. Totally weird right!!?? But I have to do it everytime, I cant remember the last time I did not eat them that way, and its not even something I think about its just something that I do, yeah Im weird!! Also if its the chocolate I have to pop off the outer chocolate shell first. :O)

When I tuck Landon into bed and leave the room I tell him "I Love you" he says "I love you too", and if I dont say "I love you too", back to him he just yells it until I say it again.

I cried today while watching a preview for Wolverine. Why you ask? Because I miss my husband. Anyone who has been to our house and "rented" one of our movies knows what big movie buffs we are. Thats our favorite thing to do on a date is go to the movie and then go and get ice cream afterwards and talk about the movie, stuff like "Could that really happen?" "What would you do if that happened to you." "Do you think the government really covers that kind of stuff up?" "Do you think stuff like that really goes on behind the scenes?" We love it because it gives us something more to talk about then our jobs, our house, our kids, our responsiblities, thats our pillow talk, so its nice to have something else to talk about. Not that I dont like to talk about that stuff, but when we are out on a date I want to just get away and be Aurie and Noah and not talk about our responsibilities, we talk about that enough at home. So anyway, I cried because Wolverine, Star Trek (im a closet star trek fan, oppps guess not anymore), Angles and Demons, and Harry Potter, are all coming out while Noah is in Iraq. All movies we have talked about forever, all movies we really want to see and would see if he was home( we love to go to the movie but are VERY selective of what we see. Its got to be full of action and adventure, something that is best seen on the big screen, like the movies I just talked about) and all movies that I am going to have to see without him. It made me cry, just thinking about all the little things I miss, and the little things I cherish, and often the things I take for granted. Like tonight sitting here watching a movie and being on here, its friday night I should be eating junk food and cuddling up with a movie and my husband, not a movie and a computer. :O( Ahhhh cant wait till he gets home.

Why does gum have to come in those little "boxes"? Didnt it work just fine in a wrapper? I mean come on $1.29 for a pack of gum, are you kidding me? Seriously what happened to good old $.60 packs of gum?

What a sad dreary day!

See you later dear friends. We love you lots and lots!!!

I have TONS of pictures of these two from little bitty babies till now, but I dont have them on this computer so Ill have to post more later!!! These are just the more recent.

Landon and Ila are two year old soul mates. Landons bday is July 31st and Ilas is August 1st and they have always just been so close, the little twins!!! Everytime they are together I think that this must be what its like for people who have twins. :O) such a blast!!! We will miss yall so much, but we are glad you are moving somewhere we can visit.

So In the last few months I have experienced all the "negatives" of military life I ever want to experience. As you already know Noah left for Iraq at the beginning of Feb. and now I have lost one of my dearest friends to the military life too. There family left for their new life and adventure in Alaska. MY HOME STATE!!! Im a tad bit jealous Ill admit, but mostly just totally excited for them and the fact that my family is still in Alaska and we try to get up there once every two years, (maybe now we will have to make it more). It was a bitter sweet goodbye! I am so excited for their new life but so sad to see them go. It was really a family affair this time aroung, Landon lost his very best friend and I lost mine and Noah lost one of his, tis the military way I suppose.

When they left we all cried. Landon stood on the front porch tears streaming down his face waving goodbye and crying very hard, which of course made me cry even more. All day yesterday he was mopeing around the house and kept telling me he was very sad. The weather even agreed that it was not a happy day, its been dreary for the past two days, I suppose we are all in "mourning" over the loss of our friends.

Reverance for the Flag!

Everyday at 4:30 retreat plays for the whole base to hear. For those of you who dont know military procedure, its where they play "Ruffles and Flurishes" followed by the "National Anthem." Its to show reverance to the flag and time to support those serving over seas and in war zones. We sometimes are out and about when it plays and have told Landon to put his hand on his heart and be reverant. He usually does pretty good, but one of us has always been with him. The other day we were in the kitchen and I guess his keen little kid ears heard it because he says "OH NO!!" runs to the back door opens it and runs out to the back yard and the side of the house where he can see the flag and puts his hand over his heart (he does both hands) and stood there so calm the whole time. When it was all done he looked over to the door where I was standing (taking pics of course) and just gave me the sweetest smile. I was so proud of him, he did it all by himself and stood there the full 2 1/2 minutes it took for it all to play. (thats an awful long time for such a little guy) Way to go Landon, thanks for supporting our country so reverantly!
Just some random pics! Sorry the one of Braddoc sleeping is side ways!! (dont know how that one happened)


Baby blue!!!

Noah is offical

I forgot to tell everyone the good news. Noah is an offical controller, has been for a while now, but now he can work with out anyone else working with him. He does not have to assist anyone, he can do it on his own. YEAH!!! He is almost done with the majority of his training as well and can work anywhere he wants, as long as they will have him, (an why wouldnt they, he is amazing) He also had his yearly PT test and passed it, YEAH!! He has lost 18 pounds which is a shocker, we have been portion controlling and he has lost that much weight, when I have lost only a pound, what is up with that? :O) He is also going to be up for BTZ (senior airman below the zone.) which means he gets to put on his next strip, SRA in November if he makes it, which is also a pay raise for us, so that will be nice. Anyway, just wanted to give you the good news.