MEDDAC Christmas Ball

Ray and I got all dolled up for the Christmas Ball on Saturday. The kids wanted to get in on the picture taking too. Thanks to Nonny for babysitting!

Carnival rides

Juju and Aunt Susie

More balloons

Juju's favorite balloon

Natchez Hot Air Balloon Race

So the object of the race is to drop a sandbag onto a target on the back of this little barge on the Mississippi River.
The windows of the convention center

This balloon came in second place, and my aunt and uncle were in it!

If you look closely you can see a really big guy's back to the right of the basket, I'm guessing that's Uncle Bob.

More Hodges Gardens pics

Kid pics and Halloween

Hodges Gardens

I haven't posted anything in a while. Life is interesting...I'm experimenting with a puce green wall color, accidentally, the kids had lots of fun trick or treating, and Ray is delivering tons of babies. Since I posted last, we found out that I did, in fact, have a molar pregnancy, but my hormone levels are fine and so far the follow-up for it is going well. Here's some pics we took this weekend at Hodges Gardens.

Getting settled in

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but we've been busy. We've moved in here at Fort Polk. We are living on post. Ray is getting used to his new job. He got his scores in for his final set of boards in two days ago. It feels weird that he is finally done with school, after being in school for 24 years! The kids are doing well and enjoying making new friends in the neighborhood. We really like the neighborhood we are in. The houses aren't fancy, but the people are great and everyone seems to know each other real well.

Ray and Juliette sleeping in the tent in our new living room. We slept on air mattresses for a while before our "household goods" arrived.

Getting settled into bedtime routines again. Daddy and the munchkins with their nightly books and prayers session.

Gideon and Juliette watching their beloved PBS Kids. The have gotten to be really close the last few weeks. They are finally old enough to play together and enjoy each other's company. It seems like they are always together.

Even Earl is adjusting to his new home, all the while getting larger and larger. You would never know he's on indoor cat weight control food. Oh, but he dreams of being outdoors. He's been our little exterminator. I've found very few live bugs here. Earl gets them first, and then shows us where they are (by playing with them of course).

This countertop was my birthday present. This corner was just empty before. All of our dining areas are carpeted and I just felt the kids were way too messy to eat on carpet, so now they have their own little nook for eating, painting, and playing with Play-Doh. Thanks to Dad and Ray for installing it for me. :)

More pictures to come soon! We've stayed very busy! Juliette is in soccer, ballet and Awanas. Ray is the games leader for Awanas and I've been helping too. I've also enjoyed Protestant Women of the Chapel. We will try to post some pics with Juliette in her little soccer uniform and ballet leotard. It's so cute! I've also been posting some new recipes on the cooking blog. I'm just trying to keep track of the ones I've been finding on the internet. Cooking just makes a home feel homier...I doubt that's a word at all.

Carnival Holiday

Ray and I went on a cruise this past week! The kids stayed with Nonny and Poppy. We had a great time. We went to Costa Maya and Cozumel. This was the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico one night. Ray and I visited the Chacchoben Mayan ruins at the Costa Maya port

Costa Maya port with our ship in the background. The water is so beautiful, it's harder to tell in this picture, but the water is this perfect shade of turquoise and you can see down forever it seems. It was beautiful and we had a great time.

Raining at Nonny's house

The kids had lots of fun with their new umbrellas

Ray's Residency Graduation

Ray graduated from the Family Practice Residency program at Darnall on May 22nd. His family came to Texas for it. The graduation was a military ceremony with a band and color guard. Here he is receiving an award from the commander of the hospital.
The kids were not in picture taking mood.
Ray, Dr. Wallace (the residency director), SGT Miller, Katie, and Dave

Here comes baby number 3!!!

That's right...I'm pregnant again! The new addition to the family will be arriving around January 18th. So many possibilities with this one. We've learned we have a genetic gambling machine going. Will they be dark or light? Above average growth or below? Calm or hyper? The first two seem to be polar opposites in so many ways. It will be interesting to see what the third is like. I will keep everyone up to date with progress. I'm excited about posting ultrasounds! woohoo! I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl, but that will be another 10 weeks or so.

The day of the wedding

This is one of my favorite pictures of JuJu. We had to hold her down to get her into the dress, then she cried for 15 mins. She then refused to walk down the aisle and I had to carry her. Then at the reception, the dress got covered with chocolate, strawberries, dirt from playing out side and a vanilla shake on the way home. She is doing her ballerina impression here. She's such an elegant dancer!

The day after the wedding

Tubing at Belton Lake

Yesterday we went to Belton Lake with some friends from church, it was kind of a farewell get- together for us and two of the other residents that are graduating and leaving also. We played at the playground, went tubing, had hot dogs and s'mores and had water balloon fights. The kids loved it. Donna and Barbara (our neighbors) were also able to come with us.Juliette at the top of the climbing wall

Donna, Barbara and Christina went on first.

I think this was after the first time we had gotten thrown off. Jay, Christina's dad, tried very hard to knock us off, and he succeeded! We were pretty tough though, if I say so myself.

Donna being hauled in. I wish I would have gotten pictures of the scenery. It's beautiful out there. The water was the perfect temp and pretty clear. There was a waterfall, and it's all very hilly and pretty.