Three's a Crowd

Three may really be a crowd....but when you turn three, you can sure draw a crowd :o)

My Teagie is officially 3 and I can't even stand it. He has always been "big" for his age. By big I mean smart and sassy. So turning 3 seemed most like a confirmation for his feisty self. All day Monday he kept walking around the house saying "I'm Free, I'm Free". So cute!

So we went low key this year and had a party at his lil preschool, since this will be his last month there. Not to mention most of his 'outside' friends have moved already. The day was fun and tiring. We had games (Bingo, Pin the tail...) and fun (Pinata, balloon tossing) and good eats (pizza, cupcakes and candy). Teage was the prince (or king, as he wanted to be called) and had a fab time. Some of these pics are priceless...

Ok, so Bingo is funny...

...& everytime I would show a card, he would scream out the name for it!!

"I'm Free"

Then we came home and opened gifts...thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Isla, Uncle Alex & Aunt Rhea for sending presents. He loved the cards as well (he was acting like he was reading them and then would close them up like he was done, hee hee).



After that, we had Saige's 8th grade awards ceremony (way to go Sissy)!!



Then it was off to a birthday dinner at Chili's. By then I think we all were delirious and just wanted to go home and go nite nite....That probably explains the look on Teage's face when they came out and started clapping and screaming the Happy Birthday song to him. He was completely blindsided, a little scared and loved every minute of it...you can see it in his eyes!!



I'm so glad he had a great time and that he could truly understand the whole birthday thing this year. By the end of it all he was even roaming around the house cracking jokes..."I'm five now"! Slow down Tonto....

The Last of May

Here it is...June is already lurking at my door and I can't even keep up anymore. There has been a lot going on at home and out of home. Saige is winding down her middle school career (scare me), JD is closing the door on grade school (double scare me), Teage keeps a constant look of your typical UFC fighter with his rough-housing antics on the daily, George thinks he has stumbled upon his back-up career plan of all-time softball player (God help me...for real), and I have been gripping with my bloody fingernails so to not fall off of the edge of sanity! You know how they say...change is good, but stressful?? Genius!! Stressful is the understatement. I'm pretty good when it comes to stress, above average while under immediate pressure...but that is because I can totally feel when I'm about to break and that allows me to "check" myself with a much needed relaxation technique, or even a good cry. The changes going on and about to go down in the Isla Casa are down right gritty and testy. I think I am holding it together ok, however with the "unknown" move vastly approaching and my kids sensing it that just = Mommy punching bag! Imagine 21 questions x 3 on the regular + a husband who just want to squeeze in as much ball time as possible before we leave. I sometimes think my personality starts splitting off into two at a moment's notice! They better watch out...

Seriously, I am fine and the kids have no idea that mommy's cuckoo right now, and George always continues doing what he does, so all is well in his eyes. I stress myself out more than anything (as most women do). SO...I decided I needed some pampering and made an appt for a cut/color/and head spa treatment today, Japanese style. It was BLISS! Just what the doctor ordered...I really needed my hair cut and touched up anyway. I went to new lady this time since my beloved hair person moved last month. She is a gem. I wish I found her sooner and not let my hair get so out of control this time around. The salon is on the beach and the ambiance was unbelievable. See what I mean...




George and the boys came too and walked the seawall while I got beautified. He took some cute pics as well.



Here are some pictures from Saige's 8th grade celebration and then some...

She's so big...(sad face)...

The FRG also had a fundraiser this past week...the age old Pie in the Face. I showed up to oversee the goings on for the BN since Amanda was gone...nothing more! BUT, Lo and Behold, my beloved friend Steve Elle decided it would be cute to put a price on a pie for me. If being the only female to receive a pie that day wasn't enough, I spent the rest of that day smelling the remnants of whipped cream in my nostrils. WRONG!!! That's ok...cause paybacks are a comin'!

Man, I am a trooper!! :o)


Tuesday my baby boy turns 3 and WOW has time flown by! We are having a little birthday party for him at his school. He's gonna be so excited...Can't wait to blog about it!! Meanwhile, Saige keeps telling me how many days it will be until she hits the big 14!! (I almost just fainted when I wrote that)! "Next year I can get my driving permit Mom"....*sigh....

Love Ya!

Fam Bam Breakdown

All things Isla...here's a cute description courtesy of Wordle!

Photo Book

Thought I'd share my little photo book I made for our families back home...

Oh, What a Night...

Thursday started off a pretty good day except the fact that I was going to being saying bye to the hubby the next day...he went to Korea for the long weekend to play in a softball tournament (yeah, I am a good wifey)! It started with a peep into the live American Idol Finale at around 9am, then moved on to a end of the year lunch at JD's school, which led to the big event of the night...

So the FRG hosts annual events throughout they year, like the Egg Hunt, Holiday Party, 4th of July BBQ, BUT there are also a few contests as well....one being the Chili Cook-Off and another the Best Dessert. Up until now I had never made anything to enter these contests because I was usually bogged down with helping run the event or whatever. But, I decided about midday that I would make something quick and easy this time. My peanut butter balls are ones I make typically during the Holidays, aka Peanut Butter Buckeyes.

They are the bomb as most of you know. I mean, who doesn't like Reese's?? Well, ok maybe all the people that are allergic to peanut butter don't slap their mamas for them. Good thing no one in 58th seemed allergic because they were voted BEST OVERALL Dessert!! Can you believe that crap?? Had Saige been home that hour or so it took to make them, she could have made them easily...and that was the winner??? Hey, I guess you can't knock the classics! So, yeah that was a trip!! I had someone walk by and say "It's like a party in my mouth"...and we all like parties no matter where they are right?! SWEET! So I walked up and nabbed my prize which consisted of a Signal orange apron, gift certificates, and the most obnoxious trophy one could ever win...a ginormous fake cake!! But, I was more than happy to accept (mostly because it is passed on to the future winners..so that means I don't have to pack or find a place to put it). What a surprise though, really...

As if the night couldn't get any better, completely blindsided, the FRG leaders were recognized by the 10th Support Group with the Commander's Award for Public Service.

I was so pleased about how the evening was turning out....AND THEN...I got hit with the icing on the cake (no pun intended)!! The Bronze Wahatchee Medal was established for individuals who have voluntarily contributed in a significant way to the improvement of the Signal Corps community. It is by nomination and must get approval through the Signal Regiment in Fort Gordon, GA. The Battalion Commander, Steve Elle, has only seen 2 given out in his career. He nominated myself and Amanda (my FRG counterpart here) for the third and fourth. It was very moving and highly appreciated. Volunteering isn't peachy keen all the time and Lord knows it is never for the money or the rewards. It comes from the heart and once in a while it is nice to know that it is valued. That is what LTC Elle tried to convey and it rang loud and clear for me. Thank You to him for his thoughtfulness and warm heart.



I will cherish it forever. The Soldiers and Families have been my recipient of "giving back" for a long time...and will continue to be!

Man, I think I am catching up to George's award count LOL!!

Anyway, I had to share the "pat on the back" moment with everyone. I was feeling good about it...I'll be updating about our long weekend without hubby later in the next few days. Gotta make a plan to entertain the youngsters....Love Ya!!!

Capping off with Field Trips & an Update!

Oh how I've missed you my little bloggy blog!

Things have been slightly hectic (which I accept is the way of my life) these days. With the PCS coming soon, my mind is in 20 different places all day, everyday....you know the usual anxiety a woman goes through every time she has to move her whole family to a new country. I swear the guys don't achieve the anxiety level we women do. My hubby is so the "go with flow-everything will work itself out if we wait" PCS-er. I am the "gotta know what's gonna happen so I can plan out what schools my kids are going to and what neighborhood they are going to hang out in" PCS-er. As you can see, my PCS pre-planning mentality is way better :o) Maybe not on the mind, but definitely for our livelihood. So our orders aren't in our hands yet, but I expect them in the next couple weeks. Germany looks pretty promising since that is the one place George has always had an option of going to throughout his career. Tampa obviously was too good to be true, but it was fun to imagine living so close to our roots. Actually, since we are going back to Germany and George will be getting deployed from there...we will get choice of assignment when we leave there, soooo I still see Tampa in our future!! Until then, we look forward to showing JD where he was born and getting to visit all the fabulous places in Europe we missed the first time. I'll keep everyone posted as soon as we get orders...once that happens we will be in hyper-space mode with getting all the appointments and clearing in order. Can't wait...

In other news...I had, yet again, another field trip with JD this past week to Ocean Expo Park. We have all been there, but it was one of the first places we saw when we moved here...it was nice to get in a refresher visit before the move. JD had fun of course...mostly at the dolphin show. That boy is not ashamed to show his excitement about anything...gotta love it!!

*what a great way to look ahead on your day*

*my group(the girl on the upper right was anti-photo taking)*

*i love his ability to never care what people think*
*he stuck his tongue out and JD got wet from his huge splash*
*as you can see there was one who was a little behind...so cute though*
*"Look Mom, it's Dory"**Saige's favorite fish-the Lionfish*

*I didn't even tell him to make a face*

One of the other things I have been doing is volunteering with Army Family Team Building (AFTB). This program is designed to empower, ready and educate Army Soldiers and Families in order to strengthen self-reliance. I recently completed Instructor Training and taught my first class on Problem Solving. Another great way to give back to the community. I love the power of volunteering!! Anyway, in light of me being a volunteer there, AFTB had one of its field trips to promote morale and to also enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having lately.

*I'm a geisha...NOT*

We spent the afternoon at the Ryukyu Glass Factory where we watched the local glass makers create items for their shop. It was so neat to see how incredibly fast they were. They also had this game where you had to throw a ping pong ball and if it landed in a glass, you got to keep it. I decided to play and won FOUR glasses! SWEET! What a deal since they are pretty pricey to purchase retail side. Check out how they make a glass Shi-sa dog in three easy steps...

*Step 1-get a glob of red hot glass ooze*

*Step 2-use a pipe and shape the body of the dog*

*Step 3-be enamored by the gorgeous color it turns into when it cools and the cute finished product*

*Group Shot*

We also went to this wonderful place for lunch called Pizza in the Sky. It is obviously named that because of its beautiful coastal view of the island.


The food was simple and yet delish!! It consisted of one kind of pizza and one type of salad with many fresh juices to choose from. The menu was quite cutesy, so I had to show it along with the yummy pizza...



After lunch we headed to the Pineapple Park (which I experienced not that long ago...you can see the pics from that post here). The only thing I can say about that place now is that I stumbled upon these shoes...ok flip flops without the flip or the flop. I had to get them and see what they were all about and I decided on the ride home that I would walk in and announce to Saige that I bought her a souvenir. Her first response was "Cool", because they were in a plastic bag and she didn't see the big picture. Once she did, her face turned to that of confusion.

S: What is this?
Mom: Flip Flops
S: They're broken!
Mom: No they aren't, they are topless.
S: Um ok, NO I don't want them...you can have em Mom.
Mom: At least you could try them on since it was my gift to you.
S: Fine...Wait why are getting out the camera? AAAHHH, they are sticky to my feet.
Mom: *giggle giggle*

Needless to say I had her give me her best foot pose and VOILA!!!


Great way to end the week. OK I'm off to run some errands and go play Bingo with some ladies I know. Fun Fun Fun...Hope everyone else is having a great weekend, too...Love Ya!!