Are. We. There. Yet?

Sorry I've been M.I.A for the past couple months. The move has totally wiped me out and things have been hectic. We didn't have internet for almost a month, and then school started right away here in Georgia. I feel like things are becoming more normal for the Hendersons. Well as "normal" as things get in the Army.

Here we go way back to the end of May, actually Memorial Day weekend. It's crazy to think it's been that long, because Labor Day weekend is just around the corner!

After we cleared housing we spent the holiday weekend at my brothers in Corvallis, OR. We welcomed a new member to the Howeth family in May....Eden Mae Howeth. She is just gorgeous! Very petite, sweet, and I miss her and Tucker :( Here is Uncle Rande holding Eden. I tried convincing him we needed another one, but no luck

Good morning Tucker! I tried helping the 2nd x new parents by getting up with Tuck and spending some time with him. I miss him :(. Cheerios, Chocolate milk and coffee were our morning ritual. The coffee was for Tucker, right Liz? He is such a fun little guy and melts my heart

After we left Josh and Liz's we headed to Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. This was our second time there, and was kind of a celebration of Ashlee getting her cast off. We had tons of fun! Christian kept his wrist band on until just last week. He was going for a world record

Ashlee was scared to go down the slide at first, but that quickly dissipated

This is Christian and his "friend". It was a girl whom he ran around with all day long. He was quite disappointed when she left. Too cute!

Taking a moment to get a quick picture in

We stayed in the hotel on Ft. Lewis for 3 weeks so the kids could finish a few more weeks of school. On the 17th of June we began our journey across country.

First stop, Missoula, MT! We stayed with my parents for a few days and spent Father's day with my Dad. I think it had been several years since I was able to be with him. It was a special and relaxing day. It was the 2nd Father's day we have spent with Rande in 9 years. - so extra special!

We hiked the "M"

beautiful view of Missoula

the crew

Then we headed to Helena, to spend time with Rande's parents and friends. I wanted to stop in Deer Lodge and show the kids and Rande were I lived for 4 years as a kid. We visited the Old Prison Museum that I never went to in the 4 years we lived there. It was so fun and neat!

being bad

always good. :) Ashlee was too scared to go in the cell

We saw Aunt Shelly (Rande's sister if you can't tell)

cousins Hunter and Toston (Shelly's boys)

After we visited a few days in Helena, we wanted to take the kids to Yellowstone. Rande and I both have been but the kids hadn't. They loved it and it was a super fun day!

Rande and I at Mammoth Hot Springs

Lower Falls. It was quite the hike down - my legs were shaking it was so steep and the kids had quite the climb back up. But they were troopers!

Old Faithful

On our way back to Livingston we saw this, and thought it was funny. Although I had never seen these rivers in Montana this high, ever! It was really green and beautiful though

We headed to Mt. Rushmore the next day after Yellowstone. Here is a picture of the Bad Lands. it was very usual weather when we went through. We could have worn pants and sweatshirts. But the land was very cool and fun to see.

MT. Rushmore! We made it to Rapid City late afternoon. Our intent was to see the light show they had that evening. As we arrived there was a huge thunderstorm headed our way. After the gift shop we headed toward the mountain and over the loud speaker they told us to head indoors due to severe weather. It was a really nasty storm, the kids were scared, so as any good parent does, we bought them ice cream in the restaurant. After the storm passed we made it just in time for the light show. It was very cool and I mean that literally. :) There was also quite a light show off to our right (lightning).

Prior to the storm. Just so you understand how tiered we were. This is after driving in the car from Livingston, MT to Rapid City, SD. Very long drive!

Beautiful sunset, and handsome boy

After leaving Rapid City, SD we had our longest drive yet. I seriously think SD is the longest state, just saying. We drove all the way to Omaha, NE and stayed at Offut AFB. For $39!!! Gotta love the military pricing. This is a B52 outside the gate to Offut AFB. Christian and Rande were in awe!

After leaving Offut, we passed over a bridge over the Missouri River. It was crazy all the flooding we saw. It added about 4 hours to our trip, but the detour took us to some cute little country towns in Iowa (corn fields, and all)

Taking a break from DVD player and DS. See the GWL bracelet?

I am so lame. I'm realizing now how many pictures I DIDN'T take. Hopefully this will be a lesson learned. But we have some amazing friends we made while stationed at Ft. Lewis - THE NEVILS! They were so kind to invite us to stay with them on our journey down to Ft. Benning. I wish we could have stayed an extra day or two. St. Louis sounds so fun. Tiffany was telling us how there are so many FREE things to do. We will definitely go visit them again. It is only 12 hours away! We sure loved their hospitality and friendship, they mean a lot to us and were such a blessing and gift from God.

After the Nevils we traveled to Nashville! This is the stop I was looking forward to. We visited the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home). Here are the kiddos listening to their audio tour. They truly enjoyed it because there was a parrot that narrated a "kid version" of the tour.

Andrew Jackson's grave

The Hermitage

CMT - downtown Nashville

We wanted to make it to the Grand ol Oprey and Country Music Hall of Fame. However, we were so exhausted we slept in until 930am, went to the Hermitage and spent 3 hours there. By the time we were done, it was almost closing time. So we took the kids to the science center instead. We are planning a trip back to Nashville while we are here. It's only 6 hours away I think. I'm hoping to get my Sister-in-law here and take her! (wink, wink)

After Nashville we stopped at my friend Emily's house in Alabama. She is another blessing in our lives whom we met in Ft. Lewis. That woman amazes me every day! Again, I didn't take any pictures :( boo me!

After a week in the hotel, living in an empty house for 1 1/2 weeks, movers, and unpacking we are all settled in our house. I'll post pictures on the blog soon. Like I said, there is a lot of catching up to do! Thank you for all your prayers for safe travels. The kids traveled wonderfully, I think I was more anxious than they were. We made it without one problem - God is sure good!

From Apples to Peaches (maybe oranges?)

I sit here in our hotel room in Ft. Lewis tonight, thinking about all the wonderful people and memories that we have been blessed to have here over the next 4 1/2 yrs. But I am also fighting the urges to stress, worry and doubt.

Rainier Inn

For the past 3 weeks we have stayed here at the good old Rainier Inn. It really hasn't been that bad. We have a kitchenette, as well as a separate bedroom. God has answered our prayers and heard the desires of our hearts over and over again, and yet there are times I still doubt and worry.

A couple of weeks ago, Rande received a call from Ranger Battalion telling him that it is possible they may be sending us to Florida after 4-6 months at Ft. Benning, GA. My old self would have flown off the handle and said "WHAT?!" Now I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, "Steph...Florida!! That's awesome!". Well it is and yes it's beautiful, and yes there are white beaches and clear blue water. But I'm concerned for my babies. They will just be getting adjusted to their new school, surroundings, friends, routine, etc. and then it's all going to change again. Kids are resilient, but they are also human too. They get attached, they thrive on the comfort of their surroundings.

The River walk in downtown Columbus, GA

Navarre beach, Fl. Possibly where we might live. Ok, so it is AMAZING and I just say homeschool. What about you? ha ha!

With all that being said, I'm really at peace with it all. Originally we had orders to Florida. I told Rande that if we are meant to go to Florida it will be. Because the only way I know we'll be taken care of is when we are in the center of God's will. It may not be easy at times, in fact it may have many challenges. But if we continue to have Faith in him and trust that he WILL take care of all our NEEDS, not WANTS, we will be satisfied.

Please pray for our little family over the next few weeks. Here are some specific things to pray for:

1. Safety as we travel

2. Patience and Understanding with one another (Especially being in the same car for days on end)

3. No vehicle problems

4. Our house down at Ft. Benning comes available earlier than they are telling us (Mid-late July)

5. Peace and comfort in our hearts as we say good bye to friends here at Ft. Lewis

6. A positive and fun attitude and enjoyment on our "vacation"

Thank you all so much for praying. I'll be sure to blog some more soon.

Smash hit birthday!

So last Saturday (May 7th) we had Christian's 9th birthday party. What a great turn out we had! Lots of family and friends were able to come and celebrate this special day with us. The morning started out a little rough. That Friday I received a call from the school that Christian wasn't feeling well. The nurse said he had a really bad headache and didn't look like he felt well. I thought maybe this was one of his "schemes". After talking to him on the phone and telling him he would have to take a nap and he reluctantly agreed, I knew he wasn't feeling well. So all that being said, he started running a fever Friday night/Saturday morning - 3am to be exact :) I took him to the pediatric clinic Saturday morning and he had a sinus infection and beginning of an ear infection. He still wanted his party to go on, but we didn't go to his baseball game. After the doctor and pharmacy (1 1/2 hrs later) we were able to get set up for the party. Thanks to my terrific mom and sister the party was a hit!
Thanks again to all who came, and helped us clean up in the end. Here are a few pictures :)


"foul ball fruit", "pop fly popcorn"

I had fun doing the 'grass'

We had "no hit nachos", "home run hot dogs", "dug out hamburgers"

kids were chomping at the bit to get to those cupcakes

Poor guy wasn't feeling well

Baseball pinata

Christian had a brief moment of feeling better to hit the pinata

One armed little girl, she did great

Not feeling well :(

pictures were blurry, but here's the best one of him opening up gifts

Christian's birthday party ideas

I swear there was still 2 months until Christian's birthday. Today I looked at the calandar and nope....2 weeks! AHHH! I am so excited to do his party this year, because last year was kind of a drag. I will admit, with Rande deployed I was a little out of the "celebration" spirit (bad mom, I know). So this year with us moving and his party, I was going to do it big. I reserved the community center a month ago and looked online for some ideas. Christian wants a baseball themed party. Here are some of the ideas I found:

Party invitations

Birthday cake

Cupcakes for the kids (the grass ones are my favorite)

These pictures I found on a blog. Pretty cute ideas for decorating

I think we'll serve hot dogs wrapped in foil like at the ball park, have popcorn and other ball park favorites. Then we'll have a good old fashioned baseball game and pinata.

So, what do you think? Any other ideas, suggestions? I know there are some crafty moms out there that read this blog.I better work on the invites by this weekend.

Tramatic Saturday

Do you ever have a day, that you could just ask for a "do-over"? Saturday was that day for our family.

For the past 5 days, my life has consisted of:

If I hear the theme song one more time, I may go crazy.

Immune to this stuff now

sweats are comfy, and my jeans are a little tight

SLEEP! That's all I need right now

As many of you facebook followers know, Ashlee broke her arm on Saturday. Here's the full story:

Saturday morning we were having a garage sale. Ashlee and her friends wanted to jump on the trampoline. The trampoline net had ripped and we were planning on replacing it once we moved. Rande sewed it back together Saturday before the kids started to jump.

About 15 minutes later Ashlee's friend came and told us she fell off the trampoline, and broke her arm. We figured he was exaggerating, but Rande went to check on her, while I finished up with a shopper. After the lady left I went to go see if she was OK, and I saw Rande come around the corner carrying Ashlee and the look on his face said everything wasn't. We immediately threw the items from the garage sale inside the garage, gathered the necessities (purse, shoes, IDs, etc) and headed to the ER.

Once we arrived at the ER, Rande took Ashlee inside, while Christian and I parked the car. There was a line of people waiting to sign into the ER. The lady (rude, inconsiderate, heartless) at the front desk said we had to sign in before they would see our screaming child. We had every one's attention by this time. A nice gentlemen let me cut in front of him after he saw the panic, concern, and frustration in our faces. They did see us immediately and we were put into a room. The gave her morphine and we waited for x-rays. Rande went with Ashlee into the x-ray room. They didn't want to take a chance that I may be pregnant, so Rande was allowed in there. It was horrible for both of us to hear and see her in so much pain. Rande had to help them take the x-rays while I waited outside hearing her scream my name and cry for what seemed like an hour or more.

Once the x rays were done we found out the severity of the break. She fractured her Ulna (one of two bones in your lower arm) and broke off the head of her Radius (the other bone in your lower arm). The Radial head helps you extend and rotate your arm. The doctor told us he was going to sedate her and try to manually manipulate the piece back into place. If that didn't work we would have to do surgery. Rande once again stayed in the room, while I took Christian out. I don't think I could have been in the room anyways. Rande wanted to punch the doctor in the face. Ashlee was still kicking her legs and reacting to the pain after sedation, that's how bad it was. Unfortunately the torture didn't do a thing but make her loopy from the sedation. Side note; Ashlee doesn't react to pain medicine well.

They admitted us into the hospital for the night with plans for surgery the next day. I stayed with her over night while Rande took Christian home. It was a LONG night to say the least. A mix of morphine and oxicodone helped a little. But my poor baby girl was in so much pain and I just couldn't help her.

The next morning, she has surgery and they fixed the elbow. We spent most of the afternoon Sunday in recovery (like I said she doesn't handle sedation or pain medication well). We were discharged later that evening and have been home ever since.

Sunday night was long, Monday day was long, but yesterday there was hope. She actually wanted to step outside and see her friends for a little while. We are hoping to go to school for at least an hour tomorrow, and maybe full day on Friday (2 1/2 hours is all).

We still have a long road to recovery. There is one final concern, and that is the blood vessels reestablishing blood flow to the radial head. If it doesn't, the bone will die, which means more surgery. We are praying it heals well and fast, the doctor said 4-6 weeks. Ashlee is already tired of the cast and wants it off, the itching, and healing process has begun. It's uncomfortable and very annoying as she puts it. Please continue to pray for her. But her spirits are better the past couple of days. I was worried, she seemed pretty depressed about it all.

She tried to color with her left hand and did a great job, I am so proud of her! She is one tough little girl.

Bad Blogger

Sorry I've been horrible blogging lately. Things became a little crazy the end of January/beginning of February.

My Grandpa passed away Feb. 1st, and we spent a week in Montana. It was a week on an emotional roller coaster. Sad that he passed away, happy he wasn't suffering any more. It was great to see all the family again (minus a couple people).


We then came home, and had a week of "catch up" before Rande returned Thursday evening (17th). So far we've had a short, but fun time together. He already had to work all day and night yesterday. It's so weird to think he's been gone since we returned home from Montana after Christmas.

Not much to blog about right now. Hopefully I'll have something good this week.