Ellis Family Adventures on the East Coast

Chicago Trip..........Daaaaaaaaaaa Bears, Part 3

2011-07-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

While we were at Dad's, the Chicago Bears played the cheese heads (aka Green Bay Packers - UGH!) I'd like to say we won, but..................... ;( We must not have shown enough spirit! Next time, MORE Bears gear! :) Some of these came out blurry, but I didn't want to omit them.

Brett, Ethan and Aunt Jackie

Brett, Aunt Jackie and the kids

Ava and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa and the kids

Dad, Me and Ethan

Awwwwww Sisters!

Dad, Mary and Me

Ava listening to tunes at half time

J and his outpost facial hair! Yummmmmmmmmm :)

Dad, J and Ethan

All the boys

All the girls

Me and Jack

The upset! Boo!!!!!!!!!!

Chicago Trip..........Grandparent's house, Part 2

2011-07-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Another FUN day in Chicago was spent at my Grandparent's house with MORE family eating MORE great food! We all had a blast talking and laughing all day (it gets VERY loud) and eating Grandma's amazing food. It always goes by too fast and I wish we could visit more often (like EVERY Sunday!) Miss you guys and love you lots!

Ava and Great Grandma

Ethan and Great Grandpa

Me and Grandma (we have this SAME pose from last year....we're funny like that! lol)

Me, Jason, Grandma and Grandpa

Me and my cousin, Scotty (aka. "The Boy" by Ethan! LOL)

Me and my cousin, Angela

Angela wishes I wasn't in this pic! ;)

Uncle Bob, Me, Ang and J

Auntie Donna and Ethan

The kids with Angela

Super cute!

Gina, Me and Angela

Gina and the kids playing Operation

Chicago Trip..........Dad's house, Part 1

2011-07-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Two days after Christmas we headed for Chicago for a week! Getting there was a little hairy. We had to drive Jason's truck since it's 4 wheel drive and we knew the Smokey Mountains were going to be SNOWY...........understatement. Once we arrived (18 hours later) we had a blast! First we celebrated Christmas with Dad and Mary and were once again SPOILED rotten! The kids were shocked to receive a 4-wheeler! First they were completely outfitted in winter gear (snow suits, boots, etc), then they were ushered into the garage to find waiting their brand new 110 cc RED spider-man looking 4-wheeler! They were ecstatic and had to ride it immediately even if it was dark and freezing out! LOL Jason got a super nice flat screen TV for the bedroom and much needed tools. I was so happy to get new luggage and a toaster oven (and my FAV Philosophy products!) Thanks guys for the AWESOME gifts and for a very FUN week together!

The Smokies

All bundled up in new snow gear

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad and Mary in their "Marines" gear

Two days later the snow was gone!

Christmas Morning

2011-07-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Guess who didn't check the battery........................sigh. We were able to get a video of the kids coming downstairs X-mas morning and of them opening their gift from Grandma Fiore before the camera DIED.......EPIC FAIL! Grandma bought us all our Disneyland tickets for our trip with the William's family in Jan. (blog post to follow) as well as these GREAT and much needed Disney sweatshirts for the park. Grandma and Grandpa Ellis gave us money towards our trip as well. If it wasn't for all these awesome Disney themed contribution gifts, we would've never been able to go. It costs a FORTUNE! Thanks everyone for making our Disney vacation spectacular!

The day after X-mas Jason and Ethan took off for Jacksonville, FL to see the Redskins play! I posted pics under Ethan's b-day post since the game was his gift as per his request (see Ethan turns 7) Here's another pic of them before they left bright and early for the 3 hr road trip.

Making gingerbread houses

2011-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

So......I'm not a big crafter/mess maker and when it comes to carving punkins, making gingerbread houses or coloring Easter eggs, I'd rather not. Usually I task Jason with the job and then I go behind everyone and clean up as we go. It works well for us :)

Ethan's 1st acting debut

2011-07-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ethan had a wonderful 1st grade year! His teacher, Ms. Landry was FABULOUS! I haven't loved one of my kid's teachers since Ava had Mrs. Rudolph for 1st and 2nd grade. Luckily Ethan's teacher is going back to teaching 2nd grade and I've requested to have her again, so we shall see come Aug. 15th! They did a lot of fun things this year and in honor of Thanksgiving, they put on two plays. Most of the pics are of Ethan and his first love, Sadie Green.......they were just two cute together! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Pilgrim

One for the head table at their wedding! :)

Ethan also played a king in the second play. His cape was a garbage bag and when he got up it ripped off and it was HILARIOUS!

Gretchen and Sadie

First grade crush! Awwwwwwwwwwwww

Thanksgiving with GREAT friends!

2011-07-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving we're grateful for GREAT friends! The Williams family (our friends from LeJeune) at: http://www.jillanddavewilliams.blogspot.com/ drove down to spend our first holiday with us in the swamp! We had a blast touring the base, the town of Beaufort, and PIGGING OUT! Jill and I also blogged and slurped while the BIG kids played video games on the Playstation and the little kids ran all over the place! It was truly a great time had by all and if you want to see A LOT more pics and documentation........see Jilly's blog, she ROCKS! Miss and love you guys! MUAH!

Breakfast in downtown Beaufort

The owner of the restaurant showing us his local movie scrapbook. MANY movies have been filmed in and around Beaufort County

LOVE this pic I took of Jill and Zach

J and the silly kids

Wine Tasting in downtown Beaufort after breakfast

Me and Jill preparing (playing) with the bird

The guys playing "Call of Duty" allllllllllllll niiiiiiiight long!

Out of order..............from wine tasting. Won't let me move it, stubborn pic! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The guys deep frying the bird (BEST way to cook a turkey EVER!)

They are so cute with no front teeth!

Best potato peeler ever!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM

The guest gets to carve the masterpiece

Ava and Grace with their sparkling cider......CHEERS!

J and Dave in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial

The USMC Ball 2010!

2011-05-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Happy 235rd Birthday Marine Corps! This year the Ball was held on beautiful Hilton Head Island at the Marriott Spa and Resort. We're so lucky to live just barely an hour away from there, but we still made a night out of it and stayed! The kids were well taken care of in one of the conference rooms while they all played, watched movies, did a little arts and crafts, ate pizza, etc. We had a great time with new friends and I, once AGAIN, borrowed a stunning dress from my girlfriend, Stacy at: http://hammietime.blogspot.com/. After wearing Stacy's gowns for 2 years in a row and LOVING them, I'm excited to see what I borrow for 2011! lol I think it may be MY turn to buy the gown and let her wear it next time though ;)

Me and Leslee

Jason and Jay

The Dodge's and us

Me & Jason, Matt and Chelsea, ?? and Leslee and Jay

Jennifer, Tiffany, Me, Stefanie and Chelsea

Tiffany and Harry Boyd

Tony and Jennifer Lebron

Chelsea and Matt Brunoehler

Me and Jay

Me and Rachelle

Me and Leslee

Our Little Honor Student

2011-05-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ava has been on the Honor Roll ALL but one quarter this year in 4th grade. This is from Nov. I'll post the other award ceremonies later in chronological order as I blog. We're so proud of Ava and how hard she works in school, sports, girl scouts, church, home, etc. Congrats Ava and keep it up..................or else!! ;)

Ava and the Principal, Mr. Yahres

Ava and her friend, Bree

All of the 4th grade Honor Students! HOORAY!

Congratulations Captain Ellis!

2011-05-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Or as Renee likes to call him..........."Capt. Silky Pants" (because of the sexy green silky PT shorts he wears! lol)

In November Jason was promoted to Capt. FINALLY! Seemed liked it took forever (I was just anxious for that pay raise! HA!) Cameron and Sara came for the ceremony and we both (me and Cam) were able to pin J! It was such a nice day standing alongside the parade deck in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial (except for being eaten alive by SAND FLEAS!!!!)

OOH RAH CAPTAIN ELLIS! :)

Ethan turns 7!!!

2011-03-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

What is Ethan like at 7 years old?
He's very smart...............the BEST male reader in his class!
He's very sweet, sensitive, helpful, friendly and kind.
He's outgoing, talkative, social, popular, funny, extroverted, and has lots of energy!
He's a night owl and NOT a morning person............just like his Momma :)
He loves to snuggle.
He loves his family and church and is a great friend.
He's very generous and giving and has the biggest heart.
He's tough!
He's VERY athletic and has been since he was a toddler! You could hand him any kind of ball and he would know exactly how to handle it and had/has all the right moves down! His best sports are definitely soccer, football and baseball.
He LOVES the Marines (just like his Daddy) and has been one for almost every Halloween of his life!
He is a mini-me of Jason.

It's hard to imagine it's been 7 WHOLE YEARS! Seems like just yesterday I was as big as a house............AGAIN!! Seems like just yesterday I was planning the perfect delivery! He was induced, so I was able to shower, get ready, have my mom watch Ava and head to the hospital at my leisure. My best friend Jen and Jason were with me and we had the best time! We joked and laughed all the way thru it and he was out in 4 hours and 4 pushes! I told the Dr. if it was always that easy I could have 10 more and he said "You should" (he was Mormon) LOL. The whole pregnancy I was addicted to pancakes and lots of syrup! And to this day he is my sweets eater!

For Ethan's party we decided to do what he loves doing best...............PLAYING outside! It was basically one huge play date with many of his friends, a jump house, junk food and FOOTBALL! For his birthday present he asked to attend a "real live football game". His favorite team has always been the Saints (should be the Bears, I know!!), but Jason just "happened" to find tickets to HIS favorite team, the WA Redskins playing in Jacksonville the day after Christmas, so we surprised him with those and he was BEYOND excited (and so was J! LOL) Since just Ava and I went horseback riding, Jason and Ethan went to the game alone. It was unbelievably cold and they froze even though they were bundled up good. Ethan lost it about the 3rd qtr and ended up crying in the 4th, but they still had the best day ever and he still talks about that game! LOL

Happy 7th Birthday Birthday Ethan!!! We love you!!!

Ethan's AWESOME candy-filled bottles made especially by Auntie Toni

I wish for two front teeth! :)

Reading the card Ava made him

MONEY!!

FOOTBALL TICKETS!

Who's more excited? Ethan or Daddy!! LOL

Huddle/bear hug!

Silly boys!

Dawson, Ava, Andrew and Ethan

Morning of the game.........they had to leave early for Jacksonville!

Are you ready for some footballllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!

They had GREAT seats!

A typical exhausted Ethan car ride home shot! LOL J said it was a great game despite the cold! The had amazing seats and the Redskins won! WOO HOO!

End of soccer season 2010...........Thunder and Lightening!

2011-03-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

As usual soccer season was very exciting and fun! The kids had a blast and played their hearts out! Ethan's league is still non-competitive, but Ava's came in 2nd! Here's a few shots from the last game and party!

Ava and Dawson

Ava and Coach Stephanie

Ethan and Andrew

Halloween 2010

2011-03-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween Ava went as Cleopatra and Ethan was a Redskins football player. The Saints are actually his favorite (blasphemy, I know), but since he and Jason are going to a Skins game in Nov. and he wanted to wear the uniform, he decided to be one for Halloween (or maybe Mom thought it was more economical to get TWO wearings out of the costume......muhahahahah LOL) Cam and Sara also came for the weekend and we all went to church for their annual "Trunk or Treat" and potluck dinner. As usual, we had a great time!

The kids with Dawson and Andrew trick-or-treating in downtown Beaufort

Ava and Auntie Sara

Ava with Auntie Sara and Uncle Cameron

Cindy Lou Who! LOVE IT!

Ava and Bella

Ethan and a BYU football player

LOL!

AWESOME!

Sara looks dangerous with that knife!

Ethan made a self portrait! HA!

Cam broke his tool ;(

Ava's cat carved without a pattern!

Good job Cam!

Some of the neighborhood kids

Our neighbors.....Cherish, Tye and Trey

1st Recruit Training Battalion Family Day

2011-03-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Jason's BN had a fun family day BBQ complete with fun games and yummy food. Ethan and Jason participated in an egg toss and got pretty far before it broke all over Ethan and it was HILARIOUS!

CRACK!!!!!!!!! LOL

YUCK! He was a good sport!

Me and Leslee

Ava played it safe with a giant FAKE egg!

Ava turns 9!!!

2011-03-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

What is Ava like at 9 years old (going on 15)?

She's the perfect mix of girly and tomboy!
She's very smart...............HONOR ROLL! And curious.
She's very helpful, friendly and kind.
She's outgoing, talkative, social, popular, LOUD, funny, extroverted, and has LOTS of energy!
She's a morning person!
She loves her friends, family and church.
She likes to read, but doesn't LOVE it like I do (one day!!!)
She's tough!
She's VERY athletic...........She's the next Mia Hamm (and wants to be)
She loves getting mani/pedi's and shopping, but also beating the boys in sports, war, tag, etc.

It's hard to imagine it's been 9 WHOLE YEARS! Seems like just yesterday I was as big as a house! Seems like just yesterday my mom and I walked the hills of La Jolla, CA.............. ALL DAY LONG hoping to force her out. She didn't want to make an appearance, so the next night we ate spicy Mexican food (Robertos....YUMMMM) That did the trick! She still likes spicy food! The whole pregnancy I was addicted to Del Scorcho Hot Sauce from Del Taco and would eat it on EVERYTHING! I would have "hot sauce anxiety" if I had less than 10 packets in the house. I sent Jason out at weird hours to buy something just to get another handful of hot sauce. They once tried to hand him 3 and he replied with "You don't understand, my wife is pregnant and she NEEDS this hot sauce" LOL Seems like just yesterday.

Ava has been to a few parties at The Lollipop Shop since moving to Beaufort, so naturally she wanted hers there too! It's a VERY cute little candy store downtown that is also similar to a "Build-a-Bear" The girls arrived and got to pick out a stuffed animal of their choice and stuff it FULL with candy! They got to take home the stuffing and a special heart to make a wish on, so when the candy was gone, you stuffed the animal and closed him up! Afterwards they decorated cookies and then got to eat them while washing it down with an old fashion mini coke in a bottle! Then we opened presents and headed over to waterfront park! The weather couldn't have been more perfect and Ava and her adorable little friends had a BLAST! It was such a fun, easy and low maintenance party for me too, so it worked out for everyone.

Ava asked for her present to be horse back riding! We weren't able to go until after the new year, but when we finally did, we had a blast. It was just the two of us! There's a cute little ranch on St. Helena's Island called Camelot Farms and we got to ride for an hour. I always loved horseback riding too, so we both had the best day ever!

Happy 9th Birthday Birthday Ava!!! We love you!!!

Lainey, Milixa, Ava and Bailey

Ava and Katelyn

Cherish, Ava and Chloe

Cherish and Ava

Ava and Katie

Ava and Lainey

Ava and Milixa

Slushy Face!

Ava with Brianna and Chloe's brother, Stephen.............he's too cute!

Brianna, Ava and Katie

Ava and Cherish

Ava and Katelyn

Kelly Ann, Ava and Lainey

Ava and Lainey

Ava and Milixa

Cake Face!

Monkey see...........monkey do!!

Auntie Toni's hand made bottles FILLED with candy!

The horse shirt she picked to wear for her special day!

Ava and her horse, Jake

She was a natural rider!

Off for an adventure to EdVenture!!

2011-03-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

So wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in Oct. we took the kids to EdVenture, "The South's Largest Children's Museum" in Columbia, SC. It was a lot of fun (once, can't see repeating the adventure) and very hands-on for the kids. Basically the pics explain themselves along with the museum itself, so I'll spare you any more text; however you will notice in one of the pics "Eddie The World's Largest Child!" He's a 40 foot tall (sitting down) exhibit where you can walk thru and learn about each of his body parts (not the private ones sickos!)

The kids and Eddie

The Weather Channel

Moon sand!

Slug Bug RED!

They thought milking a "cow" was hilarious!

The utters felt real! LOL

Faaaaaaaaaarm livin is the life for me!

Farmer Ethan

What girls do best...........SHOP!

Working the register at the grocery store

What a cute lil firefighter!

A little nervous about this pic and not because of the dangers of fighting fires! Sigh..............

The future Firefighters

Ethan and Daddy

Ava and Daddy

EdVenture Exhaustion!

"What's for dinner?"

2010-11-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

That's what I've been asking Renee for a couple months now! I would also say things like "I'm coming right over or I'll see you soon" etc. In her head I was teasing and wishing, but I knew I was going to surprise the crap out of her in Oct!! It was so hard to keep the secret, especially when she was sad and lonely! I wanted to cheer her up and say "I'M COMING!!!" but I knew if I surprised her it would be AWESOME, and it was! She was so shocked and I'm so glad I recorded the moment! I love your "ugly cry face" Renee :) How it happened was I went to WA to attend a Scrap-a-thon weekend with Pat (see previous post) and since I was just a few hours away, I decided to make a surprise visit to Portland where the Miles just moved to this summer. From the airport I hopped a cab and gave him directions. I knew Renee was home cause I called from the cab to see what she was up too! I pretended I was at Wal-Mart and had to go when we approached her neighborhood! I'm sure the cabby thought I was a freak when I asked to be dropped off a block away, but whatever............he smelled like cheese! So, down the street I walked lugging my suitcase and PRAYING she wasn't looking out the window! I finally found her house, dropped my bag in the drive, rang the bell and hid from sight! The surprise was so amazing that we had to do it for the boys and Greg again when they got home! It was sooooooo fun to be with my Miles family again, even if it was for a very short time! Thanks for letting me crash your place! I miss you and love you lots!!!!!!!!!!!!

The BEST SURPRISE (ugly cry face) video EVER!!!

Surprising Gregward! Sitting where Renee normally sits to fake him out!

Faking out the boys!

Mike is confused

Sean (little punk) says "What's up Gia?" and Renee said "Why did you say that?" and he replied "Cause you look like Miss Gia" and then I ran around the corner and scared him!

Sean's Football practice (she made me wear her hat!)

It got chilllllllllllllllly! I LOVED IT!

Snuggling with Mike!

Red Robin! Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Torturing Mike

The AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL FALL trees on her block!!!

The famous Renee/Gia self portrait

STARBUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Starbucks Lady! We told her the surprise story and she LOVED it, then we showed her the video and she CRIED!

Having a LATTE FUN! ;)

Renee called ahead and had them hold my FAV PUNKIN scone since I don't get them anymore!!

Renee's AMAZING photography skillzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Pure BLISS!

Renee's bliss is cinnamon pound cake (not as BLISSFUL as mine! hee hee)

Off to the movies! Since we couldn't see any of the Twilight flicks, this was next best thing! Pretty funny! Stupid funny, that is!

All cozy in our matching PJ's after a rough day of Sbux, shopping and a movie!

Bring on the band practice!!

Torturing Gregward during Chicken Fried! LOL

Rock on! WOO HOO!!

My un-biological Sister! Love you Renee!!!!

Washington SCRAP-A-GANZA with Pat!!

2010-10-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

In July at the family reunion, Pat and I talked about how much FUN it would be to attend the 3 day crop in her town on October 15-17 (Fri.-Sun). together! I didn't really think it would be possible, but Jason and his Grandparents schemed behind my back to get me there! You guys are AWESOME!! I had the best time ever! We made cards for a total of 38 hours over 3 days! The event was AMAZING! It was put on by the wonderful and talented girls at Forget Me Not (local scrapbook store). The event included 3 DELICIOUS meals a day, plus snacks and drinks and use of ALL the store's supplies! We even took trips to the store for 25% off purchases! I met a lot of great girls with AMAZING talents and ideas! I learned a lot and now have a HUGE wish list of things I need/want (hint hint................gift ideas anyone? hee hee) I was able to "step out of my comfort zone" and try different things like painting with water colors and embossing. Pat and I had a BLAST and a lot of laughs! She's a slave driver! LOL I already miss getting our punkin spice lattes every morning with her :) It was so nice to be in WA again too. The place is beautiful and the weather was awesome! I really needed a good dose of Fall! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Poor Grandad had the house all to himself for 3 days as we barely even saw him. In fact, on Sat. I didn't see him at all! We left before he got up and came home way after he went to bed. Thanks for sharing Pat with me, Grandad! Thanks for an amazing trip too, I had so much fun and I'm sad that's it's over already! I look forward to sending out my cards though! Love you guys!!!!!

Packing the car of our goods! This is ONLY the trunk (back seat not pictured) hee hee

The AG center (at the fairgrounds) before the crazy crop girls arrived!

Pat setting up the stamps

Photo-op of me and Pat

Bye bye Scrap-a-ganza 2010! ;(

All of our cards (sideways cause I can't rotate it!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Pat's spooooooooky Halloween cards (she's got a dark crafty side)

My attempt at water colors and getting out of my comfort zone! :)

Embossing with the Cuddle Bug! I LOVE that machine!!

Really stepping out of the box with water colors, embossing and paper crumpling! Thanks Pat! :)

Some ACTION shots of Ethan!

2010-10-06T04:45:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I mentioned that I didn't have many action shots of the kids playing soccer because I'm too busy screaming! While that is true, Jason was kind enough to get these great pics over the weekend while at Ethan's game (he doesn't "carry on" the way Mom does) We had to split up, so I was at Ava's game. She scored one and won her game and Ethan scored two and won his game! Great weekend for the Thunder and Lightening!!! :)

After the game.....FILTHY and eating powdered doughnuts! LOL

I ran the LT Dan 5K!!

2010-10-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

On Sat. my friend, Leslee and I ran the LT Dan 5K to show our support for some of the most severely injured troops from the War on Terror. The race took place in downtown Beaufort, SC on Waterfront Park and was part of it's annual shrimp festival weekend. The weather was perfect and over 600 people came for the run, 4 times over the normal amount! The race went down Bay street and over the Beaufort bridge. It was a little rough since the bridge goes up hill BOTH ways! Coming back we were faced with wind over the water, making it a little harder, but I never stopped and ran the whole way! I came in at 34.52. Jason and the kids were at the finish line to cheer us on! It was a lot of fun and only my second 5k, but I'm already looking for the next one! This was Leslee's first one ever and she did GREAT! We had a blast!

On Fri. night The LT Dan Band (with Gary Sinise) played a FREE concert in Waterfront Park. Jason and I took the kids and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately it was sooooo packed they weren't letting people in anymore, so we had to wait a while for people to leave before we could go in. The band was great, even though we could barely see them and I forgot my camera, so there's no pics! :( LOL

Ava giving me FIVE!

Leslee coming in!

Lady Gaga and The Fame Monster Ball Concert

2010-09-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday was THE. BIG. DAY!!!! The main reason I was in LeJeune for the weekend...........LADY GAGA!! Jill and I headed to Raleigh that afternoon for the concert. We ate a FANTASTIC dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and then headed over with the rest of her "little monsters" Upon arrival we realized we were slightly OVER-dressed and by that I mean wearing TOO MANY ARTICLES OF CLOTHING! Holy Crap, the freaks were out in full force and we took as many pics of them as we could! LOL The opening act sucked, but her show was FANTASTIC! It was more than a concert...............it was a full on production! She loathes lip syncing, so everything was live and her voice is amazing! Her musical talent in general from the piano to some weird keyboard guitar to a cello thing...........SO GOOD! She did EVERY song I love except Starstruck. She changed costumes over 11 times (we tried to count). Raleigh was her LAST stop in the US for The Monster Ball concert, so I'm soooooo glad we caught it! Thanks Jill for the BEST weekend I've had in a LONG, LONG time! I love ya girl!

As reported in the Raleigh News and Observer,

"Imagine the most garish display you’ve ever witnessed – a Super Bowl halftime show, say. Now multiply that by about six, and you’re in the ballpark. Gaga exudes a sense of universe-ruling determination that is rare nowadays, and she commanded the room like a general.

“Scream, Raleigh!,” she hollered, and everybody did. “Now dance, [expletives]!,” and everybody did that, too.

The two-hour show had a rough storyline of Gaga and her retinue of backup dancers trying to get to the “Monster Ball.” You didn’t notice much beyond the star, however, clad as she was in everything from a see-through nun’s habit to a wedding dress made of crystalline feathers that sprouted into wings.

She didn’t just sing and prance, either. At various points, Gaga played a freaky-looking standupkeytar that looked like a triangular turtle shell.

Most impressive of all, she sat at a piano for a couple of songs and just played and sang. She was down to her underwear by then, of course. And yes, the piano was on fire. But she played and sang beautifully, showing that she’s a powerful belter. From a strictly musical point of view, it rivaled anything I’ve ever seen Tori Amos do.

Otherwise, most of the set was high-energy dance music loud enough to rattle ribcages at the back of the arena, with hits including “The Fame,” “Just Dance” and “Paparazzi.” During the latter song, flames began shooting from her naughty bits.

It was brilliant."

The first few pics are of our pre-Raleigh photo shoot at home! HA!

Her piano was under the hood of this car

They made their dressed out of DUCT TAPE!

This poor little boy was dragged around by some stripper lady.......Momma? He's was a cutie!

CALL CPS!

Jill's Pimp showed up!

I ALMOST wore this! WHEW! That woulda been AWKWARD!

Wait, I almost wore THIS!!!!! YIKES!

This was just sacrilegious and bizarre! I realize we're practically in Sodom and Gomorrah, but still!

Her piano was on fire! It was awesome!

"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me

Papa-Paparazzi!!!!!!!!!!"

Bond...................James Bond!!

2010-09-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

The second night while in Lejeune we attended Casino Royale at the Officer's Club. It was a black tie affair, so Dave rented a tux and escorted us each on one arm, 007 style! Needless to say he was the biggest stud of the evening and we thoroughly enjoyed our "Spaghetti Dinner" LOL (inside joke) Jill and I didn't see the point in "gambling" with fake chips (where's the thrill in that?), so we walked around, giggled and chatted with everyone. Towards the end of the night we found ourselves watching karaoke and laughing hysterically at the wanna-be American Idol contestants! Oh.........the food was really good too :)

Me, Jill's friend Heather (so nice!!) and Joey

Back to Camp LeJeune for the weekend!

2010-09-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

After 5 LONG months at Parris Island, I was able to return to LeJeune for a FABULOUS weekend (sans husband and kids) Upon arriving to Jill's Fri. afternoon we sat in her "Carolina Room" and got all caught up! It was SO GOOD to be back! That night we headed to Marrakesh (a new European restaurant in town that opened AFTER I left...............jerks!!!) The place was adorable, the food was delicious, and the company was FANTASTIC! Erin and Stacy weren't able to make it (Stacy's husband Jon returned from Assghanistan that morning..........lame excuse, I know and Erin was coming to town the following 2 weeks plus her hubby was gone anyway! Brandy also was out of town, but she's visiting me this weekend, so she's not in trouble! Michele had a prior engagement, but I was able to see her Sat. night, so it's ALL GOOD!) We already know why StacEy and Renee weren't there and they were missed as always! Our little intimate group was perfect though! It was sooooooooooo good to see Jill, Jennie, Karen, Amber and Brittini! Thanks for ALL the laughs girls! I already miss your ham flaps! :)

Jennie, Me and Karen (I'm wearing one of her "originals")

Me and my Jilly

Me, Amber and her sisters

Our group with our adorable waitress

Me and Britt (a.k.a. Steph in some circles)

A few action shots of Mia......I mean Ava!

2010-09-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I'm too busy jumping and screaming to take many pics, so these are just a few action shots. During this game the opposing coaches were yelling "Stay on #3!!!!!!" to their players! I was so proud! :) Sadly, I don't have any action pics of Ethan! I'll get on that this weekend! I'm sure the other parents will be relieved that I'm too busy to scream and yell! LOL

Here they are after being told to "Stay on #3!!!" LOL

Meeting New Family in GA

2010-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well, they're not "new" family, but they are to ME since I've never met them! Dare I say "old" family? LOL I don't mean age! Jason hasn't seen his extended family (3rd and 4th cousins) since he was 10 years old! So we took a weekend trip down to Mt. Vernon, GA (next to Vidalia, where the sweet onions are from) to meet them and surprise Granddad who was there visiting from WA! We had a blast and just LOVE our new/old family so much! On Wed. Jason drove back to GA and picked up Granddad and brought him here to spend a few days. I cooked a HUGE pot roast dinner with all the fixins and he was in heaven! We gave him the tour of Beaufort, ate at Foolish Frogs, attended Ava'a soccer game and Jason's recruit graduation. It was so nice having Granddad here and Brownie REALLY misses his recliner buddy!! We also watched Avatar, which Granddad had never seen and he LOVED it! It was so good seeing you Granddad and thanks for visiting! To our GA family...............we'll be back down soon for some Southern cooking and more of that sweet Southern hospitality! We just love ya'll!

Granddad took us to the family cemetery where The Meeks are buried on his side.

Miss Penny Ann and the kids feeding the fish and turtles

Miss Penny, Jason and Miss Mona Bell Ya'll

In Jason's office

Outside Jason's office LOL

Jason's pic (bottom right)

Granddad LOVED to snuggle in the recliner with Ethan and his buddy, Brownie!

Before Ava's Game

The Marine Corps Band at graduation

A Korean General

The bulldog

At Jason's company's graduation (about 540 recruits graduated from boot camp)

Just look how "perky" I am! LOL

At the Marine Corps Museum on base

About Parris Island

The uniforms over the decades

One reason why PI is NOT my FAV place...................SAND FLEAS! UGH!

SOCCER SEASON!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't want to brag.......................but I have some freakin athletic kids! They could be the next Mia Hamm and David Beckham even ;) Ava has been watching Mia videos on you tube a lot and wants to be just like her! Ava is on the Thunder and Ethan is on the Lightening! I get them mixed up all the time and yell out the wrong team name from the side lines. The games are so fun and exciting and stressful! LOL I'm the freak mom that screams on the sidelines and jumps up and down! It's the 7 year cheerleader in me :) They are both very aggressive and score between 1-5 goals almost every game. They both start and play the front center position. LOVE SOCCER SEASON!

It's so humid my lens fogs up here! UGH!

This is the Brigadier General for our base, General Padilla. He is the nicest guy! During opening ceremonies he came out and spoke to the teams.

Bye bye summer..........HELLO SCHOOL YEAR!

2010-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

After a loooooooong, HOT, humid and BUGGY summer, it's that time of year again! It's not that I'm dying to have the kids gone (not completely anyway), but we (I) THRIVE on a schedule and in the summer, there just isn't one! After moving to PI and realizing how UNBEARABLE the summer was, we NEVER left the house until the end of each day for swimming lessons! I didn't get to work out because the gym doesn't have daycare, so the 3 of us spent EVERY FREAKIN DAY INSIDE! UGH! We were all ready for a change and now that school is in and soccer has started and Momma is back in the gym................LIFE IS GOOD! :) Ava is in the 4th (I remember 4th like it was yesterday, in fact it was my FAV year!) and Ethan is in 1st!

Ava and her friend/classmate/soccer team mate, Brianna

Ava's teacher Mrs. Hayes

Ethan's teacher is Mrs. Landry (not pictured................DUH!)

First day of school! Their uniforms are red, white or blue polos and khaki, navy or jean bottoms

Waiting on the porch. It was a DOWNPOUR that morning and YES, the bus picks them up at our door! (the perks of living across from the General! hee hee)

A visit from Jill and the kids!

2010-09-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

One of my very BFF's (Jill, a.k.a "Jilly Bean") and her kids, Grace and Zach, came to visit for the weekend from Camp LeJeune! It was soooooooooooo good to see them after being gone for 3 months! We packed a lot in and had a blast! The first day we toured Beaufort and then hit the pool! For dinner we went to Foolish Frogs and had Frogmoore Stew..............so good! The next day we spent in Savannah and "I do declare" it was hotter than you know what, but we still had fun! We took a horse and carriage tour, ate lunch at a cute cafe, walked all along the river walk, ate dinner at the old Cotton Exchange and then hit the HUGE candy store for treats! The kids picked right up where they left off and of course Jill and I did too! We really miss them, but hope to visit often and we're looking forward to our first DisneyWORLD experience with them in Jan! Love you guys!

This is one of the many gorgeous mansions in Beaufort. This Greek Revival-style home, dubbed “The Castle” for its medieval undertones, is one of the most photographed homes in the country. Forces of Nature was filmed in and around The Castle.

Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Savannah, GA

Staged photo op...........ANGELIC, aren't they?

IF ONLY!!!!!!!!!

Telling ghost stories...............Ethan was NOT happy! hee hee

Last Day at the Beach before.....................SCHOOL STARTS!!! WOO HOO!

2010-09-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

The weekend before school started we spent at Hunting Island Beach (about 1/2 hour from PI) This has to be the COOLEST beach EVER! Doesn't it look Vietnamish? Apparently they film a lot of movies here like GI Jane and Forrest Gump, to name a couple. We brought along our family friend, Milixa for the day and the kids had a BLAST! I'm sure we'll be spending a lot of time there next summer! :)

4th of July Ellis/Lowe Family Reunion 2010

2010-07-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend we were able to attend the Ellis/Lowe Family Reunion at Granddad's in Colville, WA (about an hour away from Spokane, right outside the Canadian border) for 5 days! Jason's parents gave everyone in the family money towards the trip as our X-mas gift and boy, did that help out! It costs a small fortune for a family of 4 to fly across country over the 4th! THANK YOU GUYS!!! We're so glad Jason was able to get the time off after starting his new job here at PI cause we had a blast! The kids really had fun being able to run all over the property! Pat and Granddad own llamas and Ava LOVED them (ok, so did I....."thaaaaaaaat's a good boy") Pat also has a barn full of cats ("the cat house") and Ava was in heaven there too! She better be a vet when she grows up! LOL The kids also fished, played tag, hide and seek, volleyball, played in the creek, painted bird houses (which Granddad put up all over the farm), went shooting and rode 4 wheelers (the favorite). A couple nights we sat around the fire pit making s'mores and just laughing..............always lots of laughing! Pat, Toni and I made each kid a scrapbook and printed off pics from the week as a fun parting gift. We ate a lot of food and had a cake that read "The 2010 Lowe/Ellis FREAKIN Family Reunion" Jeni made shirts and we took a huge fam pic which still didn't include EVERYONE! We all really had a great time and it was so good to ALL be together for once! It's so hard to be spread out all over the country like we are! Times just aren't what they used to be. Thanks Jen for planning a wonderful reunion and thank Granddad and Pat for having ALL us CRAZIES there for 5 long days! LOVE YOU!

The gorgeous WA scenery!

The whole fam damily (well almost)

The girls (Me, Grandma Cora Ellis, Lins, Jeni, Trystan and Toni, and Pat)

Sweet cake!

Grandma and Grandpa Ellis with the Grand kids

The men! Jason and Ethan, Pop, Grandpa Jim Ellis and Granddad

The Military Men! Marines, Army, and 2 Air force

Showing our family reunion pride with SPIRIT FINGERS!

SISTOS!

The two GORGEOUS girl cousins!

Cole and Ava with their handmade walking sticks

Dylan, Brock and Ethan

Ava and Great Grandma

Dylan, Ava and the llamas

Granddad and Ava feeding the wild turkeys

Could she BE any CUTER?

Could SHE be any cuter? LOL! ;)

Double trouble!

She loves when Auntie Gia squeezes her!

I love me some Brocky!

CAM

Cole

Dyl

Kimmy

Lins and Jared

Me and Cam

There's so much love we have to hurt each other to express it! LOL

Me and Pat!

A demonstration of how you LOVE a llama! "Thaaaaaaaaat's a good boy!"

More Trouble!

The big kid and the little kids

Playing at the creek

My, what a BIG GUN you have Jason ;)

Start spreading the news.................

2010-06-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

..............We're leaving today. We want to be apart of it,

NEW YORK NEW YORK!!!!

While my mom was visiting over memorial weekend, she was able to stay and babysit the kids so we could attend the wedding of our GREAT friends, Steve Moylan and Dani Mormile. The wedding was in Long Island, NY on Sat. June 5th. Since I've never been to NY (always wanted to) we left as early as possible to see some sights before the wedding. Because of work, Jason was only able to leave Thurs. afternoon. The first thing I wanted to do was see a Broadway show! The second was sight-see and the third.............EAT pizza and hot dogs till we puked! We got all gussied up and hopped a plane! Steve (the groom) was so kind to pick us up at the airport and give us a ride to Time Square. Since Dani and Steve were not staying at their apartment, they graciously gave it to us for the night! Steve drove us in true New Yorker fashion speeding and turning corners like a maniac, even getting yelled at by a pedestrian! It was awesome! Our first stop was PIZZA! It was AMAZING! Jason, of course, had to ruin his with ham and pineapple! GROSS! Then we had tickets for the 8:00 showing of.................. "WICKED" It was WICKED AWESOME (said in my best Boston accent)! I read the book last year and while it was painful to finish, the show was amazing! Afterwards we had a hot dog (got ripped off, of course!!) and walked the streets of Time Square! It was sooooo cool and made me miss Chicago a lot! Later we had MORE pizza, then walked even more! By this point it was 1 am and my feet were killing me since I was wearing my FAV hooker shoes (thanks again Michele) since noon that day! We stopped in a souvenir shop and I bought outrageously expensive "I heart NY" flip flops and wore those the 20 blocks down to Steve and Dani's new apt. Let me just say their apartment was adorable, but it's basically the size of a walk in closet for a WHOLE LOT OF $$$$$$$$$$$$! Would be such a fun experience though and THANK YOU STEVE AND DANI for letting us stay there before you both even got to (wink wink) :) The next morning (Fri.) we hopped the train, clutching my VERY detailed directions and instructions to Long Island (about 45 mins). That afternoon I spent getting a Mani/Pedi with Dani and her girls while Jason spent at a BBQ/pool party with Steve and the boys! We each had a blast! Since Jason was one of the groomsmen, we went to our hotel and got ready for the rehearsal. The rehearsal was easy and the dinner afterwards was DELICIOUS! It was so fun and the video montage of Steve and Dani was soooooo cute and sweet! Sat was the BIG day! Jason chilled with Steve in his room and ate while I slept in and read. He had to leave early for pics and "wedding stuff" so I read some more. It was nice and relaxing! After a while I hopped on the party bus with a few friends (Claire and the Kurtz's) and headed to the wedding! IT WAS GORGEOUS! The church was beautiful and the reception hall, even better! WHAT A NIGHT! They spared NO expense! The food and band were amazing! We barely left the dance floor all night and I was a not-so-sexy sweaty pig, but it was a BLAST! Sun. the new Mr. and Mrs. Moylan had a fun BBQ at Dani's parents' house (LOVE THEM!) and we were so sad that our amazing NY weekend was over! That afternoon we hopped a cab back to the airport and went home. Thank you mom for staying with the kids, you're the BEST! Love you! :)

The coolest pic ever. ooh rah!

The beautiful and wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Steven Moylan!

A visit from my Mom/Grandma Fiore!!

2010-06-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

After a whole YEAR since we saw her last.....................my Mom/Grandma came to visit us in PI! She stayed 10 days and we had so much fun! It also happened to be Memorial Weekend and her birthday! The kids surprised her at the airport (after she almost didn't make it due to missing her connecting flt.........NOT her fault) with flowers! They were soooooo excited when they finally saw her walking up the ramp and yelled "GRANDMA!!" My birthday cake fell apart, but tasted deeeeelish anyway :) On Sat. we headed to the beautiful Hilton Head Island and did the tourist thing. We searched for all the gators we found with the Miles' fam, but saw none :( (Mom was pleased! lol) We had a yummy seafood dinner at the Crab Shack on the pier and walked and shopped and walked some more. The next day we went to Savannah and took an Oglethorpe Trolley Tour all over town! It was great to learn some of the history while seeing some of the sights like Paula Deen's restaurant, the infamous "life is like a box of chocolates" bench from Forrest Gump, old mansions, cemeteries and statues, etc. Afterwards we walked around the River Walk and ate some delicious seafood AGAIN! I LOVE SHRIMP AND GRITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The next day we went to the saddest Memorial Day parade ever (and by sad, I mean pathetic!) and then walked the tiny historic town of Beaufort, eating in a well known cafe. We also took the kids to the skate park, had lunch with Ava at school, went thru the Marine museum on base and tried to imagine where Grandma Fiore walked and trained while she attended boot camp here in 1942 (or 43?). I showed mom the town of Habersham (a DREAM place to retire) and we had lunch at an adorable little cafe called Moondoggies. At the end of the first week, Jason and I went to NYC from Thurs. to Sun. night for our friends, Steve and Dani's wedding (separate post to follow). Mom enjoyed her time with the kids by having lunch at school with Ethan and attending his Kindergarten play (separate post to follow), taking the kids bowling, to the pool, out to eat and just being silly! She and Ava also made a HUGE batch of gravy and meatballs ("sauce" for the white people reading this). We came home to a HUGE and delicious meal of mom's lasagna! YUMMMMMMMMMM! On mom's last day it was also the kids last day of school. They got out at noon and our neighborhood had a huge party for them complete with a jump house, water slide and BBQ! It was a FUN ending to a perfect 10 days! Thanks for coming mom! We had so much fun and THANK YOU for watching the kids while we went to NYC! We miss you and love you lots! xoxoxo

GRANDMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sad chocolate cake (still yummy though)

Mom was reunited with her wiener..............RUBY! ;)

The kids watching a clown at HH

Clown talent!

Harbor Point in HH

Our trolley bus thru Savannah - "I do declare it was such a wonderful day"

Mom couldn't resist sitting on Jason's lap too! HA!

I scream YOU scream!!!!!!!!!!!

WE all scream for ICE CREAM!

Posing by Marilyn

Mom, Ava and I got CUSTOM fit toe rings on the River Walk! LOVE THEM!

LOVE YOU MOM!!

Ava with some neighborhood girls

WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA!

MORE company!

2010-06-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

A month after moving in, Jason's brother Cameron and his girlfriend, Sarah came to visit! We had a GREAT weekend! They are so fun and so cute together! The kids were in heaven as usual with Uncle Cam to play with, but they also had a blast playing with Sarah too and she is HILARIOUS! We spent one day in Savannah at Tybee Island on the beach, then went to dinner at 5 Guys (YUMMM) and then walked along the river walk and pigged out in a HUGE candy store! We also saw Iron Man 2 in the world's GROSSEST theater (complete with a spit ball COVERED ceiling) and skated at the skate park, of course. Cameron is in the Air force and stationed in Georgia only 6 hours from here. We can't wait for them to come back and visit again!

In Savannah on the River Walk after a long day at the beach

GANGSTA!!

"You look kinda cute, in that polk-a-dot bikini girrrrrrrl........I'm in Miami trick!"

Nice bar name! LOL

Chocolate covered pretzels..............DEEEELISH!

A MILLION caramel apples...............MY FAV!

A chocolate cow pie! YUMMMMMMM

Taffy Pulling machine

The Cotton Exchange on The River Walk

Took this pic for the Miles ;) GO BAMA!

Our square..............who knew! :)

At the movies for Iron Man 2

The cute Ellis Boys

Posers at the skate park

SO CUTE!

Uncle Cam's got mad skills!

Sarah rippin it up!

Jason and Ava

A M'Ellis Family Reunion

2010-06-09T14:08:00.001-07:00

About 3 weeks after we moved in, our AMAZING LeJeune friends (The Miles') came for a visit! We called it a M'Ellis Family Reunion since our families merged so well during our time in NC. We had a GREAT time sight seeing, taking a horse and buggy tour of Beaufort, touring Hilton Head and getting great pics of alligators! Of course no visit would be complete without time well spent at the skate! It happened to be Mother's Day that weekend and we went out for a great seafood dinner at Dockside restaurant as well! At the end of the visit, Renee put the camera on the tripod and we got some great M'Ellis Family pics on the gazebo in front of the General's house. We are looking forward to their next visit this week as they head out and move to Oregon! Good luck Miles, we'll miss you and we love you!

M'Ellis Family Forever.................8 is enough!! :)

Waiting outside Dockside to be seated

My curly headed Sis!

My other husband while Jason was deployed. THANK YOU BIG G, Love little G!!

Most adorable couple ever.......even when she eats off his plate BEFORE he does! LOL

The Miles Fam: Mike, Sean, Renee and Greg

The Ellis Fam

One of the MANY MANY alligaotrs we saw in Hilton Head!

We threw stickes in the water, so he slid off the bank and swam towards us! WE RAN, it was very Peter Pan!!!!!!!

Yes, we were VERY close to these guys! It was CRAZY!

Our Mother's Day Eve ice cream celebration in our matching PJ's

Besties :)

Cool black and white and graphics courtesy of the awesome Alison Woods! Thanks ;)

The M'Ellis Familiy 2010

My trip to KC!

2010-06-09T12:39:00.001-07:00

Two weeks after getting settled in to PI, I flew to KC to visit Kelly and Chloe..................ALONE!!!!!!

It was an awesome and much needed break! Oh, and we had a BLAST too, of course! Kelly's hubby, Chad went to Bali for a business trip (I need that job) and since Kelly and CC couldn't go, he flew me there to spend a week and keep his girls company! Not only did he fly me there, but he also sent us on a girls WEEKEND out as well! His mom watched CC for the weekend so Kel and I could live it up! I got in Fri. night and we headed to Kohls then back to the house. The next morning we ran our first 5k together and finished in 30 mins flat! The race benefited a family of 3 children with a rare disease and went thru a beautiful lake front neighborhood. Afterwards we hit the spa where Chad pre-arranged facials and massages for us BOTH! It was AMAZING, especially after my recent move and our really recent 5k :) Later we shopped, had lunch and got a mani/pedi! That night we got all hookered up and headed into the city! Chad AGAIN surprised us with a SWEET hotel SUITE and a pre-paid trolley all evening to go wherever we wanted! We had a delicious dinner at PF Changs and then headed down to the Power and Light District! Power and Light was definitely cool (tons of bars and restaurants outside under a GIANT roof with a DJ and band. However, I think we had more fun riding the trolley everywhere and taking hilarious pics of ourselves. I probably have 100, but only posted a few here! I'm sure the people around us thought we were either wasted or freaks, but we're actually just that silly and ask us if we care!!! :) On Sun. we slept in and then had lunch and picked up CC. The rest of the week we spent at the park, going to the gym, more shopping, watching movies, reading, laying out on the deck and of course LAUGHING............A LOT! We de-cluttered some of Kelly's cabinets and I gave her lessons on her Kitchen-Aid while making chocolate chip cookies! I wish I could visit more often, better yet............I wish I lived near by! Maybe in a few years we can do recruiting duty there ;) Thanks for a WONDERFUL weekend Kel, I love you! And Chad...............you're DA BOMB! THANK YOU! :)

PS. I'll never forgot the Caesar Salad, Kel ;)

Our race numbers
It was early and sprinkled on us, but overall, SO FUN and for a great cause!

The Spaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Mani/Pedi time!

PF Changs! More lettuce wraps, salt and pepper calamari, crispy-honey shrimp and Mongolian beef, please :) YUMMMMMMMM

Trolley Fun

Fake Laugh (of course)

Our best "pondering" look!

OH NO! It's raining! (or something like that)

Power and Light District

Waiting for the Trolley like a hooker!

Not very hookerish, but still waiting for Trolley!

Me and CC having sushi before I left to go home :(

Isn't she adorable? LOVE YOU CC!

Hello Parris Island, SC!!!!

2010-05-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

WE MADE IT! After our less than pleasant DITY move..................we are home (for 3 years anyway) and so far, we love it! We traded in the LOUD artillery noises and overhead aircraft of LeJeune for the new sounds of living on a Recruit Depot! Before sunrise we hear things like the Drill Instructors "motivating" recruits to do what they are told, the recruits sounding off responses to those DI's and LOTS and LOTS of cadence as they run/train. It's a different type of base than Pendleton or LeJeune. The housing isn't hidden away in a corner, it's actually right in the middle of it all! The kids play at the park while DI's are across the street in a field chewing out recruits! At first it was so strange and now it's nothing to stand nearby as they "Drop and give me 20"!!!! It's actually pretty motivating and makes you so proud to be a part of the Marine Corps! OOH RAH!! Last week Jason and I attended a graduation and it was AMAZING! It brought back a lot of memories from when Jason graduated just 11 years ago! They all look like such babies! Some are fresh out of high school and they just exude pride and discipline! It gave me goosebumps as the Marine Corps band played and they marched in front of the stands across the parade deck. It was also so amazing to know that my Grandma Fiore graduated on this very same parade deck a loooooooooong loooooooooooooong time ago! There's so much history and tradition on this base! I think the best part was when the recruits were finally released to be with their loved ones! IT WAS AWESOME!

Ok, so getting back to our house.........Don't ask me how, but we were so lucky and blessed to receive one of two historic homes on base! It was built in 1892 and we are sandwiched between the General and the Sargent Major of the base! CRAZY, I know!!!!!!! We LOVE this house! How do we ever leave this place??? It has so much character and it's HUGE! It's a two story, 3 bedroom with an enclosed sun room, two fireplaces and a GINORMOUS screened in porch! There are two staircases! One is a "secret staircase" our maids, butlers and cooks will use and the other is the main staircase everyone can see. Ok, so we don't get maids, butlers and cooks (I wish), but back in the day they must have had them! There's even a butler's quarters located behind our garage! They are in the middle of remodeling it, but it consists of a bedroom and bathroom! HOW COOL IS THAT??!!!!! The ceilings are all 10 feet tall and every room has crown moulding and detailed window casings too! There is hardwood flooring throughout the entire house and tons of windows! Once we got organized, Jason put up the kid's trampoline that was a X-mas gift from their grandparents, but we kept boxed up due to the impending move. Jason and Greg also put up a tire swing and the kids have been in heaven! Their schools are located on Laurel Bay (another base), so they take the bus, BUT the freakin bus picks them up at our door! One morning they weren't going to school and the bus driver even rang the doorbell to make sure! OMG!!!!!!!!!! We have already explored a lot of the area (more posts to follow) as we are only an hour away from Savannah, GA and about 2 from Charleston. So, who's coming to visit?????? Come on down! "Well I do declare, we like it here" ;)

The sign as you drive in (see our neighbors names? Padilla and Yagle.............and Ellis baby! HA!)

COOLEST SIGN EVER!

We need MORE of these signs ALL over the US!

Kids on first day of school

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Ava's room

Ethan's room

Kid's Bathroom

Stairs to a very HUGE attic

Sunroom (Kid's TV room &/or Ethan's X-box room)

Shot of two staircases (the one on right is for the "help") We actually use the "secret" ones more as they lead into the kitchen!

Little office area between kitchen and dining room in a little "nook"

Laundry Room

Downstairs Bathroom

HUGE dining room

Living Room (the new TV) :)

Jason's new recliner (gag)

The main stairs (for the n0n-help) LOL

Entryway

Gunther the Gnome LOVES his new home, but wants his brothers to come visit (you hear that Jill, Stacy and Erin!!!!!)

To the left of the front door on screened in porch

To the right of the door

Allllllllll along the front of the house

Sideyard

Back of house

Our teeny tiny garage, the new trampoline (FINALLY) and the butler's quarters in the back

The "Grill Instructor" on his new grill ;)

Moving Day..............Goodbye Camp LeJeune!

2010-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

After 3 years of being stationed at Camp LeJeune, NC (Jacksonville), it's time to move. :(

The kids and I have only been here for 2 out of the 3 years, but it seems like many more. We REALLY loved our time in Camp Lejeune. We loved our house, the schools, the youth sports programs, but most of all the FRIENDS we've all made!

The moving experience was a not-so-pleasant one, to say the least. Stress levels were HIGH as we decided to do a DITY (do it yourself) move. We have ALWAYS done a DITY as opposed to having the Marines move us, aka TMO. Why you ask??? Well, because I'm a bit anal and like to pack my own boxes. I don't want to search for the remote for DAYS only to find it's been packed with the bathroom crap! Or better yet, find a plunger with my dishes, cleaning supplies with my "unmentionables", kids toys mixed with yard tools, etc............UGH! I also like to know my things are WELL packed and taken care of and covered in the truck! I'm also nervous about things being broken or stolen (yes, it happens). The other good thing about a DITY is MAKING money! Our thinking was we need a new TV, a new recliner (gag, I know!!!) as well as a few other things and a couple G's would sure help that want list out! The BAD thing about a DITY is your friends become enlisted help and that's never fun for them!

So, the real fun began a couple days before the move when Jason backed into my friend Michele's car in the driveway (after telling her she did NOT need to move it cause he could get around it...........uh huh!) Then the morning Jason went to pick up the Budget truck and car trailer, THAT WE RESERVED A MONTH PRIOR BECAUSE I AM ANAL, both weren't there! The trailer was non-existent and the truck was smaller! The first one didn't even have a working ramp! It was a nightmare! Jason finally brought home the smaller truck which we quickly filled! We then had to scramble and rent another truck (from Uhaul this time, NOT Budget)! Everyone was sooooo nice to stay and help pack both trucks allllll day! SPECIAL thanks goes out to DEAR friends like Steve Moylan, The Miles Fam, The Williams Fam, Amy Nicodemus, and a few church members too! Without them we would still be there and I'd be crying and rocking in a corner! THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP AND HARD WORK! We appreciate and love you TONS! The bad thing about now having TWO rental trucks and two cars is WHO is gonna drive them all to Parris Island? UGH! So, we ended up leaving the small Uhaul with Jason's truck on the trailer at The Miles' house while I drove my SUV and J drove the Budget turd 6 hours down to PI. Upon arrival we immediately put J on a plane in Savannah back to LeJeune where he then drove the Uhaul and towed his truck another 6 hours back again! Because of this debacle we arrived too late at PI to weigh the trucks Fri. night. You would think we could get the trucks weighed Sat a.m. BEFORE the new Ward members arrived to help us unpack the trucks, but NOOOOO...............the scales are CLOSED on weekends! UGH! So, we cancelled the Ward help and postponed it for Mon. night after work! We stayed in our new house over the weekend on airbeds and since we couldn't unpack anything............ we EXPLORED the town! I have to admit as stressed as I was to prolong the move-in process, it was fun to just hang out without any real responsibility for the weekend. On Mon. we got everything weighed, the ward members came after work and we got everything unloaded! On Tues. we weighed the empty trucks and finally got them returned. It took a good two weeks to unpack, organize and decorate the new house.............post to follow! :)

All of our crap that didn't fit in the first truck sitting in the lawn! So while J went to get the Uhaul, Renee relaxed in the recliner while Greg waited his turn!
Renee again - helping to bring a little "red sticker" to the "blue sticker" hood!

Greg FINALLY got his turn and fell asleep!!!

Me, Jilly Bean and my MUCH older sis, Renee ;)

We tried to pack up all these kids and ship them somewhere!

Ethan, Sean, Mike, Grace, Zach, Ava, Garrett and Hunter

Kate, Amy, Me, Renee and Jill (bunny ears courtesy of Zach!)

Ethan and Zach exchanging BFF gifts!

Grace and Ava exchanging BFF gifts!

BESTIES!!!!!!!!

We really had a blast in LeJeune and miss all of our amazing friends! We hope that 6 hours isn't too far to visit and keep in touch! Thanks to blogging and facebook, keeping in touch is made easier! We'll be back in about 5 years though and NO MORE DITY's!!!!

Miss you and love you all! :)

Skaters Rule........move over Tony Hawk!!

2010-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

The kids, and I'm NOT just talking about Ava and Ethan have become quite the little skaters these days! Our friend Greg Miles has been having somewhat of a midlife crisis! Thankfully it doesn't involve fast women, fast cars or motorcycles, but more like OLD SCHOOL skateboards instead! lol I think he's up to a dozen now and loves to build and customize them for HOURS (right Renee?? HA HA) His son, Sean is also into the hobby and now, so are my 3! I don't know what's more hilarious................seeing Ava and Ethan at 8 & 6 yrs old waiting their turn at the top of a half pipe among a group of HS teens OR watching a 33 and 37 yr old wait their turns! PRICELESS! At least they're active and still cute doing it (for their age and status in life..............right Greg?) Following are pics from the LeJeune skatepark!

This AMAZING shot was taken by Renee! It's just SOME of Greg's boards!
The next Tony Hawk!

Ava has NO fear (as usual)

Both Ethan and Daddy concentrate best with their tongues hanging out!

I LOVE that she's clueless as to how old they all are and how young and little she is........................oh, and that she's the ONLY girl! LOL

The "Bro-mance" Greg and Jason

Sean Miles - shred'n it up!

Sean

"She said he's a Sk8ter Boi, I said see ya later boy"

"Let it eat!"