The Doctor will see you now!!!!!

Yeah Ryan finally graduates!!! It has been a long four years and yet it seemed to fly by at the same time. We had family come out and enjoy the occassion. We were living out of a suitcase because our house had been packed up earlier that week. It was a busy weekend but so fun to see everyone and catch up just a little. I was so tired by Saturday night that I ended up passing out and waking up still dressed the next morning. I am really proud of Ryan and what he has accomplished!!! Ayden and Megan Merrill look really cute together!!

Oh, Captain, My Captain

Well graduation has finally come and with it Ryan's promotion ceremony with the Army. It was pretty neat. They had all the branches of the military do it together the day before graduation. Ryan's grandfather served in the Air Force during Vietnam and he was pinning on Ryan's captain's bars. He is dressed in his Class A uniform and because his grandfather was inlisted he then had to salute Ryan. Pretty cool. It makes me proud that Ryan serves in the military and helps to take care of the men and women who are fighting right now.

Movin' on up

We had the military move us out to Lacey,WA. The packers came in on Monday and had everything in the house packed and ready to be loaded on the truck by 2pm. The next day the moving truck came and they had the truck loaded and on the road by 11:30am. The move was very nice and easy, especially not having to do anything. We're not sure we'll move ourselves again unless it is an in-city move.

Lauryn's ONE-derful Day!!

Lauryn is ONE!!! She of course did not know that it was a special day for her. She liked the frosting of the cake, but not the cake. Just like any other kid I guess. She got a stroller so she and Meysa won't fight over Meysa's anymore. Lauryn has a certain baby that she has claimed as her own, only problem is that Meysa claims it too. Lauryn won't play with a different one, so we had to bribe Meysa with an outfit for her other baby to hold off WWIII. Now each girl has their own baby and stroller and so we "should" be good. We can't believe she is one already. Time sure flies. She is walking around the house and jabbering up a storm. She thinks she is really funny, what she doesn't know is that she really is. She has us laughing all the time. Happy Birthday Lauryn.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C. olive oil
1/4 C. tomato sauce, or Ketchup
2 T. red wine vinegar(I used balsamic)
2 T. fresh basil chopped or 1 T. dried
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 lbs. Shrimp, peeled and deviened

Stir together all ingredients except shrimp in med/large bowl and mix well. Add shrimp and evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your grill to med/high. Thread shrimp on skewers. You can discard marinade now or use to baste while cooking. Lightly oil grate and cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes a side or until opaque.

We just had this last night and we loved it. Enjoy!!

Karate Chop!!

This was Ayden's last day of Karate while in Iowa. He tested for his green/orange belt, and did really well. It is amazing how much he has improved in just the year that he has been doing karate. A year ago he could barely walk and punch at the same time, absolutely NO coordination. Now he can do a double motion front snap kick that will break someone's nose!! I am a little partial being the mom and all. He had a lot of fun and I think Ayden learned a lot too. This is Ayden with his teacher Phil Dickey and after he broke a board with a side kick.