Oh, Is It Really Almost MARCH Already!?! {mobile monday}

So YES, I'm a slacker!!! I can't believe it's nearly March and I haven't shared anything of this year yet.  We've had A LOT going on... and I've more pictures to share, but for now - mobile phone pics will have to do as I haven't much time to spare lately.  I'll squeeze some more sharing in over the next couple of weeks... just know we are LOVING our beautiful sunny and warm Arizona winter, and enjoying every moment we get to share here.
Later,
Jess xo

* Sahuarita NJROTC whooped some butt at Moon Valley HS in Phoenix at the Valley of the Sun meet in January - took first in state, and secured their invitation to regional competition at Camp Pendleton in February!
* It's been very, very warm here and we've enjoyed soaking up the sunshine - including making 'snow angels' in the sand on New Year's Day.
* Buggy and BFF Hannah have been faithful in their stake dance attendance, haha!  Their favorites have been the 50's Night here in Sahuarita and the Valentine's Sweetheart dance in Rincon.
* Jess had a nice break from working and mom-duties painting for dear friend Cindy & Ken's upcoming wedding mural wall of canvases... it was fun, and therapeutic, I'd forgot how much I enjoyed painting.
* Freckle Face finally got in to the Tucson Orthopedic Institute for evaluation and has begun physical therapy in Green Valley (thankfully - because it's much closer to home than traveling to mid-town Tucson twice a week).
* Sahuarita NJROTC drill teams ranked second at their competition last weekend, which Buggy says was just a 'dress rehearsal' for this week's California trip.  Everyone is excited and nervous - counting down the days!!!
* Oh, and mom found a new favorite Saturday morning recipe to spoil the kids and their friends with: Homemade Nutella Poptarts... simply delicious!

Buggy's Surprise Birthday Party!

Super sweet BFF Hannah came to me with an extraordinary idea for a surprise party for Bug's 14th birthday and of course I couldn't say no.  She planned the whole thing and rounded up some very cute friends to surprise Bug and later welcome her along to her first Stake Dance (at the Tucson East Stake).  It was a memorable day and I am thankful Buggy has such amazing and thoughtful friends to enjoy her teenage years with.

Back To School For These Guys

**  Freckle Face - 10th Grade  ** 

**  Buggy - 9th Grade  ** 

**  Monkey Boy - 7th Grade  **  

Ok so technically this was NOT the first day of school... more like the third week of school, but hey! This momma has had A LOT going on and sometimes we just have to make due.  This was the girls' first uniform inspection of the school year though... and don't they look sharp!  So proud of all three of these kiddos, they continue to amaze me daily.  It's going to be a great year :)

- Jess

Freckle Face's Mural Project on Sahuarita Road

Here's the link to the article on the PAG Youth Art Project recently published in the Sahuarita Scene.

http://sahuaritaaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1344

We are so proud of Freckle Face's hard work and dedication to this project... it looks incredible!
xo

Buggy's End of Year Celebrations

What can I say about this little go-getter of mine? Well, for one, she's not so little anymore! This is a quick compilation of her end of middle school celebrations. She had an amazing orchestra concert and spent her finaal first chair performance as a middle schooler. She said farewell to her beloved teacher Miss Blass. She had a blast with her friends and leaders in National Jr. Honor Society and Student Council preparing for the school-wide play day, Wowapalooza. Then she was presented with the Principal's Honor Roll for three years of all "A" grades and the President's Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence. Well done Bug, we are so proud of your determination, big heart and amazing achievements.

XO - Jess

Monkey Boy's Big Birthday

Monkey Boy turned 12 last week... he's been such a joy having around, keeping us smiling and moving in the right direction.  His special day [finally] came and he was sustained and ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood by his dad and advance to the office of Deacon on Mother's Day.  He was able to pass the sacrament for the first time the following Sunday, which he was so excited about. 

xo - Jess

NJROTC Banquet + Awards Cermony

After being away for three months, Freckle Face was eager to get back to NJROTC... And Commander and MSGT were also eager to have her return. It was a pleasant surprise for everyone all around. At the end of year banquet she was presented with the Daughters of American Colonists  achievement medal. We are so proud of her and all of her hard work and dedication this first year of high school. She has done very well and we are excited to see what the coming years bring.

XO - Jess

Red Nose Day 2015 {mobile monday}

We didn't prepare to fundraiser for Comic Relief this year as we were in new territory struggling to find some normalcy... but we just couldn't break tradition. So we threw on our noses for a quick mobile phone snapshot of our tenth year celebrating Red Nose Day.

Cheers!
- Jess

October Wrap Up {mobile monday}

End of the month wrap up for on-the-go pics from my sweet phone:
* Pep Rally and Spirit Week
* Fun Family Home Evenings
* EYO Scout Camp-out in the Santa Ritas
* Ward Trunk-or-Treat
* Freckle Face's new braces
* Busy photography schedule
* YW's Evening in Excellence, both girls completed values in Personal Progress
* All three kids made the Principal's Honor Roll for 3.5+ GPA
* Monkey Boy's Student of the Week for outstanding character
* Halloween - whoot, whoot!!
* Football and basketball games
* White Elephant Parade - 50th Anniversary
* More parties and gathering of family and friends - we are blessed!

I could've have made it through this crazy and wild ride of a month without some very wonderful and helpful family and friends - both near and far.  I am a lucky girl to have such an amazing support system!  XO - Jess

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - SMS Spirit Day

Navy Annual Military Inspection - SHS NJROTC Presentation + Parade

Friday Night Lights and MORE! {mobile monday}

Our weeks have somewhat bled together but it's been a fun and lively type of busy... here's some highlights from the last two weeks via my mobile phone:

* Monkey Boy was recognized as Student of the Week, he also worked with his friend Ernie on a school project

* Freckle Face did her duty with NJROTC at the last couple of SHS football games while the rest of enjoyed the excitement from the bleachers

* Bug had her hand in a little of everything this month and worked hard on some projects for NJHS and cheerleading

* We 'endured' a couple of big hurricanes that came up from Baja/Mexican coast which caused a whole lot of flooding and storm damage throughout southern AZ - however, we fared well and are grateful for the rain

* Coming up this week we have some super rad events to shout about: the Aquabats in concert, the town's 20 year celebration, Fiesta Sahuarita and our last official week as a military family.

Sunrises, Student of the Month, Jeeping & Football Season {mobile monday}

Here's a recap of the last week - in mobile phone shots....
* Buggy was awarded Student of the Week AND Student of the Month for outstanding character recognition
* Football season has officially kicked-off... not with such a great start for our Packers, but we are still hopeful for some awesome games in the future this fall
* I got some new frames, everyone seems to like the different style, but I'm still debating... they're a little nerdy
* Monkey Boy and his best friend enjoyed some playful rivalry via Madden on Xbox
* We enjoyed several incredible sunrises and sunsets this past week and some great family adventures in the Jeep - wearing the kids right out!

Have a great week folks!
xo - Jess

The First Day of School

The younger two were bouncing off the walls the twenty-four or so hours leading up to this moment - the moment they walked out the door to catch the bus to their first day back at school.  It's Monkey Boy's first day of middle school and Freckle Face's first day as a high school student.

Freckle Face is most looking forward to NJROTC and art class, Buggy was excited for JNHS and Monkey Boy couldn't wait to see his friends he hadn't seen all summer.

The Last Month of 8th Grade

Freckle Face has officially finished middle school and will be a Freshman in HIGH SCHOOL next school year.  She enjoyed the end-of-year celebrations with her friends and is looking forward to YW Camp at NAU, swimming at the pool, hanging out with friends, and just "relaxing" this summer.  Well done Fuzzy!  We are proud of you!!! XO

The Last Month of 5th Grade

Monkey Boy also had his end of year events between field days, concerts and promotion ceremonies... he's also been busy.  He did not tell us he was the "section leader" until we discovered it at the SIS 5th Grade Band performance the evening of.  At his promotion ceremony he was recognized for his achievements in math, reading, music, outstanding citizenship/good character, principal's list for all A's all year, and participation in the Wright-Flight program.  Over the last three weeks he's been on two weekend camp-outs with his dad and he is looking forward to no more school work for the summer.

The Last Month of 7th Grade

Buggy's last month of 7th grade was full of concerts and booster club activities.  She made the principal's list for all four quarters straight A's and is hoping to be a part of the National Junior Honors Society next year.  I video recorded her choir and advanced orchestra performances.  She was especially excited about the Beatles tribute and her solo on "All The Lonely People".   She has also been babysitting A LOT on the weekends and making money she's happy to save in her new checking/savings account at the credit union.  Next week she leaves for her first Young Women's Camp - an entire week at Northern Arizona University's Centennial Forest - camping, hiking, swimming, exploring caves and accomplishing obstacle courses.

Webelos and Arrow of Light

Monkey Boy earned his Webelos badge, Religious Knot badge and his Arrow of Light at the pack meeting ceremony last week and advanced from the Cub Scouts into the Boy Scouts.  Proud of this little Monkey Boy!

xo

Doll On A Music Box {favorite friday}

[England 2007]

This was a six-year-old Bug, preparing for her very first on-stage performance as the "Doll On A Music Box" from the Disney classic "Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang".  The dress was a gift from one of Military Man's TDY's to Germany.  The performance was for the Thetford Ward Talent Show.  The stage props rocked, with a decorated music box complete with a large turn key and a doll that became "animated" and actually spun around like a real music box doll.  In the words of Bug herself, "it was EPIC!"  This week, seven and a half years later, she's preparing for her first pageant with a schedule full of mock interviews, pageant prep classes and review boards.  Busy, busy.  We are so proud of her - she's an incredible young lady and we can't wait to see what other amazing opportunities will come her way in the future.

Happy Friday!!
- Jess

Bobcat of the Month Award

Monkey Boy was selected as the Bobcat of the Month today.  This is a snap of him and his sweet teacher Mrs. Schauer-Johnson... she's fantastic - we adore and appreciate her!  This will make the fifth consecutive year he's received the award.  He actually got it twice in second grade (Owl of the Month) because shortly after we moved here and were feeling established the school needed another teacher due to the large number of students enrolled and Monkey Boy ended up switching teachers and he received the award from both teachers in consecutive months.  Actually, to brag on all my kiddos a little bit... the girls also received the Bobcat of the Month award for each year they've been here, and Freckle Face also received the Most Improved Bobcat award in fifth grade.  I sure am proud of my babies!  And I'm still in denial that Freckle Face will be in high school next year.  HIGH SCHOOL.  Yes, this is gonna happen... and quicker than I wanted it to.

- Jess