To infinity and beyond.....Just Keep swimming

End of the Year and such

2009-06-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well I have a first grader, a big tooth loosing, reading, chinese talking first grader. Alex as he is known in Wang laoshi class is a big guy of 6 who did really well for his first year. He loves his friends and is very sad school is over with. This summer we will be keeping up with Chinese studies through a chinese class with his teacher twice a week and he will be concentrating on swimming lessons with Inara down at the beach.
Inara is thrilled that her brother is around to play all day long. She is very grown up for three and recently was a princess for a day in her Uncle Jimmy's wedding. Pictures to follow.
The twins are have grown like weeds they are nine months old as of June 1st. Leo has 6 teeth and Max has no teeth. They are both crawling around like crazy and getting into everything. Max enjoys clapping for himself and Leo enjoys flirting with everyone.
Oh side note I have lost all the phone numbers in my cell phone so please call me my number has stayed the same but I have a new phone with no one's numbers in it.

2009-04-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

This was the kids on Sunday morning. We gave the twins their name and blessing at church. In the photos Max is on the left in Xander's lap and Leo is on the right. For those of you who haven't heard the twins full names here they are. At this point most of you aren't surprised when our children have unusual names. Leonidas Aslan Rex and Maximus Achilles Roland are the boys names.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas is right around the corner..
Time sure has flown by and the twins have gotten big. This year has been really exciting and really hard in a lot of ways. We are scheduled to close on our new house this week so it's like a fabulous Christmas present. Our new address is 6040 Riviera Lane Excelsior MN 55331.

Waiting

2008-08-28T14:04:00.001-07:00

So I guess it's time to put something on here, although I still haven't finished our vacation posting. I still want to do that but for now I thought I should write a quick update. We are all officially in Mn now. Scott has started his new job and our house is sold. We feel incredibly blessed as to how smooth everything has fallen into place. Scott was officially transfered at the beginning of July so that I could get moved here and settled with the new doctor's before I got too far along. My parents graciously have opened their home to us and my sister and mom have been such a big help with the kids as I go to doctors appointments and become increasingly too big to do much. Our house sold in a market that wasn't moving and they were able to close quickly. Scott and I were so grateful to our friends, family and the people from our church that showed up to help us unload the moving truck into the storage unit it made short work of a long process for us. It's been a fast and furious change for us and there has seemed so much to do but I think we might have a handle on it all before Xander starts school next week and the twins show up. Granted they can show up at anytime. I am officially in my last month and they are estimating that they weigh 6 and 7 pounds. Max is would seem is bigger but we will see if that is accurate when they arrive. We miss our friends dearly in Wisconsin and look forward to seeing them at some point in the future. We are excited to be here in Minnesota and look forward to being able to visit with all the dear people that we left behind 4 years ago. We feel so blessed by the lord to have wonderful and dear people to share our lives in no matter where we go and that includes our family far away. I wish we could have all the people we love in one place near us but I know that no matter how far or close we are good relationships last. Much love to you all.
Tara

Exciting April

2008-04-29T08:19:00.002-07:00

SOOOOO Xander is 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday Xander. I also had a birthday but mine is anti-climactic. We spent some time in MN with our families and friends, although as always we missed some people, sorry Amy and Dana. We promise to try to see those we didn't next time. It becomes hard with so little time to fit everyone we love in to a small time frame. Especially when you have lots of family. We did some fun things like getting a new family picture which I will post here soon. Xander had lots of birthday fun. He is really into swimming and the water. So we got him a new snorkel and mask, he can actually swim without help with the snorkel and mask. We also got him this cool underwater camera to take pictures underwater and he loves it. We can't wait to take it to Florida with us. We measured him on our family wall where we mark our kids and Xander has grown 2 inches since February. He starts swimming lessons today and he is sooooo excited. Inara got her hair cut and she is just as cute as ever. She is working on her swimming too and loves the YMCA, actually we all do. More to come when the kids aren't running amuck.

2008-04-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

New Photos

2008-04-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we braved trying to get new family photos. If you go to flashportraits.com and click on my portraits then type in our last name, Hawks our password is Xander. The pictures won't be online forever just the next 90 days but we are buying the CD with them all on it so I will post some here when we get them back. Of course the children were amped up and Xander couldn't sit still but some did turn out really cute and it will be hard to decide which ones to put up. Stay tuned for more exciting posts Xander turns 5 this week and I turn 31 next week. Hugs to all!

Exciting things in March

2008-03-29T17:12:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of my big grown up boy on the day of kindergarten registration. We are fortunate enough to live in the area that is in the best school for our district. Xander and I went last week to registration and met the school staff. This is the picture he made when he went with the other kids and the teachers for an hour to play and learn. He even made a new little friend named Austin. It was very exciting!Inara is getting big she is modeling her biker babe look with her Harley jacket.

Baby Kingston is here! We have been very blessed with a batch of new nephews. At the beginning of December Casey Scott's sister had Lucas Davon, whom we are eager to see but haven't had the chance since they live in Aberdeen. I am planning on getting to hold that little guy this summer. Then in January Scott's other sister Amy had Ethan Pasquale, and we haven't gotten a chance to meet him either since they live in Florida. However we are planning a trip for August to Florida and are very excited to see this handsome little guy. The pictures below are of Kingston River born on March 1st, just an hour shy of being a leap year baby. I was blessed to have jetted up to MN in time to help out. Mostly that meant trying to keep his big brother Kodi happy while mom was in the hospital. Kingston is my sister Mary's second baby boy. Unfortunately after we came home we got hit with the stomache flu for a week then the cold flu with some ear problems for two weeks so March has been a hard month. Scott spent the last week in March in Indiana which was hard since I was getting over being sick. It is time for spring! Although we did get a trip into the doctor this last week while dad was gone despite us all being well. Inara shoved playdough up her nose. Yup, it's finally happened a foreign object lodged in my kids nose. By the time the doctor got around to seeing us she had snorted it up so far she had ended up swallowing it. I would say we are done with the clinic for a good long while but I have a baby doctor appointment this week. We are getting to know the receptionist really well.

BABY HAWKS ON THE WAY

2008-03-29T16:59:00.001-07:00

Yup, this is the face of a new father. I am just kidding Scott was way more mellow when I told him that the fabulous little test that I took into the bathroom had two lines on it.

So that is my newest excuse as to why now in March I am updating for the last three months. I have been feeling like roadkill and the blog has been the last thing on my mind. I literally mean roadkill as in I have been hit by a truck and I am not getting up. I thought that since I have already been around the block two times that I would have a handle on this thing we call fertilization. Wrong! Chasing around a 5 and a 2 year old is a whole other dimension that I call the world without rest. I long for my days of taking a nap when that little ball of cells that is multiplying exponentially gets me yawning, or the ability to just eat soda crackers and avoid all other food smells was a possibility. Now I have to keep track of my two children who seem to need to eat consistently, unlike your fish that you feed once a day, and are in need of social and emotional desires. Thankfully we have passed the 12 week mark in fact this week is our 16th week. We heard the baby's heartbeat at our last appointment so indeed it is a baby and I am not just eating too many Cadbury eggs. The newest member of our family is due to arrive September 23, 2008. We are very excited and so our the kiddos. Xander kissed my belly the other day when I dropped him off at preschool so he could say good-bye to the baby. Inara is beginning to understand what a baby is. Look for my ever expanding waistline in the near future!

2008-03-29T16:19:00.001-07:00

We had a great Christmas but for some reason I can't publish our Santa photo. Inara's birthday is in January and we had a good second birthday. Here she is our big 2 year old getting her first haircut. We had a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese with some of our favorite people in Wisconsin, the Furgeson's and the Couch/Wichern clan. She is getting very grown-up she likes princess things and Dora the Explorer. Her favorite person is Xander who she calls, "Baboe" because she couldn't say brother awhile back and it came out that way instead. She likes songs, books and animals. I can't believe that it's been two years already!

2007-11-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

2007-11-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

2007-11-09T12:39:00.001-08:00

So let me explain the pictures... We ran our first 5k as a family and although I came in way behind Scott and the kids I still finished which was a big deal for me I plan to keep running and cute some time off my finish next time. The really cool part was Xander ran the last 1/4 of a mile with me, Scott came back and he jumped out of the jogging stroller and took off. "Mama come on you can do it," he kept saying to me. It was a very cool experience. There is also the picture of me wrapping both of my children in my baby wrap which is pretty heavy but they both want mama. Xander as you can see loves his snorkel and the bathtub which is good because he starts swim lessons after christmas. Inara is cute and wild and has decided she is going to do everything Xander does. The last picture is of Scott. He earned the German Physical Efficiency badge which included a swim, track and field events and a very long all day ruck march. I was so proud of him he earned a gold medal. It is standard in Germany for all Officers to take this test or you don't become an officer. Halloween photos soon to come!

Isagenix

2007-11-08T20:27:00.001-08:00

I need to add a lot to the blog to catch up on the chaos that is our life. However I am really excited and want to share something new that is making some big changes in my life. I still have pain from my collarbone break and dislocation last year. Although I must admit that I have come a long way from where I was I am by no means in the physical shape I was before. I deal everyday with pain in my neck and head and I have to be careful with how much I lift or use my arm in certain positions. That is just a few of my concerns but now to why I am so happy. About a month ago my mother asked me to try this new protein/vitamin supplement shake. I was incredibly skeptical but it seemed to be doing mom good in so many areas I agreed. I took it once and have never looked back. The company is called Isagenix and they have a variety of products from a program which is giving my mom results that she has never seen in a healthy slow but effective manner, they also have vitamins both for adults and kids. Both Inara and Xander take the vitamins and after looking at the contents they kick the standard kids vitamins in the rear. I take the shake daily and it has given me so much...I have more energy and because it is protein based it lasts through out my day evening my blood sugar levels. I am much more calm and controlled, part of this is the large doses of vitamins in it. I feel like a junkie, I need my shake everyday. I am not doing the weight loss program per SE but I have lost half an inch in my waist for which I am very glad. If you have an interest in trying or asking more about the Isagenix products please ask! It has greatly improved my life and I am so happy to share any information with my family and friends. I will warn you that they have a distributor program, think pyramids but in no way am I trying to sign anybody up I am more than willing to help you get the products without the pressure or a sales pitch. In a few weeks i will be ordering single servings of the shake so if you want to try it let me know... HUGS
Tara

Daddy is home

2007-08-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

The zoo rocks! Our trip to the Milwaukee zoo with our cousins the Khans. Vijai, Macy and baby Meela.

Harry Potter Hawks

Inara and Uncle Eli

.Check out the cool face painting from the Harry Potter Party. Lightning bolts on our foreheads just like HP.

Hiking at Devils Lake

So the big news for us is that Scott is home. He didn't end up going to school after all and so we are here with him in Sun Prairie. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. The kids just adore dad and I know how hard 5 months apart was going to be on them. The down side is that Scott will not get his masters degree in 5 short months and his World of Warcraft time he thought he was going to get to wallow in is also been cut short. We have tried to spread the word but it's been a crazy summer we have been in MN for a spell, my little brother came to visit, Scott went to West Virginia and I am trying to keep the house clean for the realtor. We are still trying to sell our condo so that by next year either here or if a job on another CST in a state we like comes open we can buy a house with a yard. If you would like to see us back in MN I am asking for petitions to the big man upstairs to help us, but in reality we are very happy in Wisconsin we have wonderful friends and we are still close to home. As you can see from the pictures we attended the Harry Potter party at Barnes and Noble and had a blast. The kids are so big I can't believe how fast they grow. Well that is all for now much love to all of you!

2007-03-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Us with Mike and LauraXander and Inara dancing at the reception.
Mike and Inara

We had a great weekend. Mike and Laura our dear friends in Wisconsin got married. Laura was my first close friend in Wisconsin that helped me through the hard time I had moving here. She served a mission and came back this winter. We picked up right where we had left off and I am so grateful for her love and support. We love her new husband Mike. Inara has a special bond with Mike she simply adores him and we are so grateful that he loves her back. We feel so blessed and honored to share their special day with them and are so happy for them!

2007-03-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Inara!
Inara turned one in January, this is our princess in her unicorn costume. She won't wear the unicorn headband and I am not sure why the costume has wings but she looks really cute. Thanks to everyone who gave her a gift. She is such a joy and delight!

2007-03-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

2007-03-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Tree Disaster of 2006

2007-03-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas was eventful this year. We decided to try a live tree instead of our fake one. We found a charming tree farm with real reindeer and had an awesome family day picking out our tree. Unfortunately we seemed to have lost our green thumb because our tree started to loose needles, a lot of needles. About 10 days before Christmas Inara went to touch it and the tree fell over. Thankfully not on Inara, Scott saved her but we took the tree apart then and there and rained pine needles all over our living room. So for our family Christmas before we went to MN we opened presents without a tree. Christmas itself was a little less fun because Inara and I got the stomach flu but all in all it was a good time. We love Christmas and the joy it brings to see our family and friends. The true meaning and spirit of Christmas bring us such joy that tree or no tree it was a happy holiday.

2006-11-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

pain and the cure

2006-11-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Update, too much to update. Inara is into everything! She crawls so fast, pulls herself up, eats everything and is adorable doing it. Xander is into Star Wars lately and insists that everything is a light saber. It is entirely too cute when he starts singing the theme song. I have been in a lot of pain since June and after my fourth try of getting help this doctor actually figured it out! I broke and dislocated my clavicle or collar bone. So now I have started physical therapy and I am in lots of pain but I think it's helping. I was beginning to think that my perpetual state would be one of crabiness with my children as wandered through my day in a haze of pain. I am really excited to be able to do things again, physical things like run or jump or play without wanting to scream. So there you have it that is the pain and the cure.

Xander also continues to grow like a weed and I can't believe how tall he is, tonight we cut his hair and he looks so grown up. Of course he wailed the whole time because the hair was prickly and he didn't like it on his neck. Inara cried because her big brother was crying in the bathroom and she was locked out of the bathroom. Gaia whined because both babies were crying and I just about pulled out my hair. But I am so grateful that they love each other so much that if one cries the other one does as well.

Halloween was good and cute, Xander was Luke Skywalker and Inara was Darth Vader. I will write more later my hand is cramping and I am falling asleep!

Mama settle down

2006-09-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

So the funny thing that happened last week was I was getting frazzled and my dear sweet husband tells me to take a deep breath and calm down. This was overheard by Xander who now tells me to settle down when I am talking a little too adamently. He also told me I was talking crazy the other day which made me laugh so hard I cried. Scott had decided to play flag football with his cracked rib and called to tell me that was the plan for that evening. He plays regularly on Tuesday evenings with some friends in a city league. It's a good time for all Xander and I cheer him on and Inara eats grass so we are happy campers. I was pretty much telling Scott in no certain terms would he be playing when Xander grabs the phone informs his daddy that mommy is mad with him and talking crazy! He then chastizes me and tells me to be nice to his daddy. The funny things my babies do. Inara now thinks it is great fun to play in the dogs water and eat any scrap of paper she can get her hands on! They do keep us busy!

baby wearung daddy

2006-09-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

So this is my contribution to the blog since Scott is now the editor. I belong to a group called NINO that supports babywearing. Meaning I try to have as much contact with our babies while still getting things done by wearing them on my body in a variety of ways. Now Scott calls it my propaganda since I love to spread the word about babywearing. But since he is such a good husband he supports me in my parenting choice and wears the babies too. I think this is my favorite set of pictures of him and inara at the state fair. She loves to play with his ears and she loves to be worn. Ohhh and that is my current favorite wrap called a gypsymama. That's all for now!

Visit to G'ma Sweetie and Papa Jim's

2006-09-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

A Trip to Visit G'ma Sweetie and Papa Jim......The kids love thier Granparents...

The Kids become Harley Dudes and Dudettes....Xander even gets a cart ride..

A Fair-ey Fair-ey great State of Affairs

2006-09-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hello All, this is my (Scott's) first foray into the Hawks' Family Blog...so Bare with me... We just got back from our annual trip to the state fair with Tara's side of the family.

It was great fun. Xander and Inara had an oppotunity to try all kinds of exotic fried goods, and mom and dad got to wear in thier shoes a bit more. Xander and Scott had our typical State Fair Mohawks in sporting style, along with Uncle Bubba and Cousin Coda. We also got the chance to visit the Koudelkas and thier newest addition Julia. very nice.... Now we ae home and tired trying to recover and get moved back in here in WI.

8-14-2006 Out of order post

2006-09-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry this has lapsed again! So much going on with 2 kiddos, a busy husband and the lovable but mischevious gaia dog. She is into eating diapers now, can we say disgusting and lots of work for me. I thought I should introduce Inara Girl . As some may know at the end of 2004 I found myself pregnant. Due to the immense stress of the holidays(which always stress me out but that is another post) moving to WI, having my husband home after six months of living apart and pregnant hormone fluctuations I was not as happy as I would have thought. Two weeks after we moved to Madison I went to the doctor because I was spotting only to confirm the fear that we were no longer pregnant. On our 5 year anniversary no less we lost our baby. I found myself despite my earlier feelings very distraught and sad. But we felt it was for the best, we hadn't planned on having another sunshine until we were more settled in our new home. WELLL three months later I became pregnant and with baited breath we waited to see if this time things would go well. They did and we were excited. Due to our insurance I couldn't have an ultrasound unless things went wrong so we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. I felt sick almost the entire time but there were no large complications so we waited for our suprise baby.I was overdue again on Jan. 10 and feeling like a baby beluga whale. Our dear friends Chris and Sarah came over to cheer us up and sure enough later that night around 3 am I couldn't handle the contractions any longer. Our baby girl showed up almost 12 hours later on Jan. 14th and of course since I had been up with our company late I was going on almost no sleep. When the baby arrived amidst tears of joy I said what is it and the reply was a girl! She was so beautiful with lots of hair and a perfectly round head, not cone shaped. She has been a fabulous baby eating well from the start sleeping well and being overall just an angel. Seven months later she is thriving and I can't believe that we ever didn't have her here with us. The first three months went by so fast as she woke up and became alert to the world. Xander has loved her from the start and we feel so blessed that he is such a good big brother. She growls and grunts like a little bear it's so cute. Around four to five months she worked on rolling over and by six she was scooting. Officially now she crawls really well and really fast. She even pulls herself up to standing now. I call her the destroyer because she is into everything and loves to eat paper! My children come equipped with my contact improvisational skills. They roll around on the floor like puppies together and although I am worried someone is going to get hurt so far noone has. Besides they both are laughing and squeelign its so much fun. Daddy and Xander have written a little song for her that they like to sing and she knows it's her song. It's called Inara girl and if you see them aske Xander to sing it for you. She is also our princess and our Bean. It's been such a joy to have her in our life and we are so thankful for our princess.
You can check out her 6 month pictures at flashportraits.com click on my portraits the last name is hawks and the password is hawks.
hugs to all
Tara

3-8-2006 Out of Order Post

2006-09-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this most likely you are a friend of a family member. That being said there are both friends and family that either we have never met or have not talked to in a long time. So I thought I would post some of the facts about us that will fill in the blanks for people.
I am 28 soon to be 29 Scott turned 31 in December and my birthday is in April. I am an Aires and as a funny side note Scott has dated a lot of Aries women. As a general rule I am rather stubborn and strongly opinionated, I like to think of it as passionate. We were married in 2000 after having known each other a total of four and a half months and having dated for about a whole thirty seconds or two weeks, before getting engaged. We met in a production of Stoppards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in which I played Ophelia and Scott was one of the Players. The first time I met Scott was at the call back audition and I sat down and started to talk to some of the people there. I was immediatley attracted to him. However a blonde woman came in and she knew Scott from college and he turned his attention to her. I was a bit put off but still I was thrilled when I found him at the first read through in which we tried to sit together he was attracted to my hands and I was annoyed that someone sat between us on the couch. Skip ahead a few weeks I thought my future husband was gay, a common misconception becuase all the gay men hit on him and he didn't freak out. Logical conclusion on my part was he was either of the mo persuasion or he was a coming and going guy. It turns out my husband just happens to be a very kind and friendly man who wouldn't be rude to anyone of any persuasion. This actually made it easier for us in the long run becuase we became friends and I could talk to him very easily becuase in my mind I didn't have to wonder if we could or would date. Needless to say I thought he was great and I could talk to him about anything so it came as a mack ton truck suprise when after the show started it's run he asked me out and I realized that I thought he was the cutest, funniest, sexiest and smartest guy I had ever met. Add the fact that we were good friends and a bit of moonlight you get falling in love and feeling like your walking on air. We were set to get married in Feb. but jumped the gun and eloped in January. I figured I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him so why not start sooner than later. We still had the wedding and it was lots of fun but I felt like being married to this man was more important than the act of getting married. I didn't need a fairy tale wedding to feel like a princess he made me feel like that all the time. Six years, two kids, one move, three dogs, and lots of things in between and I still feel like I did the first night he kissed me. I never want to leave his side. Having said that the funny thing is with Scott's job, which deserves a blog entery of it's own, has caused us to spend almost an entire year of our lives living in different states. It means that at any time of night or day he may be required to leave me without telling me where he is going or when he is returning. With a chance that if something goes wrong horribly wrong he won't be coming back. Scott's job is a huge part of who we are and what we believe in. It is committment that we made together and it is part of why I love him so dearly. He believes in freedom, that we should be free to make our own choices even if he doesn't agree with them. He believes in a greater good in the world and in helping others.

3-7-2006 Out of order post

2006-09-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

3-7-2006

Salutations,
Hopefully you are having a great day! In an effort to keep our friends and family connected I have decided to start this blog. Truthfully I have been meaning to do this for a few months but with the excitement of christmas and the expansion of our family I just didn't get it done. I will post things regularly about each of our family members as well as other fun and interesting things about us. Check frequently for new pictures and thoughts, although most of the posts will be by me since Scott has a busy schedule. Well that is all for now!
Smile life is good,
Tara

2006-05-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Spittle bitty star

2006-05-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

SOOOOOOO... Inevitably you knew that I would fall behind and it has happened already. AHHH! By the way Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies. I had a wonderful morning I awoke with my baby girl smiling at me as she spit, waved her arms and talked to me, I felt as if I could keep doing this mommy gig for another couple of years. When Scott and Xander woke up they brought me a muffin and card to my bed. I also recieved a rose bush which is a good faith gesture by my husband since I always kill our plants inadvertently and a large balloon. Scott in his wonderful way bought me three cards since they all expressed different things and no one card said what he wanted to say. HOW I LOVE THAT MAN.
Updates....Xander has been battling a virus for the last week. My little guy is a pile of sick little boy instead of his super ball of energy. The Doc said it's just a virus, so we wait push the fluids and hope that his bounce is back soon.

Inara is great! She is as smiley as ever, and getting chubbier by the day. She is very interested in her fingers and toes. She also loves it when her brother talks to her and plays with her. In the past day she has also discovered the dog and so if the dog moves, barks or licks her those baby blues pop open and she smiles.

Scott is getting back into the swing of things at work after a month long traveling and exercise (military) spree. The command will officially change in June and our good friend Major Steve Brewer will be leaving us. It's sad but rather normal for military life and so we will miss him but have another friend to visit on the east coast.

Me, well I'm me. I have my good days and my duct tape the kids to the wall days. I haven't gotten much done with Xander being sick. He needs lots of cuddles when he is sick and Inara just needs cuddles. But that is the good part of being a mommy so I go with it. I am making baby carriers for the people at work who had babies and I found a fabulous sewing machine at a garage sale.
I have had trouble uploading pictures to the blog but I will press forward. There are a bunch from Easter and Xanders birthday.

2006-03-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

why thy title

2006-03-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! I thought I would quickly explain the title of our blog. I personally am a huge fan of cartoons. More specifically cartoons from Disney or older cartoons. As you may be familiar with Toy Story you know that Buzz lightyears phrase is " to infinity...and beyond." We are huge Toy Story fans. Both Xander and myself. Did you know that Joss Whedon creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scott's favorite show, was a writer on Toy Story. Anywho, we got to meet Buzz and Woody on our trip to disney world and it was most exciting. Xanders little eyes were huge and bright and he was so thrilled to meet the "real" Buzz and Woody. The last part of the title comes from another beloved cartoon. Finding Nemo, now if you have never seen either watch them! They are very well written with clever plots and dialogue that are witty enough for adults without being filled with cheap parlor tricks,i.e sexual or toilet humour. Dory one of the main characters explains in Nemo that what you have to do when life gets you down is just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming. This particular movie helped Xander and I get through the 6 months we lived apart from Scott during Officer Basic Course. Xander wanted to watch it everyday and I firmly believe that was becuase the entire story is about Nemo being seperated from his daddy, and his daddy looking for Nemo. Needless to say Xander could identify with Nemo since his daddy was so far away. So I guess in a nutshell you have our family philosophy in life. We look to the hope of great things and where ever life takes us we keep our chin up and just keep swimming.

2006-03-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

birthdays and stuff

2006-03-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ha! I never did another post until now. However I am inspired by Kirk and Carries blog so I am trying again. That and our newest addition Inara Isabella Hawks is here so I have lots to report. I will post pictures tonight and you can all see how much she is growing and what a cutie she is. In addition I can add a lots of information for our family and friends. One of the things I should mention is Xanders birthday is coming up and I know grandmas have been asking what to get him so I will tell you what our little boy is currently into. He still likes the Wiggles but we pretty much own every toy and video now and I am a little Wiggled out! He has moved on to Thomas the train and he loves to play with his trains. Due to Uncle Jasons gift at christmas and his fathers fabulous idea to spurr on pottty training with the gift of trains, he has a large collection. Specifically he has the take along Thomas the train, not the wooden kind but the die cast. He can always use more track. The amazing part is he knows which ones he has and which character is which despite the fact there are so many. To date he doesn't have any of the playsets like the quarry or the airport etc. We looked on the website and found that we are missing, Diesel 10, Harvey, Bill and Ben, Emily, Spencer, Bert and Arry, Culdee, chinese dragon, oil barrel car, orange barrel car, magic mining car. I'm sure I missed some but those were the ones I can verify we don't have. He also is really into Harry Potter right now. He likes to pretend a pen is a wand or a broomstick. He is so funny he insists I call him Harry and he calls me Hermione. As always we appreciate any gift he gets, it's not like he is lacking in toys or clothes. So thank you ahead of time for your generosity. The other question but a lot less fun is what do I want for my birthday since it is one week after Xanders and I know my family always looks baffled. My favorite things in life are my friends and family. Next to the time I get to spend with them. I am in love with Chiptole and Jamba Juice so GC are always welcome.I also love to shop at Sephora but Scott can't understand a fifteen dollar tube of lipstick, what can I say I like to play with cosmetics. My current obsession and I am sure I will be posting a lot more on this is babywearing. There are some beautiful baby carriers out there handmade not in major retailers that you have to buy on the internet. So funds are always welcome to further my babywearing wardrobe. Inara is a great cuddler and it is the only way to hold her and give Xander some attenttion at the same time.Gotta run this is fun so more to come!!!

Beginning

2005-10-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

So,
I thought a family blog spot might be fun! Or more importantly it would be a fun way to keep updates going for the family scattered near and far away. I can put photos up and keep little tidbits or big news on a published page that you our family can access whenever you want. Cool huh?
The first thing to do is get some photos of our most recent adventure, Walt Disney World, posted so you can see how cute Xander was. Well gotta run Scott is sick with the flu so I had better go be Florence Nightengale.!
XO
T