Nuestra Familia...

Since Daddy Has Been Gone....

2011-03-24T18:43:00.006-04:00

I know that I have been MIA for a few months but life got really crazy really fast. I decided today that I need to get back to the things that gave me peace and comfort and along with spiritual matters, crafting and blogging were some of them. So here is an update of what the Winegars have been up to.

As you can see, Kevin went on his first deployment in January. He is in the Pacific. He has enjoyed his deployment because he has visited different countries, but also because he has been able to focus on more of his medical certifications and be more hands on with his wanted specialty, Anesthesia. I am so extremely pleased with my Sailor. He is such a good man and I am so grateful to be his wife. Joey has handled the deployment a little more difficult than Emma. He gets sad a lot for his Dad and looks forward to skyping with him. Emma is 2 and a girl. Need I say more? But shes still my precious little girl and we love her.

These are some of the spouses of Kevin's Squadron, VMA-211. They are such amazing and strong women. I am so happy to know them. We waited outside and watched them take off on the jets and planes and waved our final goodbyes. Made it much easier to say goodbye together.

Joey skyping with Daddy. He loves these moments and rambles on about Legos, or Thomas, or Batman, or school. He is now the man of the house.

My mother came to visit in late January and she was a great help. She has now been coast to coast and loves coming to visit me where ever we move to. She was amazing while here. The kids absolutely love her and so do I.

Its so hard to determine when Daddy will EXACTLY be home- though we have a rough estimate. So I decided to make a link chain for everyday that he is gone. I change the colors with the different months (holidays) and we will use it to decorate when Daddy finally comes home.

Our FRO is great about doing activities with the families and making sure that we get together and help each other cope. In February, we made pillow cases for Daddy. Emma LOVED painting her hand all over it.

I have been trying to keep the kids busy with gymnastics, play dates, and school. We took a road trip to San Diego and visited Sea World, Old Town, the Mormon Battalion, and the beach. It was a great weekend with David and Ana's family. It was nice to get away and enjoy a mini- vacation.

I turned 29 this year! Wow! I AM getting old. Last year in my 20's. This is Andrea, Amberly, and Megan. We went to dinner for my birthday. I have truly been blessed with some amazing friends in Yuma that have been such a great support to me and my kids. I don't think I could get through this without them.

Daddy sent the kids a package today. Boy were they EXCITED! They loved getting mail and trying on their outfits right away. Their Daddy sure does love them.

Kevin also sent me a card and I thought I would share it with you:

"Once there was this guy. A nice guy, really. And he met this girl. An incredible girl-truly amazing. So naturally the guy falls head over heals in love with her, and pretty soon they're picking out china patterns and rings and there's a wedding and the starry-eyed couple rides off into what will surely be a rosy future.

"Okay, so now some time has passed and the guy is living in the future. He's still married to this girl, but now their life includes a lot of stuff- appliances and bills and loads of laundry and home repair projects and a deployment (I added this). But between all the to-do's and have to's, there are these moments when the guy stops for a minute and looks around him.

"He looks at his wife, who is still truly amazing, he looks at their life together, all the ways and different directions it's grown, he looks at all the responsibilities he's got, and he thinks to himself, so, this is my life.

And then he thinks, I am one helluva lucky guy."

You might think this is pretty personal and maybe cheesy or maybe I am showing off. Its definitely not the latter. But this deployment has been so difficult for Kevin and I both spiritually and physically. Maybe more than I have expressed. When I read this card, I realized that it doesn't matter how much money we do or do not have, who is there or not there for us during difficult times, or where we are in the world. What matters most is our true commitment to each other, the love that we share, and the faith that we have. The days that I do not read my scriptures or say my prayers are truly the hardest. But sometimes they are still hard when I DO say my prayers and read my scriptures, but if I stand firm and faithful, the peace and comfort I gain in the long run, make this deployment seem like a blink of an eye.

So maybe sometimes I feel like I have lost my faith, maybe sometimes I need a big break from my children, but in the long run, I wouldn't trade this experience in for anything in the world. I have faith that though its not going to be easy, it will be worth it.

So starting today, no more "Woe is Me." I will go back to crafting, blogging, reading, nurturing my children, being a better runner, and the sexiest wife in the hanger when my amazing husband comes home. Everything else is Moo ;)

I love you, Sweetheart. Without wax for all ETERNITY!

Disneyland 1/2 Marathon 2010

2010-10-10T00:11:00.003-04:00

Kevin, Dixie, Cole and I did the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon this year. It was such an amazing experience to train and run with the love of my life- knowing that we both have the same goals to be healthy and live long for our kids. Dixie and Cole started training in the Spring. I am so pleased with them. They worked hard despite working their jobs and being their for the children. We will definitely have to do it again.

5:30 am

My love. He wasn't even embarrassed to run beside me with my pink ears.

Dixie and Cole Meldrum

Running Faces. Very intimidating.

We ran all through the city of Anaheim. We were even able to run through Angel's Stadium. That was a great pick me up for Kevin. He scooped down and touched the grass. He is a Dodger's fan, but it was still exciting for him.

They kept teasing me because of all my medals. See, I ran the Disney World Full Marathon in January. Disney has a Coast to Coast challenge where if you run but a race in Orlando and one in Anaheim, you can get an additional medal. So I had on my Marathon Medal, my 1/2 medal, and the Coast to Coast challenge medal. Its one thing that I am actually very pleased with in my life.

Joey goes to Preschool

2010-10-09T23:54:00.002-04:00

Joey is attending Preschool this year with the sweetest teacher, Mrs. Bybee. She is so good and patient with him. It truly is a blessing for us. He looks forward to going to school and I am so excited to see what he has learned.

We were late the first day cause I thought it started at 9:30. But I got there at 9:15 to take pictures. We knocked on the door and said, "Sorry we are early, but we just wanted to take pictures." She, so very politely said I was late! OOPPS!!

Its just preschool for 6 hours a week, but I sure miss him when he is gone.

Back to Crafting

2010-10-09T22:46:00.003-04:00

I have been getting the craft bug lately. Maybe its cause I made a great friend, Megan who has helped me find my inner crafter again. Whatever it is, I am glad for it.

I have had this lamp since we got our first home in 2004. Its nice and simple. But its simple. I wanted to give it some character so here it is.

Before

After

I also love the fall and holidays. I have a Christmas wreath but don't have a fall one. I bought the plain wreath at good wilGoodwill l for $2.00. The other accessories I bought at Joann's for 50% off. I also got a couple of spray cans at Walmart. And....

Here is the finished product!

I may not be the most talented out there. There sure is so much more talent out there. But I love to see the product of my hands. Its just so rewarding.

Scentsy

2010-10-09T22:28:00.003-04:00

My Super Star Director and Super Star Friend, Andrea

So I have never done anything like this before! I used to work retail at Nordstrom and loved being a make-up artist. Then I worked at the bank and though that had to do with sales, I did more behind the scenes things like audits.

When I moved to Yuma, I would take Joey to this fun drop in day care place called the Treehouse. Its a fun place and he loved it. It always smelled really good and the girls who worked there said it was Scentsy. I had never heard of Scentsy. Its a wickless candle company that uses a light bulb to melt scented wax. I found it intriguing but didn't want to buy from someone I didn't know.

Months went by and Andrea came into my life. It was her first Sunday at church and she had just moved with her family from Lehi to Yuma. She introduced herself as a Scentsy consultant in Relief Society. As soon as RS was over, I ran to her, introduced myself, and then said I needed to order Scentsy. I went to her house and ordered over $100 worth of stuff. See... I love my house to smell good and like a home-especially since we move so much. I want it to always be a place of comfort for us so I always searched for a good candle and was never statisfied. Anyhow... she was happy to make a sale and a new friend and so was I. She went to Denver for her Scentsy convention and kept putting on FB how much fun she was having and all the free stuff she was getting. I felt like I wanted to be a part of that. When she came back, I went to pick up my order and told her I wanted to join her team. She was shocked because, well it was shocking! It was sudden and we didn't even talk about it. Anyhow.... I signed up that night and the rest is history.

Call me crazy, but it has been a true blessing. I have met SOOO many new people through it. Great people. I have also been able to help contribute to my family. Kevin has NEVER made me feel like I need to contribute more, but going from working since I was 16 to a stay at home mom, was difficult because I wanted to still contribute. So I have been able to pay for my starter kit ($99) 10x over and for that I am truly grateful!

Check out my website or my blog. I promise you will love it.

http://www.doorly.scenty.us/

www.doorlyscents.blogspot.us

Sarah Newbold, my first Scentsy Party, my first friend in Yuma, my life long friend. Amazing woman she is.

Julie Smith's party. Girls from the world. Some amazing women there.

Kinney Visit and Lexi's Birthday 8/2010

2010-10-09T18:08:00.009-04:00

Anyhow... I am updating galore cause the kids are asleep, Kevin is playing Call of Duty, and I am ignoring my craft room that is a disaster. So keep reading for all the new updates.

I am so glad Shauna and her amazing kids came to visit AZ in August. She hadn't been here since November 2006 so it was long overdue. We drove up from Yuma and spent the weekend with her and the kids. Amy's little girl (well not so little anymore) was gonna turn 7 the following week so we took advantage and had a cousin birthday party. Can I just tell you that family is my favorite thing ever? Whether we are in NY, CA or, AZ, my heart is always so full when family is around.

Lindsey not very excited to jump off.

Way to go, Mason!

Fun day in the sun!

Check out that hot bod!

Papa enjoying his posterity.

Uncle Kevin was teaching the boys to surf. They did really good.

Feed ME!

We had a lazy afternoon so I decided to give the girls pedicures. They loved it. Grammy even got a polish change.

We love Wii!

Too cute, Bailey and Ryan.

Here is Lexi opening her birthday presents. She loves little, cute toys and art so that is what she got. Happy Birthday Lexi Girl!

Analise and Kevin

What's a birthday without a pinata and lots of candy?

As much as we love eachother, we never know when we are gonna see eachother again so I wanted to make sure and capture this 3 generation picture. Its Mom, Jean, with her Daughters Amy and Shauna, and their daughters, (Left to Right- Lindsey, Lexi, Analise, and Bailey) Beautiful Winegar women.

Definitely good times.

My 4 yr old

2010-08-08T20:22:00.007-04:00

My little boy Joey is not so little any more. He turned the big 4 this year. Lets see... His first birthday was Curios George. His second was a pool party with a Nemo Pinata. His 3rd was Thomas the Tank Engine. And this year was a Super Hero theme.

I decided to make most of the decorations and party favors. The cricut and I became really good friends. I am glad I did. Joey helped so much and it made him appreciate his birthday and look forward to it.

Baby sister, Emma AkA- Bougaly Woogaly Bear

Lexi so excited to show me her princess super hero get up.

June Marshall- Joey's preschool friend

Hannah and Eden. Cute, fun girls

We were so excited to get such a good turnout. We are so lucky to have such fun little friends.

These were their party favors. They were double sided Batman/Superman for the boys and Princess/Supergirl for the girls. They loved it.

The kids switched off between the bounce house and the pool. Matthew totally beat up Kevin here!

Happy Birthday, Joey. You are my favorite Joey in the whole wide world!

The Kinney Family 2010

2010-08-05T19:24:00.006-04:00

We went to Utah for a week in July. We had such a good time with Kevin's sister, Shauna. She has the cutest family. We went to Utah Lake and I took some pictures of them. They were so cooperative despite the heat and humidity.

Double click on each one to see them bigger.

Mason Tyler, 12

Bailey Rose, 3

Lindsey Elizabeth, 6

Analise Marie, 9

Scott and Shauna (Kevin's Sister)

I hope you like them, Shaunita. Thanks Julie, for your editing help.

didn't need much though, cause they are too cute!

Utah in July

2010-08-03T20:51:00.008-04:00

We have been lucky enough to make it to Utah at least once a year for the last few years. Now that we are within driving distance, maybe we can go more often. We love going to Utah. Kevin's brother, Brian, lives in Layton, and Shauna, his sister, lives in Springville. Plus we get to see all the temples in Utah and lets not even talk about the many, many craft stores.

We stopped in Loa, UT and spent some time on the Peterson Farm. Joey loved being in the outdoors and the nice thing about such a rural area is that I rarely had to check on him. It is so safe and there is nothing but big open fields for them to run around and the nicest people to say hi to

We walked over to Holly's house and fed the horses. Horses are such beautiful animals.

Kevin and Ryan worked hard on the farm. They changed sprinklers and stacked up hay or oats. I can't remember. But it was good bonding time for them. After a good morning's work, they gave the kids a ride on the same tractor Ryan used to ride as a kid. They loved it.

We then went to Springville and spent some time with Shauna and her family. It was Pioneer Day in Utah so her ward had some fun activities for the kids.

Rhiannon Anderson became a good friend in Florida. She was so good to Joey as his singing time leader. We will always love Ms. Rhiannon

We went to Temple Square and walked around the Visitor's Center .

When people ask me what work goes on in the Temple, I tell them the basics but also tell them that the work there is sacred not a secret. This totally proves it. In the South Visitors Center, they have this big replica of the SLC temple and it shows the interior. It shows all the rooms and the missionaries are there to explain the work that goes on. It was so amazing. Joey loved looking at the building. It helped me realize that the Lords work is open to all that desire to follow Him.

Joey really wanted Daddy to fall in the fountain.

Inside the Tabernacle

The Christus Satue. Love these moments.

So Dixie and I are chatting, the kids are looking at the Reflection Pool and in goes Ayden. It was soooo funny! Funny because Ayden is the silliest kid ever and though he wanted to be sad, he wanted to laugh too. We told him to laugh because we were laughing. It was awesome.

Kevin first told me that he loved me in this very spot 8 years ago. Ahhh, Blush, Tear! But he never told me how silly he was.

Dixie holds a very special place in my heart. We have been friends since we were 16.

My family, Dixie's Family

The following are pictures in the pool with Brian's family and at Lagoon with Dixie's family

Brandon. He is such an awesome kid. 2nd oldest of the Winegar grandchildren

Kayla

It was such good times. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to repeat it.

Kevy-Wevy

2010-07-20T10:55:00.003-04:00

Kevin always complains that the first six months of the year are all about me cause I get Christmas, Valentine's Day, my birthday, our anniversary, and mother's day all in a row. Big deal! He gets our anniversary, Father's Day, year marks in the Navy that come with a raise, and his birthday. Boo hoo to you! He gets equally spoiled with gifts and all his favorite food- white chocolate raspberry cheesecakes, Hawaiian chicken, pork shoulder Dominican style. Jeez!

This year for Father's Day I decided to make the boys ties. Joey hates wearing ties, but he was compliant because he was gonna be just like daddy. It was fun to watch Kevin attempt to teach Joey how to tie a tie.

We go to church at 11 so Joey always starts getting tired and wanting to start his nap.

Then in JULY, it was his birthday. My baby is getting old. He is now... well, I still need to stay married, but he is getting old. But I told him that 33 is the new 23. OOOOPPPS!

Golfing in AZ is awesome! One because its common and can be easily done. Two because of the weather. Yes I know- who wants to golf in the summer heat of 117. But my husband, son of an account, loves golfing this time of year. I believe he paid $11 for 9 holes and a golf cart. He goes way early, but he gets it done. To encourage him, Nike pretty much threw up in our house with sports paraphernalia. He was happy and that's all that matters.

Golf shoes and a glove

Can't give him a present without giving him a video game

We then had a fun pool party with lots of good friends, Hawaiian chicken for dinner, and a yummy cake full of Emma's hand prints. Yum.

3 Reasons why I love Kevin

1- He is the best father, husband, friend in the whole world.

2- He is my spiritual companion

3- He always smells so good. When he deploys, I am keeping his pillow case and inhaling it every night.

Happy Birthday, KEVY WEVY

The Great Outdoors

2010-06-14T22:18:00.009-04:00

I have had an itch to go camping for a few months now. I keep telling Kevin that I want to do more outdoors stuff like camping, boating, winter sports, etc. Hopefully we can teach our children to be active and enjoy being outdoors.

We went up to Payson and camped at the Upper Canyon Creek Campground. The camp host was nice enough to let us use his camp area with a fire ring, picnic table, and plenty of wood. There was no running water but there was an outhouse. Just how I like it- nice and natural!

Mom took some convincing but she was a good sport the whole time and did not complain. At least I didn't hear her. We are totally grateful they came because Dad was prepared for everything. He is so awesome!

Love these father and son moments!

Joey enjoying the reward of the family's hard work.

This little girl was a natural. She was so good the whole time. She did get cold at night, but she only cried because I kept cuddling her. Apparently I was too overbearing. It was about 80 degrees during the day and about 45 degrees at night. It was cold. Trust me.

They make camping look easy

This sweet little girl, Lexi, loves to pick flowers and bring them to her Mom because she loves her the best ;)

Everybody loves Grammy

Papa resting after lots of labor of putting up tents. So glad for PAPA!

Kevin really wanted to make a fire from scratch despite the fact that we had lighters and matches. He tried the Bear Grilles way and rubbed sticks together. It got hot but not enough. He then just used a magnesium tool and it totally worked. We were all so impressed that he did it. Dad later said, "An Eagle Scout would have used a match." Silly!

Potential Christmas card picture. Its a tradition to have a crying kid in our family portraits. Why stop now?

My wild flowers from JoJo. Notice that the roots are still attached

My favorite part of the camping was the freedom the children had. I was so happy to see them explore, play, get dirty. Its not something that happens every day so I was happy to welcome it. But boy were they dirty. They were so dirty we had to give them a bath one night. Mom had the great idea of warming up water and bathing them in the bucket. Surprisingly they did not cry. Emma because we kept mentioning Dora, and Joey because we told him that if he cried the bear would know where he was and he would get him. So though it wasn't his favorite thing to do, he held in the tears because he didn't want the bear to come.

We took a hike that followed a creek and it was so nice and enjoyable. We enjoyed the view of nature and had a nice surprise at the top.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

Very small but COLD creek. Kevin was a hero and carried some of us across.

So when we got to the top, Matthew and Amy found some bones. They found parts of the spine, possible shoulder, teeth, jaw, leg parts, ribs, etc. The Dr in the house was thrilled to give lessons on cartilage and the anatomy of a bone. It was fun to use our imaginations and wonder what it was. The camp host thought it was probably an Elk or Deer.

Bindi Frias- the watch dog. Cute huh?

Trying to cross that creek again

The kids really wanted to go fishing. The creek was stocked with rainbow trout but we didn't catch any. They did have fun throwing their hook in and casting. Just the thought of fishing and being near the water made them happy. Happy kids= Happy parents!

Joey pretending to pounce

The campground had a hatchery that showed us the way they grow the trout, when and how they stock it, and how they are fed. Each section had at least 100,000 in small, medium, and large. It was really neat. Even better if we could have fished there.

Papa helping Matthew feed the trout

It was such a fun trip. Not only was it free but it was in great company. I would do it again in a heart beat. Its a lot of work, but it was nice to be with family with no Facebook, phones, TV, Internet. Ohh the good ole days!

Using Our Imaginations

2010-06-14T21:08:00.005-04:00

The heat in Yuma can really get to you. I was really tired of going outside in the heat and especially of going into town to find something to do. We decided to have a day in where we just painted, and colored, dressed up in old costumes, and used our imaginations.

I got on my favorite preschool website and found this great project. It was great because the children were able to paint and it was a project that took a while so it kept them busy for about an hour. We took a paper bag, stuffed it with paper, painted it blue, shredded construction paper, cut more paper, and walla! We had this fun whale! Here is the link if you want to try it or any other project.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbagwhale.htm

Finished product. Only Joey finished his. Emma lost interest.

After nap, I looked at our library schedule and saw that they were having a balloon guy at 4:00pm. I was so tempted not to go because it was almost dinner time and really wanted to stay in. I am so glad that I didn't! It was awesome! He had the kids completed entertained for a whole hour. He said stories and made balloons to go with them. He chose volunteers and those volunteers were able to keep the balloons. It was completely worth it. I definitely recommend looking into your local library and what they have to offer. You would be surprised at the free, fun stuff that they do.

Joey played the part of the dog in the song/rhyme "There Was An Old Woman."

Lets Catch Up

2010-05-31T19:09:00.005-04:00

I know its been a while. Nothing crazy has been going on. Just the usual play dates, swimming, family time, and oh yeah... moving again!

Ryan Peterson was in town to do some work in their Alma Mater of medical school. We were so glad that he spent some time with us. The boys got to go golfing and then Ryan was lucky enough to help us load the truck for our move. They worked so hard and were so hot that they decided to take a jump in the pool. It was like 68 degrees but hows that their fault?

Our white boys. Too cute and beefy.

Kevin taught Ryan how to surf in a pool. Its something Kevin and his brothers did while growing up in CA. Ryan was very impressed and he did really good for a first timer.

Well, like I said earlier in the year, Kevin was supposed to deploy in June and I was really intimidated about being in Yuma by myself so I lived with his parents 3 hrs north east. After he found out that that wasn't going to happen, we just waited patiently for a new home. We ended up renting a cute little house of one of the pilots in Kevin's squadron that is in San Diego. It is a 4 bedroom 2 bath, has awesome landscaping with a lot of shade and a nice pool to keep us cool. Its been great to be together again as a family. Kevin will deploy in January to the Pacific, but I will just stay put in Yuma. We have made some great friends and I have been really involved in the Squadron and love the other spouses. I know we can be a good support to each other while the hubbies are gone.

This is a glimpse of the back yard. See Emma just lounging? Joey has a good swing. He is definitely Dominican. Can't wait to get him in sports!

The great thing about being together again is all the Daddy time the kids get. They love their Daddy and love spending time with him.

These kids! We came home from a walk and Emma asked for a donut. She stuffed the whole thing in her mouth! Joey was so red faced from the heat. He was smart and asked for a Popsicle.

This is a glimpse of the front room. I haven't decorated anything else yet, but once I do I will share.

We had a small barbecue for Memorial Day and invited some friends. It was so funny because there were all boys and Emma was the only girl. That made me so happy because Joey loves having friends and Emma plays well with anyone that will just play with her.

Just lounging

Hearts and Sole

2010-05-01T23:02:00.003-04:00

I started a new blog

http://www.heartsandsole.blogspot.com/

I have developed a passion for running, healthy eating, and being physically fit. I don't work out as often as I would like with two little ones, but I do make it a priority when I can.

This will include training plans, nutrition, gear, advice, experiences, spiritual insight, etc.

Its fun for me to share so I hope you can follow and develop a love for that or any thing else that will keep our bodies healthy and strong.

I'm just an amateur so learn with me! Hope to see you there!

The Big City

2010-05-01T18:32:00.013-04:00

Kevin left me. He went to Alaska with the military. And I said, "Fine, have it your way." So I went to NYC to see my awesome family! It was the best trip ever! I would have rather have Kevin there to share all the great moments with, but it was still a great trip.

First Subway Ride

This is Marilee and Alex Moe (Marilee's daughter). She was my Stake Young Womans President when I was growing up. She took me under her wing and taught me what choosing the right is all about. I used to babysit Alex and now she is getting married in the summer. She has definitely grown up to be a beautiful young lady. We took the subway to meet them. It was Emma's first subway ride and she was obviously thrilled.

This is my Papi. He is such an incredible man. He bonded with the kids so much and they loved to say good morning to Grandpa every day.

Havana's

My brother has always been one to go out and have fun and I looked forward to go to dinner with him. We went to this great Cuban restaurant in Times Square. I had the best Paella ever. Thanks for a fun night.

High School Reunion

My high school reunion was at the same time of our trip. It brought back so many memories to walk down those halls. I went to an all girls Catholic High School. It consisted of about 500 girls all together. I got a good education and good friends.

This is my good friend, Jackie. We used to use this PA system to make morning announcements and prayer. Ohh the memories of how nervous we used to be. Some classmates- Rosemary J, Wendy, Me, Elizabeth, Raquel, and Jackie.

I only stayed for half of my reunion cause than I had to go visit family in NJ. Robert and Jessica were married in September and are now expecting their first child. Joey needed to wrestle because he only wrestles with Daddy. Robert was kind enough to humor him.

My nieces are so special to me. This is Bianca and Sabrina. They are such beautiful and humble girls. They were so cute with their little cousins.

Grandma and her grandchildren. Love these rare moments

Left to right: My mother, Jessica, Jessica's sister and brother in law (behind her), Bianca, Rosa (Jessica's mom, my mother's sister), Jesus (Jessica's Dad), Karina (my sister), her husband, Jose, Sabrina. Bottom- Me, Emma, Robert, Joey. Thank goodness for self timers.

Crayola Factory

We went to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. It was so cool. We saw how they make crayons and markers, played with play dough, colored lots of pictures, and played a lot with some fun cousins!

Children's Museum of Manhattan

This was a fun interactive museum in mid-town. They had alphabet stations, building blocks, a Dora and Diego floor, and lots of music. Pretty much lots of fun.

Statue of Liberty

Our good friends, the Petersons, came down from Vestal, NY the second week that we were there. It was so good to spend time together and see how much each other's children had grown. We did lots of sightseeing and ate some great food. I lived in NYC until I was 18 and it was random when I did touristy stuff. I am really glad that they had a lot of patience as I asked for directions and tried to figure out what they would enjoy.

Ryan was such a good sport being surrounded by women since Kevin wasn't there. My brother took him to play basketball and he almost showed up wearing a Red Soxs shirt to play basketball with a bunch of Hispanic, NYC men. Bad idea. Aristy lent him a different shirt. This store was in South Street Seaport and he just had to capture the moment.

This morning we started at the Statue of Liberty and walked to Chinatown and Little Italy. We got 3 desserts, Sushi, and some amazing Coconut bread for $8.00. Can't beat that. And it was good.

Manhattan Temple

My beautiful sister, Karina, and I did a session at the Manhattan Temple. It was so nostalgic for us. We had a great spiritual experience but also reminisced going to church in that building. This is where our testimonies began and we are so grateful that a temple now stands there.

5th Ave

You can't go to NYC with me without going to 5th Ave. Its like the mother ship is calling me home. We saw all the great stores we wish we could shop at but can't and probably never will because even if we could afford it, its just ridiculous. It takes a lot to admit that :). We stopped at FAO Schwartz and let the kids play on the big piano from the movie Big, went to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, and the American Girl store.

Bustin a move

Made Joey's day to see this Batman made out of Legos.

Emma wishing for an American Girl Baby doll. Maybe someday

Ohhh this girl melts my heart!

Emma and Grandma. These two were buddies. Why? Because Grandma is an excellent cook and Emma LOVES to eat. That's 26 lbs of steel right there.

Audrey is such a beautiful little girl. She is a girl in all the sense of the word. And well, you know Joey is definitely a boy. Sometimes he plays too rough but he really loves Audrey. This is my proof that she loves him too.

Central Park

I did it!

We cut through Central Park in order to get to the zoo. I asked this nice man if we were going the right way and he was nice enough to not only give us directions but let Audrey play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. See, New Yorkers are nice.

Joey pretending to be Crush.

This was at the petting zoo to keep animals out. Joey said it was like a car wash.

Yes, I took a lot of pictures, but I am so sad I didn't take more. Sometimes it was difficult to remember since I had to juggle two kids in a busy city. Just means I have to go back for more. I can't wait. I love my family! Thanks for an amazing time.

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T22:35:00.007-04:00

Easter was so much fun this year at the Winegar Residence. Kevin's younger brother, David, came to visit and brought his beautiful family with him.

They welcomed Lily into their family in December and I was so excited to see her and hold a little baby. Emma was very jealous and insisted that I hold her as well.

We did simple things like playgrounds and kite flying but it was so fun to be together, catch up, and have the kids play.

Grammy and Papa have a fun pool in the back yard that the grandchildren were just itchin to use. At one point they had 9 of the 16 grandchildren in the house. It was great. Left to right (Joey, Lexi, Ryan, Emma, Elizabeth, Emma, Matthew).

We let them scratch that itch and get it. It was 65 degrees but they didn't care. The company made it all worth it. I think this picture is cool cause it looks like Matthew is walking on water.

Joey and Lizzy squirting eachother.

I took them to that railroad park in Scottsdale. The kids loved the train tunnel and the fun playground.

David and his Mini Me, Logan. I found these two playing Wii downstairs and they were standing the same, head tilted same angle, controller aimed the same way. Too Funny! David is in the National Guard and has served 2 tours in Iraq! He is so brave! We are glad to have him home.

In between General Conference we decorated Easter Eggs. We did activities through out the week to teach the children that Easter is about the resurrection of our Savior, but it was also fun for them to decorate eggs and wait for the Easter Bunny to hid them.

So focused!

On Sunday morning we laid out some treats for the kids from the Easter Bunny. They were so anxious to see what they got. But we were really excited that they enjoyed their Easter book about Jesus and the resurrection. Its so easy to be lost in the world and not remember the real purpose of all these wonderful holidays.

Emma loved her treats. Literally, she liked the candy more than the toys. She is such a candy junkie! You can always find her in the pantry looking for a treat.

Ana made these yummy cupcakes for the kids to enjoy after the Easter egg hunt. They were so cute!

The kids were so anxious to get out there and find their eggs. Grammy stood guard at the door and they yelled at her to open the door. She stood firm and would not open that door until every egg was put away.

And their off!

Ryan, Matthew, Joey, Emma, Emma, Elizabeth, Lexi, Logan

Thanks David, Ana, and kids for coming to visit! Can't wait to see you in September.

We are so grateful for our Savior. One of the activities we did was a Spiritual egg hunt and we put different scriptures in plastic eggs that depicted a point of the Atonement ( Palm Sunday, Gethsemane, Last Supper). The children loved it because it was simple and interactive. We loved it because we saw in their faces the reverence they had for Our Savior and the Sacrifice that He made. We can never pay back our debt to Him for Atoning for our sins, but we can try our very best every day to keep His commandments and love one another. Such simple things, yet it is all He asks of us. Happy Easter! HE LIVES!

MCAS Air Show

2010-04-06T19:42:00.005-04:00

I love this little girl! She has definitely brought a lot of joy and love to our family.

We went to visit Kevin in Yuma. We checked out some neighborhoods to look for potential homes and of course found a few fun playgrounds.

The Marine Corps Air Show was also that weekend and we were able to see some pretty great airplanes and some great flying from F16s. This is the B52 Bomber. It was huge! No matter what angle I was in I couldn't get the whole thing. So I look forward to scrapbooking these pictures and placing them side by side. I hope it works out as I envision it.

This is a view from underneath the plane of where the bomb is located.

The F16s were so loud that Joey wanted Kevin to cover his ears the whole time.

Total bedhead. Some day she will hate me for this.

Fun with Cousins

2010-04-06T15:42:00.005-04:00

One of the things that we love about AZ is all the time we get to spend outside. We are really lucky to also live by fun cousins who are such great kids.

Ryan and Joey spend a lot of time together. They were looking through this make believe telescope. Joey was looking for Pirate ships, Ryan was looking for Mack trucks. Typical :)

Matthew and Lexi are so big and smart and way fun. Matthew can talk to you for hours about Harry Potter and Percy Jackson while Lexi is content coloring. Joey and Lexi watch movies holding hands. They are really close cousins.

Lexi had a field trip to the Phoenix Zoo and her teacher allowed family members to join in the fun. We were all over it since we got in for $4.00. Not free like DC but definitely worth it.

Its exactly what your thinking.

Still looking for those pirate ships that keep attacking Navy ships. Very smart pirates they are. Nobody messes with the Navy.

Lazy Lions

Silly monkeys

Joey and Lexi became the goat whisperers. Joey followed those things around everywhere and was so gentle. He was the one who took his leg and held it like that. It was really cute. Lexi took the initiative to get brushes and they gave the goats a nice gentle comb.

Since Kevin only comes home on the weekends, we take every opportunity to have fun and spend time together. We went to the Railroad Park in Scottsdale and met up with Amy (Kevin's sister) and our good friend Cadie. It was a busy but fun day.

They had this cute little train with a conductor and all that took the kids on a 5 minute train ride around the park.

This is our good friend Cadie and her darling little boy Stetson.

Ryan, Amy, and Lexi

Emma loves to go down the slide but still hasn't gotten the courage to go down by herself.

The kids had spring break and it was my birthday so we spent the day at the science museum. It was so dark in there I didn't get great pictures, but it was a lot of fun and very interactive.

As easy as riding a bike or flying a plane?

2010-02-28T14:10:00.005-05:00

"Come on, Daddy! You can do it!"

Kevin comes home on the weekends (three hours southwest is Yuma) and this weekend we decided it was a good start to teach Joey how to ride a bike. Grandma Mora (Maria) got Joey this bike for his 3rd birthday but he was too little. He now reaches the pedals but is still learning how to turn the wheels. Kevin wanted to teach him how to do so, so he got on the bike and started to teach Joey how to pedal. Joey was so cute because he used the same words Kevin told him to encourage his Daddy!

"Come on, Joey! You can do it!"

Kevin came home with some great pictures of a flight he took this week with another Squadron. He was able to go up in a Harrier. Its the coolest aircraft because it takes off and lands vertically. I wish I could tell you more but it is top secret, classified, level 1 information. And... I don't know much about it. I'm gonna have to make my husband blog like other husbands I know in Michigan so he can desribe what he is doing.

I am glad he is having fun, but he is excited to finally start seeing patients and practicing medicine. He only has to fly 4 hours a month to stay qualified, but he is excited for ever minute he gets.

Lily Madison Winegar

2010-02-18T18:54:00.006-05:00

Lily Madison Winegar joined the family in December. She is David and Ana's fourth child. She is also the 16th grandchild on the Winegar side of the family. She is the sweetest thing in the world. Hardly cries, falls asleep as soon as you hold her, and has gorgeous eyes. We are happy she is here. Her blessing was the first Sunday in February and being the masochists that we are, we decided to get in our cars (AGAIN) and drive the 12 hours to Manteca, CA to be there for her. So far we have not missed one baby blessing or baptism on both sides of the Mora and Winegar family and we are not going to stop now.

While there we visited the Jelly Belly factory. They have free tours, and free samples, and a free goodie bag at the end. We love the word FREE!

This is the sample bar. They had every sample from coconut to dark chocolate to pears to strawberry jam to.....

Skunk, pencil shavings, barf, rotten eggs, ear wax!!!! It was quite the feast!

We had to wear these silly hats to prevent hair from entering the work line but we were not allowed to take pictures of the work line. BOOO! That bear in the back is made completely from jelly beans!

The following pictures are Kevin sampling.....

Dog Food...

Ear wax....

Rotten Egg...

and Barf! He has no shame!

After the Jelly Belly Factory, we toured the Travis Air Force Base Museum. It had huge airplanes out side and fun simulators inside for the kids to pretend in.

Sunday was the blessing and it was an excellent day. It had been raining for forever in CA and we got lucky to get good weather. David did an amazing job at blessing his little girl. She is a lucky little princess.

Emma, Ana, Lily, David, Logan, and Elizabeth

Us with Lily... makes me wonder if I should have another one... no not ready yet.

Grammy and Papa with grandchild # 16, Lily Madison or Lily Bells according to Elizabeth.

The very talented Ana, with help from her very talented mother, made Lily's blessing dress. She had a home made dress, a home made bow, and a home made blanket. Beautiful treasures to keep and hold dear. Ana used her wedding dresses to make this sweet little blessing dress. She was the perfect little poser while I was taking pictures and followed me with her eyes every time I moved. She is such a doll.

Poor kids! You probably think we are such horrible parents making our kids be in the car for so long, but they were such great troopers.

Now back to reality. We got back to AZ and did house chores. We love AZ because the weather is amazing in the winter. The kids helped Papa spray weeds, rake leaves, and mow the lawn. It was really cute.

That's it! No more road trips or regular trips... that is until we hit NYC in April! I sure miss my Mom and Dad! Plus its my 10 year High School reunion. Boy am I getting old!

On the Road Again....

2010-02-18T17:09:00.006-05:00

So we have been married close to 7 years and have moved from CA to AZ to MD to FL and now back to AZ! Kevin is officially stationed in Yuma, AZ. We applied to be on the wait list for housing on base and we have a 6-12 month waiting period. On top of the waiting period, there is a possibility of Kevin being deployed. Because of those factors, we decided that it would be best for the children to have stability and for us to stay with Kevin's parents in Queen Creek, AZ (3 hours north of Yuma) until housing becomes available. But if it becomes available and Kevin gets deployed, than we will just stay here until he returns. Oh the joys of the military! We prayed about it a lot because we are not excited about the separation, but he will come up on the weekends, and I will go down there whenever there are any functions that require me to support Kevin. We feel our marriage is strong enough to survive the separation and have committed to stay close to the Spirit to give us the strength that we need.

We left Milton, FL on Friday the 29th. We stopped in New Orleans, LA for lunch. It was raining so that was the most we could do. It is a beautiful city with a lot of potential. You can still see a lot of the devastation from Katrina, but the people there still had smiles on their faces and you could feel the hope.

The best picture we could take because of the rain of Bourbon Street.

Ok... its not my biased opinion- I promise. But the kids did so good during this 3 day trip. We drove about 8 hours a day and stopped for potty and food breaks. They watched A LOT of movies, slept, played, colored, or just sat in silence. They had their moments, of course, but nothing that wasn't resolved immediately.

Jean has a brother in Pasadena, TX. We stopped to have dinner with him and visited with his daughter, Kim, and her family. It was nice to see them and capture the moment.

We got very familiar with the hotel carts. Joey loved being the passenger.

On the grounds of the Houston, TX temple.

Houston, Texas Temple

I have this goal that I would love to be on the grounds of all the temples in the world. There are many that we have been fortunate enough to have time to enter but otherwise we just make sure to stop and walk around the grounds and take pictures. So far we have visited and or entered 21. I know we have many more to goal, but we are willing to keep it up.

We became official Mormons and purchased a minivan last summer. Its awesome! We are not ashamed! We lowered the back seat and made a little bed in the back. When the kids got anxious, it became their playground. When we were tired of driving, it became our bed.

This is the San Antonio, Texas Temple

This is Neil and Jean at the Alamo

Lidia and I grew up together in NYC. We were in young women together, went to girls camp, mutual, dances, etc together. She is older and was always a good example to me. We went our separate ways, she went on a mission and got married. I went to BYU and got married. Well, she married a Dominican who served his mission in the Dominican Republic. I married a white boy who served his mission in the same Dominican mission and they knew each other! It is such a small world! She lives in El Paso, TX while her husband, Francisco, is a Military Police at an Army base. She made yummy Dominican food and an excellent coconut flan! See you in September for the 1/2 Marathon, Lidia! No backing down!

I love this face! Don't you?

So 7 state lines and 3 days later we made it to Queen Creek. The Frias family came over to visit and we were so happy to see them. It is great to finally be around family. We love our friends, but family is so important and its great to watch little cousins play together. If only there would be a way to combine the East and West Coast than the world be a better place.

This is the moving truck arriving with all of our stuff. Don't be too astounded. There are 3 family loads in there. Ours only takes a 1/3 of the truck. But it was still over 10,000 lbs of stuff. Ohh goodness!

AeroMedical Officer Graduation and Winging Ceremony

2010-02-18T16:31:00.003-05:00

The 7 months in Florida were in great anticipation to this special ceremony. Because the Flight Surgeons learned how to fly, they received gold wings. Their gold wings are different than pilot gold wings. The career pilots have anchors on their wings. The flight surgeons have an acorn. Here is a short summary of the meaning of the Winging Tradition.

"The wings awarded to the Navy Medical Department officers who have completed the prescribed course of instruction are modeled after the wings worn by other US Navy designated flight personnel. The distinguishing feature is the central corps device. Flight Surgeons' wings have the Medical corps insignia as the wing centerpiece with an acorn superimposed on the oak leaf. The significance of the oak leaf to the healing art precedes the appearance of the more traditional caduceus by centuries. The awarding of the "Wings of God" is a symbolic milestone reserved for those who have successfully completed both a stringent academic syllabus and a demanding program of Navy flight training. The wings represent the ultimate sign of credibility to the line community these officers will serve."

Kevin's father, Neil, placed Kevin's wings on him. It has been great to be by Kevin's side and support him, but its not very often that he will get awards like this, so we felt it was important for his parents to take part of it too.

On stage, left to right: CAPT Richard A. Beane, Joey, Me, Emma, Kevin, Jean, Neil (Kevin's parents).

On the other side of the stage, Kevin received his a Certificate of Completion. Left to right: CAPT John Heil, Me, Joey, Emma, The Honorable Juan M. Garcia III (Assistant Secretary of the Navy), Kevin, Jean, and Neil.

This is Brennan. He is the cutest kid. He and Joey were good friends. They had their moments but they always looked forward to playing trains together. Brennan is now in Oahu, Hawaii while his Dad is a Flight Surgeon there for 3 years.

Our great friends came to support Kevin (Lacey, Ayden, Me, Joey, Kevin, Emma, Neil, Jean, Rhiannon, Tyler, Scott).

Proud Father and Son! These two are two peas in a pod. Its great to see them together. They get along so well and can pretty much finish each others sentences.

You know, I didn't even take a picture up close of the wings cause I am a loser, but if you look up close to his uniform, you can see them above his ribbons.

Every Thursday, we got together and scrapbooked for the last 7 months. It was great because our kids would play and we would be a great support to one another. I will deeply miss these amazing women.

Now its off to the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona. Kevin will be the Flight Surgeon for roughly about 200 Marines. They are his primary patients. He will keep them fit to fly, go with them on deployments, and be a support to them. He is now condsidered an Attending Physician! We are so pleased with you, Sweetheart!

Goodbye Milton, FL

2010-02-16T23:06:00.004-05:00

There are many perks of being in the military (many negative aspects too) but the best part is being able to live in different parts of the country (or world if your lucky) and making such amazing friends. The best lesson I learned in Milton, FL was that the military becomes your family. Yes we have our biological families and we will always be true and faithful to them, but the people you see everyday are the ones you count on for babysitting, jump starting your car, girls night out, FHE groups, play dates with your kids, Visiting Teaching, blessings, moral support while your husband is flying a plane he has never flown before, and so forth. It is so important to develop good friendships and foundations with those you meet in the military travels because we become each others brothers and sisters. After all, we are all brothers and sisters. That's my soap box.

These are some of the most amazing people. The boys are Sean (Marines), Taylor (Navy), Scott (Air Force), and Kevin (Navy). Aside from Kevin, the three men are pilots and as of today, 3 of the four have already left FL and moved on to continue their pilot training. The women are Sherrie (Taylor), Rhiannon (Scott), Lacey (Sean), and Me (Kevin). We spent hours into the night watching Greys Anatomy, making hair bows and other crafts, discussing life and the pursuit of happiness :), having play dates, and enjoying each others friendships. We even arranged most of our kids to be married!

In 2009, Joey had 5 EAR INFECTIONS! He would be fine one minute and the next have a full on fever. We took him to an ENT and it was determined that he had a lot of fluid in his ears that caused the infections and so the best solution was to put tubes in his ears. Before surgery they gave him Versed to kind of calm him down and make him not remember what was about to happen. It was the funniest thing because to some kids it totally sedates them and they are mello jello. To Joey, he was like a drunken child. He was trying to move and talk and he just slurred his words and was moving like he was a drunk trying to pass a sobriety test. He was wobbly, silly, and funny. IF he was to drink, which he will be grounded for life if he does, he would be a fun drunk. Be that is the extent of that. After wards, he was a totally different child-he was MAD! He cried for 15 minutes straight. I had to hold him and I was very upset when the nurses kept waking him up to take his vitals as if he had had a transplant or something. He was mellow the rest of the day and than back to normal by night. For the first few days, he had to wear this funny looking wrap on his head to protect him. So far so good!

Some of the last things we did before we left Milton, was go back to Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, and take pictures of the different aircrafts Kevin learned on. The above is a T-34. It is a 2 seater, propeller airplane. He completed 14 hours in this aircraft and went cross country with it to Oklahoma City. Definietly not as much time as a career pilot would complete, but enough to learn the basics, take off, land, and be able to earn his pilot wings. I do have to admit to you that he did almost puke when the instructor did Aeorobatics (a loop) and experienced 4Gs (about 4x the amount of weight of gravity is on him).

Below is the TH-57 Helicopter. In this aircraft he completed 10 hours in the air. Learning how to hover was probably the hardest thing he had to do. Its like when you are driving and you make small adjustments with the wheel left and right to drive straight without even noticing. Its the same concept in a helicopter but it is way more sensitive and much harder to keep the helicopter hovering over one spot.

This picture was supposed to be up on top. We played games one night as a last hoorah :)

So after all the fun and games, the movers came and took all our stuff away :( Kevin's parents were coming and we needed a place to sleep for them and to sit, so we kept some camping chairs and air mattresses behind. Emma loved the camping chairs. The kids were soo good about the whole moving process. Stay tuned for an update on that :)

Walt Disney World

2010-01-16T19:12:00.008-05:00

I know this is way late but we had such a good time in Disney that I had to show you some cute pictures.

I absolutely LOVE Beauty and the Beast. Its my favorite Disney movie. Disney had a 20 minute musical of the movie and it was so beautiful.

This is Joey trying to take a sneak peek at Woody and Buzz! He just couldn't wait to see them. He had to look around the corner!

Dixie and her family were so kind to come out to FL to help with the kids while I ran the marathon. It was so much fun to have our kids play together and have her sweet mother join us. We had a lot of fun, in a little bit of time.

(Sting Rays, and Penguins)

We went to Sea World as well. It was cold and rainy, and cold and rainy. Did I mention that it was cold and rainy? But I'm telling you, the kids were such great troopers and did not misbehave. They were just so excited to see the animals. I am grateful Kevin stayed behind with Emma, cause that is one girl that does not like the cold.

Waiting for Shamu!

If I could own a pet whale, I would! They are such amazing animals!

The time share had a great tub. Sadee was hilarious because we would be at Disney having fun and all she would ask was if we were going to let them take a bath in the big tub! Check out Joey's pecs!

I really wanted us to make sure that the kids got all of Disney in the short amount of time that we were there. The afternoon of the marathon, we went to Hollywood Studios and met the rest of the Pixar characters.

(Mcqueen and Mater; waiting for the 4D Toy Story Mania Ride)

Monday after the marathon, we went to Magic Kingdom. I wore my medal and it was great because the cast at Disney would always go out of their way to express their joy at the accomplishment.

"Destroy Buzz Lightyear, Destroy Buzz Lightyear!"

I cannot wait until Emma is old enough to love the Disney Princesses. In the meantime, I will live the dream for her.

This is Dixie and the kids on the teacups. She was the biggest wuss on that ride. She was supposed to spin so I could take pictures! Let just say she was too busy closing her eyes and holding her face to spin so I had to do both! Ahy Rochie!

I love this picture of Joey on the flying Dumbo. Makes driving 14 hours and running 26.2 miles all worth it.

Thank you, Dixie, for an amazing weekend! See in September in Disneyland for the 1/2 Marathon! No backing out now!

Walt Disney World 2010 Marathon

2010-01-16T16:41:00.006-05:00

So I finally did it! When Joey was 18 months old, I decided to get off my fat behind and finish loosing the pregnancy weight. After I did, I decided I would run a marathon. Kevin was, well, very doubtful about it. He knew how hard it would be, and at the time I worked a full time job and had a baby and he knew it would take a lot of discipline to train. Well, he was right, and I decided to have another baby instead! Emma came a long and I didn't want to stay fat as long as I did with Joey, so I ran my first mile a week after she was born. It took 15 minutes. So Kevin called it more of a brisk walk! Whatever!!! Kathleen Clawson was in my ward in Derwood and she is an avid runner. She was excited to have a running partner and I was excited to learn from her. After many 5 am speed work outs, running trails, and obstacle courses, I decided I would sign up for my first marathon for Emma's first birthday. Kathleen and her husband Brett do the Walt Disney World Marathon every 5 years and this was their year to do it. They motivated me, helped me get good shoes, and proper training started. Even though we parted ways, we still kept in contact on our runs.

In our race packet, we got our number, a cool shirt with the Marathon logo, a disposable camera to take pictures along the race (those are being developed), and some coupons, and food.

Morning of the race 3:30 am

The race began at the Epcot parking lot. It was SOOO COLD. I began to be discouraged then because my back was hurting from the cold. There were three waves and I was in the last one. For every wave, when they shot the gun, they had fireworks as well. Brett stayed with me because he had done the half-marathon the day before so he was going to go at a slower pace. I am glad we stayed together because if I would have started alone, I would have taken off quickly and not have maintained a healthy pace. There were characters along the route of the race (Buzz, Lilo and Stitch, Mickey, Incredibles, etc) but the line was about 10 people deep for each and I thought, "Ok, either I stop to take pictures, or I stop to use the bathroom." So I decided to keep my dignity (since women were squatting on the sidelines) and use the bathroom. We went from Epcot, through the back roads, to Magic Kingdom, through Animal Kingdom, through Hollywood Studios, and ended at the Epcot parking lot again.

If you were tracking me, you would have noticed that I kept of a pace of about 12-13 minutes per mile. It was slower than I wanted (10-11 minutes) but it was really cold and I was able to run the whole time. The times you saw that was slower was bathroom breaks (not walking). It was hard enough to stop for the bathroom and I knew that if I ever walked I would have never run again.

The miles went so quickly. Brett and I both said that if we were alone, we would have been discouraged along time ago, so it was nice to have company. We had Powerade, water, protein gels, and bananas along the route to eat. At about mile 21 we decided to pick up the pace and did the mile in 10:53 but it was too early it wore us out. By mile 23, EVERYTHING hurt. I have really flat feet and every time I hit the pavement, my non-existent arch hurt, my knees, hips, and back. At this point I started to cry and felt that I just couldn't go on. But I had so many of you cheering me on, I just couldn't let you down. I said a silent prayer and asked that I could finish and be strong enough to do so. The moment I closed my prayer, I heard the Spirit loud and clear say, "I am right here." Every pain in my body went away. I felt numb except for the cold. It was amazing to be reassured that I wasn't alone. I crossed the finish line at 5 hours 39 minutes and the minute I crossed that finish line, every pain came back and so did the tears. But it was truly worth it.

"Momma got a Didgy medal" (Special Agent Oso)

When I decided the second time to do a Marathon, I made Kevin promise that he would never discourage me. Well, he ended up being really hard on me and reprimanded me if I didn't meet my weekly mileage. He was so supportive and I am so grateful that he was there to meet me at the finish line.

Kevin- "How do you feel?"

Me- "Everything hurts! I am in so much pain!" Wahh Wahh Wahh

My inspiration

This is Dixie and her Family ( her children Sadee and Aidan, and her mother, Ana). Dixie came from Utah to help with the kids and so that we could spend some time together. We grew up in NYC together and have amazing memories. She pretty much saved me from myself and I will always be indebted to her. Yateebyalublue

On Monday, we met the Clawsons at Magic Kingdom. They were starting their fun, and ours was ending. Brett got three medals (one for the Half-Marathon (13 miles), one for the Marathon (26.2) and one cause he did both). It was like being with an Olympian! Thank you guys for your inspiration, motivation, and good examples. I am down to do it again in 5 years.

Dixie is a massage therapist in UT. She gave me a massage everyday! It was awesome. Don't let that face fool you, she enjoyed every minute of it. Even though I barely had toe nails left! Whatever, toe nails are for sissies.

When we got home, I was greeted with 26 American flags on the lawn and this great Mickey poster saying "Way to Go!" Thanks Jodi and Fallon!

So there it is... 26.2 miles in a nut shell. Thank you to all for your support and encouragement. Words can't describe how loved I felt. If you asked me on Sunday if I would do it again, I would have said no, but now, its just amazing to see what your body can do and I am totally doing it again. Some of us are doing the Disneyland Half- Marathon on Labor Day weekend in Southern California. Join us!

Joey is a Sunbeam!

2010-01-16T16:31:00.002-05:00

Joey is officially in Primary now. It felt like he was such a big boy. I was worried that he would have a hard time not being in Nursery, but he has a lot of friends in Primary that made him feel welcomed. They grow so fast. But its so exciting to see them progress and grow their testimonies.

A Family Affair

2010-01-01T21:10:00.008-05:00

It has been so great to have Kevin home for the last couple of weeks. It would have been nice to have taken a big family vacation but we still had some good times together and have good memories.

Joey just HAD to wear his Batman costume in order to play with his Bat Cave. The fun thing is to watch him play with his Daddy who is just as silly as any other child. Usually Daddy is the Joker and Joey is Batman Joey who sends the Joker to jail.

I have been really excited to use my new camera so we went to the park, fed the ducks, and took some candid pictures of the kids. I love my point and shoot camera but the pictures are so much more crisp and precise with the DSLR. Its totally made me want to scrapbook more.

See- He is just a big kid. And we love it!

Since we are moving in less than a month we are trying not to buy any food so we can get rid of the food we have and not have to throw it away or something. This night we made pizza with a weird spaghetti sauce. It didn't taste very good but, we had Joey help us make the pizza and he actually ate it. So it is true that if you involve your children in making meals, they will eat it.

This is my favorite. I was in charge of Super Saturday at our ward. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. My garage was totally neglected and then we decorated for Christmas so it was a big mess in there. I barely could make it to the deep freezer. On Christmas Eve, I just about had it! We went through a lot of our boxes, got some stuff ready for a garage sale, threw old magazines and papers away that we had for about 4 years and counting, condensed boxes, I mean we weren't messing around. One of the benefits of moving so much is that the military moves us, so we don't really take the time to get rid of things cause we don't have to do the labor. But it was just too much. So this is what it looked like before.

We went to Walmart, got Rubbermaid that were color coordinated for Christmas, got grey ones for every thing else, got out my Label Maker, and Walla!

Since we were doing so much cleaning, we decided to wash our cars as well. The kids had a blast spraying the water. Well, at least Joey did.

On New Year's Day, we went to Florida Caverns State Park. It was really cool. We were able to take a tour of a really cool, dark, wet, cave. We saw cave formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, rimstone pools that looked like glass, and enjoy the nature that surrounds it.

Emma playing on the steps waiting for the tour. They both had a lot of fun. At one point, the tour guide turned off the lights and had us see like bats. It was incredible dark. So dark we could not see our hands in front of us. Wow!

That little dark spot in the middle is a BAT!

Very beautiful and crystallized.

Joey and the tour guide turning on the lights in the cave.

Joey, Easton, Emma, and McKay. We went with the Burton family. They are a cute family that is also Navy. The boys had so much fun running around together. They all behaved really well.

Love that face! The camera just loves her!

So, we have spent lots of time together as a family. Now its back to the real world- Kevin goes back to training, Joey keeps doing Joy School, and I get ready to move.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T11:41:00.008-05:00

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We stayed home this year, in Florida. We really didn't want to travel twice due to our upcoming move in January so we decided to just start having our own little Christmas together as a little family. We spent Christmas Eve with some really special families in our ward. We had great food, played Christmas Bingo, and talked about how we were going to stay in our pajamas all day the next day. (Top Row: Tennille Anderson (the hostess), Awesome Missionaries, McKay Burton. Bottom Row: Nicole, Whitney, Scott, Tyler, and Rhiannon Anderson)

I was up at 4:00 am so anxious for the kids to wake up. I even woke up Kevin and he wasn't very happy about that. They finally woke up at 6:00 am. Santa had left their presents on the coffee table and they were so excited to see them. Joey got a Batman cave that included the villains and Batman and Robin. Emma got her first Cabbage Patch Doll.

Emma, "WOW!" Joey, "For me? For Joey?"

After Joey got his big present, we had to twist his arm to open all the rest. He did not want to open any other ones so we had to give him some appealing ones so that he could see that it was worth opening. Emma was all for opening presents.

"Thank you, Miss Fallon, for my Batman helicopter. The Batcave has a helipad for it so its perfect."

"Thank you Grammy and Papa for my tool box"

"Thank you Tia Karina for my play mat"

"I love my new dress, Tia Karina"

He totally knew he was getting this.

I got an awesome DSLR camera. I had to do some bargaining to get it. See these next 6 months suck for Kevin because he has to buy me something for Christmas, Valentines Day, my Birthday in March, our Anniversary in May, and Mothers Day in May. So I made a deal that if I got a camera, he wouldn't have to buy me anything until next Christmas. He totally fell for it :)

"Thank you, Miss Fallon, for my tea seat. I love that it talks"

"Gracias, Guela por toda mi ropa de dormir. Son bien calientitas. Me haces falta!"

"Guela, me encanta dibujar en mi nuevo libro! Como supistes que eso era lo que queria?"

"SCORE!"
We have made some awesome friends over the years and they know me better than I know myself. The Rigbys in Michigan sent me a chocolate milk mixer. Its really cool. You pour in the milk and chocolate and turn it on and it spins it for you. No lumps or settled chocolate at the bottom of the cup. Mmmmm. Thanks, Blossom and Emeline!

Miss Dixie is coming in January to watch the kids while I run the Marathon. She was sweet enough to get our both boys backpacks with their names engraven so they can use it traveling to Orlando. Thanks Rochie!

"Hello, Grammy and Papa? Thank you so much for my new phone! I needed one because no one would share theirs with me! I love you, Grammy and Papa."

We started a new thing where we would only get our children 3 presents each year. We didn't put a budget, just 3 presents. We figure that the Savior received three gifts from the Wisemen so we took the opportunity to share that with our children and teach them about the Savior's birth. They were still so grateful for what they got. And they, as you can see, were spoiled by many of your generosities. Thank you so much. We love you all dearly.

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and were able to get some good memories with your families.

Happy First Birthday

2009-12-16T11:51:00.005-05:00

We cannot believe that its already been a year! Time flies so quickly when you are having fun. Emma was born a year go today. She has been such a blessing in our lives. She has so much love and sweetness in her countenance and personality. But she is still feisty. She already fights with Joey over toys and hates to have her diaper changed. Now that she walks, once she sees me grab a diaper, she walks as quickly as she can in the opposite direction. She is top heavy so sometimes she falls and when I get her, she thinks its the funniest thing in the world. She loves to take pictures, is really enjoying story time, and LOVES to eat. This girl loves food. She will eat hers and mine, and Kevin's, and Joey's. We call her Bougaly Wougaly Bear (came from Monsters, Inc) and we love her.

Happy Birthday Emma!

Fly Me to the Moon

2009-11-13T07:39:00.002-05:00

The T-34 is the training plane that Kevin is learning how to fly in. He also learned how to fly a TH-57 Helicopter. This picture above is right before his "Cross Country" flight to Oklahoma City. He did three flights out there and three flight back, did some aerobatic loops and barrel rolls, did not throw up, but came very close.

Naval Air Station Whiting Field had a special event and they flew in different aircrafts so that the pilots in training can see the different aircrafts available and speak to different pilots. They opened it up to the public and many were able to see the inside of these amazing planes. The plane above is a Helicopter. It is a CH-53E Super Stallion (correct me if I'm wrong) and it is the largest and heaviest helicopter in the military (and loudest). Joey was very impressed by this one. He picked this one out of the 10 different ones and kept sitting in that seat, but when he went to finish his tour, the pilots promised to save him this seat. And he did!

Trick or Treat

2009-10-31T01:43:00.000-04:00

Halloween was so much fun this year! Emma was a pumpkin and Joey was Batman. Emma made us nostalgic because she looked so much like Joey when he wore that same pumpkin costume at 3 months old. And Joey made us sad that he is growing up. He still loves Thomas the Tank Engine, but now he is getting into Super Heroes and those are signs of Big Boy Behavior.

This is Shaun Tureson. Him and Joey play together weekly and its fun for them. Joey loved his costume SO MUCH he wore it to bed once. He kept yanking at the face mask and it ripped. That is why he looks like he is having technical difficulties.

Emma was a good sport and wore her costume all night. She was so cute.

"Where's all the candy?"

These are some amazing children in our ward. We went trick or treating with them in their neighborhood and it was a hit. All the children behaved and had a lot of fun. (Left to right: Aiden (who is normally a very happy toddler), Tyler behind Aiden, Dakota, Carter, Emma, Joey, Nicole, Whitney (Joey has a crush on Whitney ;)

EMMA's FIRST WORD

(You have to pause the music to listen)

Joy School Update

2009-10-19T01:15:00.001-04:00

We have been so pleased with the Joy School curriculum offered on http://www.valuesparenting.com/ I am not ready yet emotionally to send Joey out to preschool but I know he needs the structure and learning experience. This gives me the opportunity to spend some valuable time with him and be able to teach him good values at the same time and keep him home.

The month of October was fun because we did a lot of Halloween and Fall activities. We carved a pumpkin together. My first pumpkin carving experience. Emma watched and picked at the fiber of the pumpkin and Joey was thrilled to just be playing with knives! Yikes!

The finished product!

I had to show you this cute little face!

We have a flannel board that we use for story time. This story was about a sad little pumpkin that did not get picked at the pumpkin patch. It was a hit!

I am not telling you a lie. I promise. Emma must have had such a long day at school that she literally fell asleep just like this. Yes... I did move her and put her in a crib but not before I took a picture.

Navy Ball

2009-10-10T00:55:00.000-04:00

We had such a good time at the Navy Ball. I had been looking forward to going to my first Ball for such a long time. Probably since Kevin was in Medical school. The price was right and so was the company. Justin and Fallon Tureson are good friends that we met in Maryland. Justin is also doing Flight Surgery and Fallon and I play and scrapbook together a lot.

The ball was held at Naval Air Station- Whiting. They had a few keynote speakers that really helped us feel American pride. (Please excuse my memory and lack of names- its midnight). They had a toast that would single out each branch of the military and different causes and missions and it was great to feel and see the camaraderie.

After the presentations and dinner, they had a dance and I LOVE TO DANCE. Thank goodness I married a man with moves. He was such a good sport about dancing everything from the Macarena (above) to Lady Gaga. It was a lot of fun to dance with my Sweetheart.

This is Kevin's Commander from the helicopter Squadron that Kevin was in during his helicopter training. He was so nice to us and was really grateful to have the Flight Docs (as they call it) there to support the pilots. We are definitely very supportive of the pilots. They train very hard, study hard, and are very committed to their work. It will be great to be assigned to a squadron in the future and support them as they complete their missions.

Remember Souja Boy? I still do :)

Joey's Soccer and Shark Kabob

2009-09-25T00:35:00.001-04:00

Joey started 3-5 yr old soccer this year. We were so excited because he has so much energy that it was great to have him run around, kicking the ball, and making new friends. Kevin played soccer as a kid and football so it will be interesting to see what Joey will choose as he grows up because Doorly and Sports is an oxymoron.

Joey needed some encouragement so Daddy went out there with him.

Joey sat down at his chair and yelled out on the field, "Hey guys, Joey's hot. Come on! Lets sit down." He then took it upon himself to have an unauthorized water break. That kid!

That same afternoon, we went to the Pensacola Seafood festival. Our sole purpose in attending this festival was to try a Shark KaBab. It was actually pretty good. It tasted a little fishy. They were a little expensive so we shared a combination plate that had a little bit of everything and it was all tasty!

This is our good friend Riquel Tripp. She is a fellow flight surgeon with Kevin.

USS Alabama

2009-09-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

I should update the blog as soon as we go to these neat places because I quickly forget the great details that we learn. Sorry... This is the USS Alabama. It was an hour drive from where we live so we decided to cross the border and go check it out. It was really neat to be in a battle ship and the submarine. I just can't believe how tight and small those ships are. Definitely a sacrifice from the luxuries of home.

Joey was so scared to climb and go down those narrow steps. After a while he got the hang of it.

The barber shop

Sleeping quarters: Not very spacious. I mean one wrong move or a bad dream and you are on the ground. Too bad for you if you are the third person up.

Kevin, our Silly Sailor.

This is the jail. I never realized or imagined there would be unruly sailors. What was I thinking?

The bars kind of ruin the picture, but this was the bakery. That was one of the biggest kneading machines I had ever seen. It was pretty cool.

Men and their guns.

Jessica's Wedding

2009-09-19T23:18:00.003-04:00

For Labor Day Weekend, we flew back up to Atlantic City for my cousin, Jessica's, Wedding. She married Robert Coleman and he is a great guy. She was one of our bridesmaids for our wedding and we hadn't seen her since we got married 7 years ago so we definetly wanted to go and support her. With the military its so hard to know when you will see family, so we like to take advantage of these great opportunities to be together. It was a beautiful wedding. We had so much fun and ate great food. We hadn't danced in a long time and it was great to show my Dominican family that my white boy, Kevin, has rhythm.

My Mom was so cute because she loves us so much and loves to show off her family whenever she can. She was happy to have all her children together. This is my brother Aristy. He's hot! His girlfriend is hotter! Katherine, is amazing. We love her and hope she becomes a member of the family.

My sister, Karina, and her beautiful family, Jose, Bianca, and Sabrina. I went to the salon with Bianca and Sabrina that day and I loved getting that quality time together with my nieces. I wish I could do it more often.

I have a really big family. Here are some of my fun, beautiful cousins. From left to right- Karina, Lorraine, Katherine, Stephanie, Me, the bride, Jessica, and Cindy.

I absolutely love this picture. Sibling rivalry always exists when you grow up, but it is so great to be adults and to just love eachother and be not only family, but friends.

My good friend, Jackie (in the orange sweater), drove down to Atlantic City from NYC and she watched the children while we went to the wedding. Afterwards, we went to the bride and groom suite to talk and catch up. We stayed up until 4:00 am!!! Never again... but it was worth it.

Bye Bye Summer....

2009-09-14T12:11:00.005-04:00

We have had such a really good summer. Our move to Florida has been great, we went to Disney World, spent some time at the beach, and most importantly Kevin is spending lots more time at home. Its great that he is not on call all the time now. We love it when he is home.

Joey is 3 now. He turned the big 3 in August. I started Joy School with him this fall. It is a value based learning system that moms can do at home to teach their children how to learn and still have joy. Its been great. Its just me and him so some things he has a hard time with just doing us two because honestly, he looks at me like I'm crazy because I do these silly songs with him and he almost acts like hes too cool to do it. But he loosens up and joins me. He did great at drawing a stick figure to learn about the body and loves to change the date and weather on his calendar.

One of the things we loved to do this summer was just walk on the beach and fly kites. Kevin had more fun flying the Buzz Lightyear kite than Joey did. It was really cute. The beaches here are so beautiful and clean and warm. Joey loved it.. Emma not so much

We went to this restaurant in Alabama- just an hour away- and it was great. It was your typical home country cooking, but it was a lot food with a lot of fun. They throw you rolls at the restaurant from across the room. Kevin caught his second one and Joey was so impressed. We also hit some milestones this summer. Emma can crawl now as you can see her hiding under the bed. She is so fast and loves to follow me around the house. And Joey is potty trained. He has random accidents if I am not on top of my game, but overall he does really good. Every time he goes, he says he has to go "Like Daddy."

These two are twins!

Happy 3rd Birthday Joey

2009-08-05T21:38:00.005-04:00

We cannot believe how fast time flies. It feels like just yesterday we were in Arrowhead Hospital in Glendale, AZ about to have our son with Kevin's parents and my mother there anxiously awaiting his arrival. It happened so quickly and we were so blessed to have Kevin's parents and my mother be there despite Joey's early arrival. Every year I say that I will watch his birth video that my father-in-law, Neil so lovingly video taped, but every year I chicken out. I still get goose bumps just thinking of the pain. But I would do it again in a heart beat for Joey and any other child I bear because it was definitely worth it.

We had a birthday party for Joey on Saturday the 1st of August. My brother was on vacation in Orlando so we planned it early in case he was able to come up, but he couldn't but it was OK. We were really lucky to have made such good friends already in Florida so I invited anyone that had children Joey's age. 13 primary children came and they had a ton of fun. We had 3 kiddie pools, a slip and slide, a pinata, and tons of food. It was amazing too because at 9 am it was pouring rain. I mean pouring rain. The party was at 11 and the backyard was all Thomas decked out. I didn't want Joey's party to be ruined or our opportunity to make friends so we lifted our hearts to the heavens in prayer and prayed that the rain would stop. 10:30 rolled around and it was crystal clear skies. I was so excited Kevin had to humble me down. But I just couldn't mistake how much Heavenly Father is aware of our desires. It was a great time. Joey at the end said "Thanks Maddy (short for Mami and Daddy- its his new thing) for birthday party, thank you." Ahhhh...

This is a great friend, Fallon, who moved as well from the Bethesda area. Her husband too is a flight surgeon and she made Joey his train cake. HE LOVED IT!

One of Joey's presents from us, well I made it, Kevin paid for it ;), was this Batman towel. Kevin has been unwinding by playing Batman legos on Xbox and Joey stares and tells Kevin where to go. So I decided to figure out a little cape thing for him. Lets just say he went to bed with it.

3 Things We Love About Joey

1- How friendly he is. He will go up to any child and say, "Hi, I'm Joey, Come on" We love it. We hope he stays that way for his mission.

2- His sense of humor. It is so difficult to keep a straight face with him when we are trying to correct him. He makes silly faces in return or says the silliest things.

3- Any time he goes on time out, he always says he has an ouwy (?). We think he is trying to tell us we hurt his feelings.

Thanks to all those who called and sent well wishes. Love you

Our First Family Vacation

2009-07-26T17:16:00.005-04:00

Disney is offering amazing discounts for the military this year. We were able to go to Disney World and get Kevin's admission free, mine dirt cheap, and 40% off of our resort stay. We had promised Joey that we would take him to Disney since my bed rest caused him to have such a boring summer last year and we had to keep our promise.

It was our first official family vacation where it was only the 4 of us hanging out, enjoying each other's company. We stayed at the Pop Century Resort and enjoyed their great food, fun heated pool, and Joey loved the toy store there. We went to Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Sea World (for free as well). Hollywood Studios was great because Joey met all his Pixar heroes- Buzz, Woody, McQueen, Sully, Mater, Mike Wizeow...something. They had a great new Toy Story ride that we were able to shoot lasers at different Toy Story theme stuff (I don't know how to explain it) and Joey really liked that.

We went to Magic Kingdom twice. Once on Thursday night for the parade and than again on Monday to do the tea pots, we met Buzz there again, and did a Monsters INC comedy show. Joey was so cute when he met Buzz all those times. He was such a good boy during the whole vacation. One morning, he woke up and immediately jumped in the stroller (pjs bad breath and all) and said "Lets go guys!" It was so cute. Just seeing how happy he was made it all worth it. And Emma was a doll too. Poor thing was so sweaty because I carried her in the baby carrier 90% of the time, but it guaranteed us that she would be happy so she didn't mind and neither did we. But as you can see in the pictures with Goofy and Minnie, she was star struck. She never cried when the characters came around, just stared in awe. It was darling.

Animal Kingdom was great because we saw some great animals really close up. We probably saw a dozen hippos and crocs just hanging out in this safari ride we took. It was really fun. Sea World was amazing! I love sea animals and Joey was so thrilled to get wet by Shamu- Emma not so much! It was pretty cold. But she survived.

All in all it was a great vacation. We felt so blessed to have our children behave and the weather as well. It was always a beautiful day and than when we had enough and were on our way back to the resorts, the heavens opened and it poured big time. So we felt lucky. If you go to Disney definitely get the meal plan. We were able to have character breakfasts with Lilo and Stitch and Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and the Little Einsteins which we would never have paid for individually. We will be back in Disney in January for my first ever Marathon! Wish me luck. If you want to see WAY more pictures go to the blog (if you get this by email) and there is a slide show there.

Milton, FL

2009-07-24T09:18:00.004-04:00

If you got our posts as emails, be prepared to get a few emails in the next few days as I catch you up on our new adventure.

This is our new home in Milton, FL. Its about 45 minutes outside of Pensacola. We decided to live here because Kevin will be working in two bases and this was somewhat in the middle. Its a cute little neighborhood that is behind a golf course. All of our streets are named after famous golfers- go figure. But I have to say that we really love it. The house is 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. Our master bath is as as big as a room on its own and we each have our own closets. Kevin was thrilled to have a place to finally spread his clothes out. I guess I wasn't giving him enough space. I don't ever see how that is possible :) What I really love is our dinning room. If you know me for a long time, you know how much I love our dining room table and how much I love to entertain, so now I get to keep it open and have beautiful pictures on the wall- its just great.

The kids are adjusting really well. It was sensitive there for a while because Joey really missed his friends back in MD but we are keeping him busy and have set up all his toys and he is happy. He is potty training. Not fun at all! He does better with Kevin than with me, but I have to be patient. I just say- "No PooPoo on Thomas" (thanks Amy) and it works out sometimes. I just have to watch for the PeePee dance and the hiding when he poops.

Enough about Poop. Emma is great. She is 7 months and such a cutie if I say so myself. She sits up and I started to make her her own baby food. My friend Luz introduced me to the concept and I actually enjoy it. Yesterday I made her 14 jars for about $5.00. The cheapest I ever saw baby food was when Dad got some for Amy in CA for .25 and I never saw that again so hopefully this way I can save money. She really likes them so far and I get to be creative. Hopefully this will help her not be as picky as Joey.

Kevin is THRILLED to say the least about this training. He is excited to learn to fly and meet new people and get more of the Navy experience. He really loves the area too. He was great at getting the house unpacked and has been so patient with Joey and his potty training.

Me, well, we only have one car so I get to stay home lots, but my Mom is here which has been really nice. And I am going to start Joy School with Joey at home in the middle of August so between that, the kids, and some projects, it will be fine to stay home and not spend any money ;)

Well gotta go put Joey to bed so I will be back to update you on Disney World!!!! PS- that picture of us in a box was while we were putting together our patio set, this big thunderstorm hit and Joey was so scared of the thunder he hid in the box. It was pretty loud.

LT. Kevin J. Winegar, D.O.

2009-06-19T19:34:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, I just cannot believe that Kevin is a Doctor. Don't get me wrong, he is brilliantly smart and has dedicated himself to his career and education so he deserves the title, but when I see him playing Mario Kart on Wii or being silly with Joey, it amazes me that he can play both roles so brilliantly.

He has completed his Intern year at National Naval Medical Center and today they had a ceremony to give out certificates to the interns and graduating residents. It was a nice ceremony. Emma wore the cutest little sailor dress that a good friend gave to us and it was a hit. She blended right in. It was great to see Kevin take Emma around and show her off. Plus, the majority of the doctors there helped with her prenatal care so they were thrilled to see her thriving.

These are some of Kevin's fellow interns. The girl next to Kevin is Rickquel who will be living with us in Florida.

Certificate of Completion

She did not steal her Daddy's thunder. Not one bit :) Joey was at a friend's house playing because the ceremony would have been to much to ask of a busy two year old.

We than spent the afternoon at the pool in our community. The water was cool but it was nice and Joey had a blast. Emma not so much.

Old McDonald Had a Farm...

2009-06-19T19:25:00.004-04:00

On June 1, a local farm was nice enough to open its doors to the community and allow the children to experience life on a farm. It was such a neat experience for a city girl to see such a magnificent farm. Joey really enjoyed himself and Emma did great sleeping. It was hot and humid, but worth the tour.

We had a fun hay ride around the farm and saw the future apple orchards, wheat fields, the corn maze for the fall, a local garden, and the rolling hills. Joey loved the big wheels on the tractor and didn't mind the hard hay that kept poking his booty.

I have to say that his favorite part was grinding the dried corn to be able to feed the chickens. The young man helping had to actually put some away so that Joey would stop getting the corn.

He kept feeding those chickens but he got pecked at a few times. He quickly forgave them and kept giving them their feed.

He did not like to feed the goats though. His little friend, Sara was more fearless than he was.

But he loved to see "Olivia" roll around the mud.

Growing so fast

2009-06-17T19:21:00.007-04:00

I can't believe how fast our little girl has grown.

Yesterday, Emma turned 6 months. It feels like just yesterday I was hoping to stay pregnant as long as possible so she could be healthy and than when I finally get my cerclage taken out, I walk around dilated 5cm for about a week. Those days were sure not fun. But it definitely helped me appreciate my little girl all the much more. Last time we went to the doctor, Emma was a whopping 16lbs 9oz. She wears 9 month clothing and probably wears them each once because loved ones have been so generous in supplying her wardrobe. Here are 6 things we absolutely love about Emma...

1- Her beautiful, room enlightening, smile

2- Her thunder thighs, aka TT

3- She can hold her own bottle which is great for when brother steals her thunder

4- She can grab both her feet and tries to suck on her toes at the same time. As if she is not fed enough.

5- She sleeps through the night. Well mostly, but more often than none.

6- Her eyes! Wow she has beautiful eyes. Sometimes she looks like a deer caught in headlights but when she smiles they sparkle.

We love our little girl and are grateful that she has been entrusted to us.

The end...

New Address

2009-06-17T19:18:00.002-04:00

The time is now approaching for our second military move. Lets see how many it adds up to. We found a cute little house that is a good size for us and a good location in between both bases that Kevin will be working at. We are excited about it because there is a fellow intern named Rickqeul that will be living with us. She is single and loves my cooking so we figured we would be roomies for 6 months so we can both save money and it saves her having to sign additional leases, cook, and she said she would babysit so who would say no to that? Not me! Anyhow... oficially July 1 our new address will be

5839 Chi Chi Circle

Milton, FL 32570

Church History Tour

2009-06-01T21:31:00.006-04:00

It had been so long since I had been to Palmyra. Probably when I was 13 or so. Kevin went as a teenager with his parents but that too was long ago. We have AMAZING friends that live near Kirtland (The Rigbys) so we went there while in Detroit (but I forgot my camera so I am waiting on pics) and the Petersons live near Palmyra. So we did some church history tours and what an uplifting experience both trips have been. We did Nauvoo with Kevin's parents in 2005 and that was incredible. Its wonderful to go back to the roots of the church and feel that all those trials were real and the pioneers sacrificed immensely for us. Its even greater to enjoy it with such wonderful friends and family.

Pictures are from the end of the trip to the beginning. I am a dork on downloading pictures so bear with me.

I have a deep love and admiration for Emma Hale Smith. She endured so much as the wife of the Prophet. The following are the tombstones of her parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale, and the first born child that they lost, Alvin. Soon after his loss, the Prophet returned to NY to find out that the 116 pages were lost. What a strong family, both spiritually and physically.

This is the home foundation of Joseph's and Emma's first home. Much of the translations occurred here as well as revelations, and the loss of their son.

This is the bank of the Susquehanna River directly behind the home site of Joseph and Emma. It is in this location that the Aaronic Priesthood was restored and Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were baptized (D&C 13). Here we laid out a blanket and had a wonderful picnic. We imagined what the water temperature must have been like and enjoyed the peace and tranquility felt there.

This is the monument erected as a tribute to the Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood in what was then Harmony, PA by John the Baptist.

This is Emma and I in the Sacred Grove.

I found this picture so appropriate. On a beautiful morning, our Father in Heaven appeared to a young boy, accompanied by His Son, Jesus Christ. It was then that the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ began. Our Father in Heaven loves us so much to bless us with such truth and light. Kevin embraced his son in this spot and I know in his heart hopes to teach our little Kevin "Joseph" the gospel that was restored in this area, just as it was taught to Joseph.

The Palmyra temple over looks the Sacred Grove. President Gordon B. Hinckley made sure of that.

The Palmyra temple is the only temple that has a plain window that is not stained glass. That window overlooks the sacred grove as a way to remind us of the First Vision

This is the monument on Hill Cumorah

Joey and Audrey got a long really well during this trip. They had their moments but overall Joey was really excited to be with Audrey and Audrey says that she likes to play with Joey upstairs and downstairs (meaning in all the playrooms)

These are our great friends, the Petersons! We have been blessed with such wonderful friendships. Words cannot describe the love we have for them and the laughter we often share.

I don't know what I would have done without Jessica and Emily during medical school. They piratically taught a city girl how to be domestic and I am so grateful to them. Jessica just had a handsome little boy named Zackery Ryan. She is such a good mom, wife, and friend.

Kevin, Ryan Peterson, and Ryan Rigby were joined at the hip during medical school. They probably survived more because of each other because I know that us wives NAGGED A LOT. But we are grateful they had each other, and the Xbox. Which, Emily, you need to ask Ryan what they used to do on Mondays after exams because we all thought they were in class but Jessica and I just found out that they were playing XBOX!

You had a short church history tour now, but you need to not use this as an excuse not to go. You will be enriched! TTFN

On the road again...

2009-06-01T21:06:00.004-04:00

*As soon as I unpack my house and move to Florida, Joey is getting potty trained. This is my sign that he needs it, because he hides when he does #2! He found the biggest tree in Independence Hall and took care of business.*

The month of May has been a very exciting month for us. Kevin finally is almost over with his intern year of residency and was able to accumulate some time off in the month of May to do some traveling. Some excursions were planned (Utah, Detroit, NY) others were last minute.

Right after we got back from our week in Utah/Detroit, we found out that my sister's mother-in-law passed away. She was the sweetest lady in the world. Very pure in heart. Jose and Karina (my sister) asked me to speak at the funeral and it was an honor to do so. I don't have any pictures of that for obvious reasons, but it was a beautiful funeral.

On our way back we decided to stop in Philadelphia. I had been there on a school trip while growing up in NYC but it had been a while. Kevin went a few years ago while rotating in MD so it was still fresh in his mind.

*This is right outside Independence Hall (on the back end). We didn't take a tour because it was 11 and the next tour was at 3, so we just walked around, and enjoyed the feeling of Independence and Freedom. This is a statue of John Barry. He is the founder of the Navy so we thought it appropriate to have our own sailor pay his respects*

*Everyone asks how my kids are doing with all this traveling, but actually they are doing great. Emma has gotten used to the car seat and as long as we allow Joey to get his wiggles out, he is a trooper. Why are we going to let children rain on our parade? This is our way of culturing them and getting them used to seeing the world but still remember where they came from. Plus we always make sure to do something for them.*

*Emma was sleeping. Joey was....well, you know*

Winegar Family Reunion 2009

2009-05-21T21:42:00.004-04:00

27 people- 12 adults and 15 children (and 1 on the way) gathered together for the first annual Winegar Family Reunion. Thats right I said first ANNUAL because we need to do it again. It was so much fun!!!!! We played outside, we cooked, ate, talked about scrapbooking, Grey's Anatomy, XBox, tried to play Wii at the hotel and that didn't work, let Joey chase Bindi around, went to Draper temple, Oqquirrah Mountain open house (VIP style), baptisms, blessing, drove to Layton to see more friends and family, CAFE RIO, GANDOLFO's, Amy hurt her toe playing kick ball, Kevin played tagg with Mattew and Analise like he was 8 himself, Shauna laughed so hard at Amy that she cried, Big Emma held little Emma lots, met Mason's first crush... and it just goes on of all fun memories we created. Family Rocks!

This was the only good picture we could get of the grandkids with the grand parents or the Grammy and Papa. Joey was not cooperating, Emma was crying, Analise was bored, Logan thought his own camera was much more fun, Ryan was being silly...what else can we expect.

Awww so nice! Here we are all 27! I love this picture!

Only decent picture of Joey I get and than Emma decides to not cooperate!

The kids!

Kevin can never take a serious picture, Shauna crying, David and his guns he got in Iraq :)!

My sweet heart. My childhood friend Dixie took our family pictures. She was so amazing. We are so grateful, Dixie! Thank you

P.S. Remember that you can click to the bottom of the email to go to the actual blog.

P.S.S. The Mora family couldn't come because of my Mother's recent surgery. She was really understanding and with us in Spirit and she is recovering well. Thank you for your prayers.

Blessing Day

2009-05-21T21:30:00.003-04:00

May 9. 2009 was a special day for the Winegar Family. David, Kevin's younger brother, was in Iraq serving his second tour these last 18 or so months and while he was gone, 3 grandchildren turned 8 and Emma was born. The Moms felt it would be a wonderful event if we saved the baptisms and blessing for David's arrival and had a family reunion. It was the best idea ever. We hadn't all been together since Kevin and I were married six years ago and it was worth the wait. Hopefully we don't have to wait that long again.

Emma was blessed by her dad and was given the name of Emma Noel Winegar. She was blessed to be full of service, compassion, a healthy body, a good example, and the list goes on. I made her her beautiful white dress and it was darling on her. I read that pattern for weeks before I actually bought the fabric and I am so glad that she is able to have that when she is older. Maybe she will use it for her little girl.

Emma is Daddy's little princess. We are so blessed that he has the Priesthood and can bless our children. He thinks so hard about his blessings because he wants them to not lack and we are so grateful that he listens to the Spirit.

Big Brother Joey doesn't like pictures very much. I refuse to go to a studio until he changes his mind. Meanwhile, we have fun thinking back at his refusals to take a picture, though its not so funny at the time.

This is Scott Kinney with his lovely daughter Analise Marie and Neil aka Papa Winegar with this handsome young man Matthew. Both were baptized that day as well. Both are special spirits and we are so blessed to have them as part of our family.

Catch up...

2009-05-04T13:39:00.006-04:00

I have to catch up on some pictures so that I don't forget when I want to scrapbook them. I told you I have issues downloading pictures. This is on our wedding day May 1, 2003 (see below) but I love this picture because Dad forgot his shoes in NYC and so he had to wear his tennis shoes. He was a good sport too. You'd think that I was a bridezilla because of it, but I was just happy that they were there!

I love playing dress up with Emma! Poor Girl! She wears so many dresses and bows. Its actually funny though because I find it harder to shop for girls than for boys. Maybe I just have almost 3 years of experience to shop for boys. But when I shop for Emma its such an ordeal and I feel like I have to contemplate every outfit. Oh..well. Its the people that make the clothes and this is one beautiful little person!

Joey loves to give "Yister" kisses. I am so glad he doesn't beat on her. Instead he calls her "Clute" and is always kissing her.

This is Emma's Easter dress. I made it and I am glad its only a picture that you see because I don't want you to look too closely. She looked really cute and girly!

Joey opening his Easter suprises!

On May 1st we celebrated 6 years of marriage. We went to the temple that day to do sealings. We have made it a tradition to go every year and do sealings on our Anniversary. It is so nice because we love to remember the covenants we have made and be able to help others make those same covenants. It was great to go to the DC temple this year but we forgot which room we were sealed in ;(. It was still a nice evening with my hubby. 6 years went by way too fast and I can't imagine not having all of eternity to spend with him. See him almost breaking his back with my 100 lb dress?

So much to be grateful for...

2009-04-28T09:39:00.003-04:00

As much as I love to blog, I still haven't figured out how to download the pictures in order so they are not in chronological order. Well actually they are from end to beginning so the bottom pics are from when we got there. This picture is from yesterday before I left. I have a childhood friend that I have known since the first grade and we were literally in every class together from 1-12. She came and saw my mother yesterday since she was discharged from the hospital and she wanted to meet my children. Her name is Jackie and she is such a sweetheart. I am glad we were able to meet up again.

I went to church on Sunday with my sister in New Jersey. It was so great to spend time with her and her family. She has a special family and they are so determined to do what is right. I am grateful for her example. Bianca and Sabrina are my nieces and they are so big. Its unbelievable! Bianca is in YW and I just never realized we would be talking about personal progress and Twilight and the Naked Brothers and all this teenage stuff. They just grow too fast!

My sister has two dogs, Sasha and Ginger, and Joey was in 7th heaven. He wasn't mean to the dogs but he insisted on carrying them everywhere and laying down with them and playing. It was so cute. It made me want to get him a dog but its not going to happen. I don't even want to potty train Joey, there is no way I am training a dog.

On Saturday morning after we saw my mom, I took Joey to the Central Park Zoo. OK, me with two kids, in a double stroller, in a busy city, with Subways without elevators, in 90 degree weather. It wears me out just reliving it! But Joey had tons of fun and that is all that matters. This really cool Panda Bear was really friendly and getting a kick out of the kids. It was at this window for like 10 minutes just chillin'! It was awesome! The kids went wild and it was like pulling teeth to get close but it was a cool sight to see.

Joey was my little tour guide. He realized that I kept looking at the map and said, "Joey do it." He than would point to an animal on the map and say, "This One!" And start running off! It was hilarious. He did do really good at stay close to me and I am learning to not be so paranoid. He runs off a little but he is learning to come back and make sure he is safe. Where was Emma? Sleeping like always!

OK, so here is the purpose of my trip to NYC. My mother had been suffering from a herniated disc in her neck for a month or so. She went to the ER in the beginning and they pretty much gave her pain control meds and said it should go down. Well once the meds wore off she was in the same shape if not worse. She started loosing feeling in her arm and it became swollen (right arm). So my brother told her not to take her meds and decided to take her to the ER again so that they could see the pain that she was in. They called for a Neuro consult and surgery was suggested. During her evaluation, the Surgeon said it was the biggest case he had seen in the last six months so he scheduled her surgery immediately so that it wouldn't get worse. In the process they realized she had Type II diabetes and high blood pressure. So she had to be admitted for a few days before surgery to get medically cleared. Her surgery was Friday and it went really well. She got a blessing from the Bishopric and has started to become a different person. I had asked many of you to keep her in your prayers and I appreciate it and I will tell you that your prayers were answered. When I saw her Saturday she asked me to sit down because she wanted to talk to me. She said that she wanted to go back to church, she wanted to work with the missionaries and help people know the gospel, she wanted to become temple worthy again, and has started to read the scriptures again. She asked me to help her and to encourage her and not give up on her. As she told me all of this, I had a feeling that it would be difficult for her but with diligence and support, she would do it. I also felt all of your prayers and the faith behind them. So even though her physical being wasn't a medical emergency or big scare, it helped her put her spiritual matters in perspective. So thank you so much. I am so grateful for all of your prayers, faith, and support. She is home now and is getting help at home to bounce back.

This is my big brother, Aristy, my Mom, and I. Aristy has been such a good helper! He has been there for her 24/7 and I am so grateful that he has the opportunity to do that.

My mom just LOVED Emma! She was amazed at how big she was and loved her big eyes and smile. I made an effort to spend as much time there as I could so she can be with the kids so I would go in the morning, leave in the mid day so that Joey could get a break, and go back in the afternoon. It turned out pretty good.

Joey was actually friendly with Grandma and gave her hugs and kisses. They are good buds!

Well I have more adventures to blog about but I have bigger adventures with laundry to go to! FUN! Thanks again!

Our Little Princess

2009-04-05T11:35:00.003-04:00

This ward, Derwood, is so wonderful to me and my family. There are so many talented people in the ward. My awesome friend, Jessica Willis, had a little girl on Monday-VERY CUTE- and I had Emma on Tuesday. She played dress up with her little girl and was generous enough to offer to do the same with Emma so she can practice her Photography. Here are some of the pictures she took. I might be predjudiced, but I absolutely love them. I feel that she captured Emma exactly how she is- Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed! I love the details of her eyes, her fat rolls, and her serious expression. Girls are so much fun! Thanks, Jessica!

Cherry Blossoms

2009-04-05T10:47:00.005-04:00

We only have a couple more months in the DC area so we wanted to make sure we got enough of the Capital Mall as possible. Yesterday was the Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade. We decided to attempt to go to the parade. There was sooo many people there. We got there right at 10 but it was impossible to see anything so we just walked the parade route and enjoyed the people and the music playing. It was really windy and it made me and the kids a little sick but it was a nice time to spend together with my family since Kevin is always working.

This is my childhood friend, Luz. We have been friends since Girls Camp. She lives in Alexandria, VA and was sweet enough to meet us at the Mall and spend a few hours with us. We walked to Chinatown and had a wonderful salad wrap.

This is her little boy, Canaan. Well not so little anymore since he is 8 months but he is so cute. He kept wanting to eat her wrap. I would too if I had to eat Butternut Squash.

This is my very poetic husband. Its very few the pictures that I have of him with an actual smile. He always has to have a silly face or pose. But here he seriously proud to be an American in front of the Capital.

Oh...Joey. We were so paranoid that he was going to fall down to the lake. Thank goodness he didn't. He kept calling it Crocodile Lake and saying, "Crocodile, Are you?"

The Cherry Blossoms are pretty much everywhere, even in our neighborhood, but there are clusters of them in between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial. They are so beautiful and smell so yummy.

Growing up in NYC was awesome because we took the Subway everywhere we went. I didn't even learn how to drive until I was 18. So I missed that living in the West Coast. But we love having the Metro close by to us. We take it to the zoo, the Mall, and Kevin takes it to work.

Joey LOVES trains. He loves Thomas and Friends and takes them everywhere he goes. So to take the Metro is a big treat for him because its like Thomas has come alive for him. If you notice he has his trains in his little hands.

It was a good day. We than came back and caught up on Conference and watched the afternoon session. I have been working with Joey and trying to get him to be reverent and we explained to him about Conference and that the Prophet and Apostles were going to speak to us. We told him he can play with his toys quietly but right now we were going to watch Conference. He did so good. We were so impressed. He played quietly for a little bit but later asked me for a blanket and cuddled with me on the couch. I felt such a warm feeling having him be so peaceful. There is more of conference to come but so far I appreciated Elder Hales talk. Many of you know how much I love to shop and a few years ago I would have been upset about a talk like that. Well maybe not upset...but I don't know. Anyhow...after many lessons learned, I appreciated his counsel and hope to learn how to live a more provident life. I also appreciated the talk by the Primary Counselor. It helped find many answers and hope to prayers about raising a reverent toddler. It helped me realize that it can't be done overnight and that maybe I am not the only one with an active toddler but its ok and there is hope and he is still special! I am so glad our Father in Heaven speaks to us in these latter days. TTFN

27

2009-03-24T16:24:00.004-04:00

I cannot believe that I am 27 already! I still am not over the fact that I am older than the missionaries. I thought that was impossible. I guess they are still more mature than I am at least spiritually. I had a good birthday. It was really simple but still very nice. My mother came down from NYC on Friday night until Sunday morning. She brought down with her my favorite meat, a Pork Shoulder-fully seasoned (and frozen).

We cooked it on Sunday and had some good friends over for dinner. We had a tres leches cake which is my favorite and just let the kids play. Our husbands left us to go to a Stake Priesthood meeting. Kevin didn't want to leave me on my birthday but what better present than to have him continue to honor his priesthood. We attempted a family picture and well, the above picture is the result. That is why I won't pay for one yet because Joey won't cooperate. I still love him So many things to wish for.... I did get money for my birthday which I am saving to do some major shopping. I just need to loose 7 more lbs to be pre-preggos and than I will stimulate the economy.

My little girl! I cannot stop kissing her, loving her, hugging her... She is so sweet

On Saturday we went to a good friend's birthday party, Nathan, and we shot rockets. Joey didn't want his to fall apart so he refused to shoot it but he was fascinated by the experience. Kevin took this picture and I love it because I hope to always walk beside my son and never have him be too cool to be seen with me.

This is Joey's rocket. Once again, he refused to take a picture.
Anyhow, I did have a great birthday and I appreciate all the well wishes, presents, cards, calls, and friendships. Thank you so much!

St. Patty's Day

2009-03-19T21:43:00.003-04:00

I don't know what it is about St. Patrick's Day that I love so much. Maybe its that I have some great Irish friends. Or maybe I just love to celebrate culture. Whatever it is, I love to make a big Irish meal and have fun this time of year. It means that Spring is near, which means summer is coming, which means brighter warmer days. I guess I just want to have something stable and some traditions established in our families since we have to move so much.

On actual St. Patrick's Day, I took Nathan, Enzo ( I watch these brothers for a few more months), Joey, and Emma to the Brookside Nature Center and we followed the trail that the Leprechaun's left behind in the green house, the boys loved to smell the "Yummy Flowers" and they were so happy to be out and running.

Joey was naughty and kept picking the flowers and throwing them in the pond. He did smell them before he threw them and inhaled deeply and romantically :) It was cute.

Since Kevin works until goodness knows when sometimes, we had our Irish dinner on Sunday. The missionaries came over and we had Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, Irish Soda Bread, and Apple Cake! Not to toot my own horn but, it was SOOO Good. Even the leftovers were really yummy.

Kevin doesn't like boiled meat, so I had to improvise and steam it in the oven and than cook the veggies on the stove top but with the same meat seasonings. It was tricky but Mom helped me figure it out. I wish we would have been together! He can never be serious when I take a picture of him! UGHH!

Kevin had to work last Saturday but there was a parade at a local shopping center so I decided to take the kids. Well this is what happened! They both slept. I was the only brown person there, so I stood on the side lines and watched and waited until Joey woke up. We than did some crafts by a pond but I forgot to take pictures. Just take my word for it. Anyhow, it was lots of fun. Its fun to have Joey big enough to kind of understand and want to participate. Its just keeping him interested that's the challenge. Boys will be boys!

Picture Tagged

2009-03-14T15:54:00.003-04:00

I got picture tagged! Thanks Emeline! I cannot believe this picture. This is when Joey was about 7 months old. Jessica Peterson used to baby sit him and I would pick him up after a long day of working at Washington Mutual and just sit with him on the couch for hours just holding him and making him laugh, taking pictures, feeding him, and the list goes on. I miss those days when he let me hold him like that. Check out the double chin and arm pit rolls! Such a good blackmail picture when he is too cool to take out the trash or go to Mutual!

So I tag, Jessica Willis, Merry Rowe, Ana, Vivian Logsdon, Erica Dryden, and Luz

Go to your pictures, the sixth file, the sixth picture and blog about it. Tag someone else! XOXO

Emma Talking to Daddy

2009-03-13T09:51:00.004-04:00

Every time we try to record her talking, Joey talks louder. Oh well, I am sure I will want her to stop talking when she's a teenager! You will have to pause the other music.