TDY Emails from Ster

Emails from Sterling when he was TDY at Airman Leadership School in the states:

Tiff,

     I am just thinking how nice it is that this is the last night I have to spend away from you and am so ready to have you in my arms.Hmmm I hope you day goes quick and you get done what needs to be done so that we can just relax. and dont worry I am exited to see you and the boys.. not the house.

I love you,   Sterling                            Sunday, February 05, 2012

Snore snore sleep sleep,

      I dont want to right you an email I want to be home with you in my arms warm happy and wonderful.Thank you for the pictures of the boys they are cute. I am planning to call at around 2:00 tomorrow unless someone invites us to lunch again I will just do the usual call then we can video chat. I love you and am getting really excited to come home mtcha-Sterling                 Sunday, February 05, 2012

Tesoro,

     I love you, I spent my evening looking at computers and I don't know what I want to do I found this awesome one for 1800 with blu-ray 3D screen twice as much power as out desktop that would be great but if you were to tell me I 1800 to spend on electronics I could upgarde our tv get the sound system i want and still get a good(not great) laptop somwthing tells me I need to keep looking.  I should just get all three things and call it good. I like window shopping for electronics.one thing I love about you is your very kind and understanding you are conscious of how I feel and sometimes I am a little insecure or sensitive and you dont make me feel like  baby.    Thursday, February 02, 2012

Beautiful Princess of Mine,

       You are a wonderful woman and I was very happy that we go to chat tonight. I was thinking of sex games to play that you might like and one thought that I had was get dressed up fancy and take turns looking the other person in the eye and tell them one thing you love about them a kiss and one article of clothing later it is the other persons turn. I think it sound like fun looking you in the eye and tilling exactly what I think about you and hearing what you think about me. I hope you have a great day mtcha!

                Sterling                                 Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Hey doll,

   Sorry I wasn’t around when you called I wanted t do something quick and easy for dinner but when I called Todd he told me that Tyler wanted to hang with us tonight and they wanted to do mexican so we get to the mexican restaurant at 8pm sit down order and I did not like the chilli at all so I didnt eat it so they insisted on giving me something else so I finish just as someone else comes in and sits with us and orders so not to be rude we talked with him  it was 10:20 before we got back. I did want to speak with you more tonight just because I miss you and want you to be here with me.

     I suggested to Todd that we do pizza and a movie tomorrow we will see what happens. there is a bar that people say has the best sandwiches and they have a Wednesday special so we will see what we do.

    Thank you for calling me though it makes me feel special that you tried. hmmm count down hmmm I like count down. I am trying not to be too exited so the time goes faster but I know that sunday and monday will go slow because I will just be waiting to get on the plane.

I love you and think happy wonderful things about you all day. mtcha

Prince Charming                               Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Woman!

       Why do you make me feel guilty? I was up at at the gym at 0530 because of your comment on asking how my workouts where going. It felt goooood and I loooove you for it I did 30 min on the bike then I hit the weights hard I will be one sore boy tomorrow too bad my masseuse is in a different country. I love you  and I am glad you are a good influence on me it makes me love you more. I hope you are having a great morning mtcha

      Yours and Only Your,     Sterling                                            January 31

Tiffany,

     I was looking at a boring day but it was not to be. we went GO-KART-ING it was fun. I am not very good raced 3 times and I came in last all 3 times but it was fast and fun. I wish you could have been there it would have made it better. every one is tired so we all went back to our rooms. I love you! When do you want to talk? I dont know if my internet will behave but we can try.

                 Sterling                                                January 28

Tiff,

    I went carting today it was fun but I got back about 5 and have been trying to get an internet connections ever since I really was missing you but had no way to call you please next time call me and if I am not in call me back in a hour or so I love you and like talking to you and if you call between 8 and 9 sorry I was getting dinner. Finally it is 1145 and my roommate came back and I am using his computer connected wired even then it took 30 minutes to get logged in to my email and view the pictures this really piss's me off this is the last time I go TDY without a real computer!

    Ok, calm down, now that I have vented a little frustration. I love you and I am really sorry I didnt get to call you. today was a fun day and when I finally get my computer connected to the internet you will get to read that email and see those pictures. as for Luke’s ear he will be fine it will be sore for a week but cartilage isnt someting that brakes or gets damage it is just brus. I am sleepyI should get back from church at 2:00 and I will try to call you but if I dont I would love it if you call me around 2:30

   You are such a wonderful woman and I am so glad that I married you when we got married we talked about how we could be happy with someone else but we chose each other. Do you remember that conversation? Yes, I could have married someone else but i could not imagine anyone being a better match for me that you! and I dont believe that there is anyone that could make me as happy as you do.(not saying you are perfect just close) I am so grateful that you chose me  and hope you have a wonderful morning and that I get to video chat tomorrow. I LOVE YOU

Yours for Eternity,   Sterling                       January 28

PS Thinking about you and writing my feeling for you has made me calm down relax and feel better mtcha                                         

Tiffany

      I am sorry I got back late we should have plenty of time to talk tomorrow. Bro Neibhur went back to aviano today so that he could make Dustins Scwartses baptism and he was the main one that was planning the madrid trip tomorrow so we are not going and the only thing that I have in the planned is to  play soccer with the missionaries tomorrow at 8ish I dont really care to go but Todd wants to so I am going with him. I love you email what time you would like to talk and I will try my best to be here. I hope you are sleeping warn comfy and well I love you

Sterling                 January 27

Tiff,

      So I didn't get to go watch a movie with Todd I went down stairs right after we talked and met up with some other people that i knew from the last TDY's that I went on. Its about 6:30  by the time they smoke and finish chatting it is 7:00 we go looking for this stake house never found it but did find another about 8:00 eat I got my steak rare woe was it rare but it was good I did't eat all of it because my mouth got tired of chewing. needless to say it was 9:30 before I got back to my room a little late for movie watching(unless I am cuddled tight and warm with you). We will finish the movie tomorrow night.

    Tonight right after I got off the phone I got this wave of missing you. I love you and I look forward to a time when I dont have to leave you anymore. hmmm I love you and will always be yours

Sterling                 January 25

My Woman,

      I am writing tonight just in case I dont get to in the morning. I just wanted to say thank you for being such a strong wonderful happy companion. I know that the only reason that I am so happy in my life is because of you! A happy home for me will always be where you are and when I am a way I can always feel a piece of me that I left behind and that is you. Thank you     ~Your Sterling                          January 23

Beautiful Woman of Mine,

         I dont have a whole lot to say other than I love you and I am always thinking about you. Church here starts at 10 so Bro Mangle, Bro Niebher, Bro Sanders and myself are all meeting at 0930 to go together it is a 45 min walk, but we will have a car so it should only take 10 min.

     I am really sore where is my wonderful masseuse when I need you. Oh yeah, stuck at home with out two boys. I miss you many levels. I hope you have a great sunday morning I love you!~Sterling   January 22, 2012

We spent 3 hours walking around tonight and with my workout this morning my muscles are ti-rd. but it was fun to tried this little bar for dinner I gave it a B. it was just toasted bread with eggs or veggies or meat on them and I had a cup of spinach. After that we went and found a gummy store and got a sampling of all kinds of gummies I a exited the ones i tried were really good and in about 10 min I am headed up to Todds room for a movie.

     One of the stores that we past was a traditional cloths store and they had KKK outfits see pictures enclosed.    I miss you. I with I could bring you out next weekend to hang out with me. one of the other guys that doesnt have kids wife is coming out and i am kinda jealous. only kinda because I am sure his wife is not as amazing and perfect for me as you are. I love you. we should do a kinky chat tomorrow it would be fun!

                              Forever Yours,   Sterling                  January 21, 2012

Tiffers,

       I am glad today is over. We went into work thinking that we would be back by 5pm and it was almost 9 witch I would have been ok with if I would have been busy. but i wasn't.

      This TDY will be really good at stopping me snacking. I will eat breakfast just before 7, lunch and noon'ish, and dinner doesn't start till after 7 and inbetween there is nothing no snacks no places to get snacks nothing. the down side is it will be hard to eat healthy. at breakfast they have no less than 15 different doughnuts plus bacon 3 kinds of sausage and tiny pieces of fruit. For lunch and dinner they serve french fries with everything a lot of fried food and after not eating in 9 hours I have a tummy ache and I dont care what I am eating.

     I love you and I will be at the hotel most of tommorrow I don't have to work so I will work out sometime and that is all I have planned. I am really looking forward to talking to you tomorrow.

                        Kinks & Winks,   Sterling                                        January 20

Finally it let me connect,

      I think that my internet will be very sketchy I tied for hours last night and when I asked the front desk they said there must be too many people on so try back later and later never worked but I guess nobody wants to use internet at 0630 when breakfast doesnt start till 0700.

     My day yesterday was long but really nothing eventful. bus plane car 0830-1730 then got checked into the hotel tried to mine and my roomates internet to work 1730-1900   they have the wing man rule  where you have to be with someone at all times so I went with a group that went to eat at 1900 yeah of course it was 1930 before everyone showed up and it was a 10 min walk to the bar the grill did open till 2000 so we waited and ever one hat a beer so at 2010  i walk up to the bar and order when i got back to the table i told then that i orderd(I was starving frist real meal all day) and the guy in charge said he talk to them and they were going to come to the table. it takes them 30 min to make my sandwich so in a table of 7 I have my food and noon  else has even orderd. I eat if feeling a little awkward because everyone is really hungry. finally at 2115 29 min after I am done eating they walk up to the bar and order needless to say i was stuck there till 2300 waiting for people to eat luckily i found someone that wanted to head back to the hotel everyone else went on to do more of a tour. I knew you where asleep but i was really hoping that the internet to work but still no luck watch a boring documentary (that you wouldt watch with me) tried again to get email both in my room and in the lobby with no luck. went to bed woke up and got it too work

     I am sorry that i didnt get to emal you yesterday I really wanted too. we are all meeting at 0830 to go to work so I should be able to call the home phone some time today I am in room 126 of the malia hotel I wil try to get you the number so you can call me with skype.    I love you

Mtcha,          Sterling`                                       January 20

Email from Sterling Summer 2010 when he was TDY to Israel:

Tiffany,

      Just had a few minutes and thought i would tell you about my day! not that i have done much. got up tried to chat with you didnt work so i went swimming when i got to the pool the life guard talked to me because we had some females try to go swimming this morning and he had to kick them out. tuesday morning are a male only time for all of the really religious jews so they are not temped to look at all the girls. so i chose a bad i mean good morning to go swimming. I go early in the morning the girls dont normally so up till later. the only girl i really want to see in fewer cloths is you:) but sadly it made my knee hurt witch is bad because swimming is a gentle sport.

    after that i called you briefly then went and eat lunch watched a movie came to work and that is about it. my highlight at work is i got to drive afew min back from the chow hall it was really weird driving an automatic yea and now i am just waiting till i get to go back to my bed where i will watch another movie and fall asleep what a life. see i really dont do anything without you. i miss you. i reflect on my life every so often and i always and i cant imagine where i would be without you just add so much to my life thank you for being my woman and wonderful wife i love you –sterling                                June 1, 2010

Puppy Summer

It has not yet been a year since I went back to America for a visit. A few weeks ago, however, I started to get really homesick. Sterling was getting homesick too (but not as homesick as I).

We can't afford to go back to America. Getting to America won't cost much but flying to get to our family would cost a lot! And to eat and spend money there.

Next year if we PSC (move) in the summer we will get a good visit home with our families.
There is a possibility of staying here 6 extra months by extending Sterling's enlistment in order to cross train (if cross training doesn't work out this summer).

Sterling and I are not dog people. We never have been. But a few weeks ago we went on a hike and were joined by a friendly, smart little dog who kept us company the whole time. The boys loved him and obeyed us not to touch him. It sparked something in both Ster and I. We had already planned to get a dog when we retire from the military and have our own land. But on this particular hike we started entertaining the idea of getting a dog when we are done traveling and move back to America.
The idea of a dog for our little boys was so fun that it kept coming back into our minds.

On a walk on day I saw a dog I thought was kind of cute. So we went home and looked up different breeds of dog and I decided that Beagles are the cutest in the world. I want a small dog, Ster wants a big dog. We decided that a big dog is good for when we retire.

All of a sudden we wanted a dog, a beagle! Sterling downloaded a book Beagles For Dummies. We are learning about how to take care of them and what we will have to go through with a dog.
We took the boys to a pet store a few days ago. We saw a few cute puppies. We found out how much it would cost and how long it would take to get a beagle puppy in. Two weeks it would take. We have a family vacation schedule in just over that amount of time. So we asked the pet people if they would get us the puppy in time to get it after our vacation. They said they'd order it and take care of it until we could pick it up.

We made the decision. We put a down payment on a puppy.

We are so excited to add a new member to our family! So excited that we've lost all our homesickness. God works in mysterious ways.
I am so thankful He is watching out for us. Who knew that a puppy would fix our homesickness? Who knew Sterling and I would out of the blue decide to get and love a dog !

Our lifestyle is perfect for a little dog right now. We go out and walk the neighborhood often (and will be happy to walk it more often when we have a dog). We hike often (and will more often once we have a dog). I am home all day every day while Ster is at work, so the dog won't get lonely. And our two little boys, we believe, will be great with a puppy/dog.

Our friends the Mangles recently got a puppy. They didn't have it for long. Their little girls were loving it to death. The puppy would hide from them and resented them. They had to sell the puppy.

Sterling and I believe our boys won't cuddle and squeeze the puppy too much. They will like to pet it and run by it. We've seen them with dogs and they are boys so they don't do the squish cuddle as much as girls.

It is perfect because I was wishing I could borrow someone's dog for a few hours on Ty's birthday (August 19th) because I knew he would have most fun with a puppy. Ty is turning 2 years old so his interests are limited. He likes Classical Baby Music dvds, his binky and blanky, playing with his brother, the tv show Yo Gabba Gabba, real cars and dogs.  When Luke was a baby and a toddler he was obsessed with lights. He had to point out all the lights he noticed. Even at age 2 and into the beginning of his 3rd year he annoyed us with his constant pointing out lights and saying "light!"
Well, Tiberias likes to point out cars. Granted, he does it nowhere near as often as Luke did with lights. Oh, and he loves motorcycles. He wants a motorcycle...at age 1!

Our vacation...we are going for a few days to stay on the beach. For our 5th anniversary Sterling got us a motor-home on the beach. It is going to be awesome! A fun family vacation. Then we'll come back and get our puppy.

The puppy is our anniversary gift to each other. Luke didn't get a lot of gifts from us for his birthday and Ty won't either. Christmas this year will be small. All so we can have this puppy.
The truth is that our boys are so young we don't spend much money on them for their birthdays because they get gifts from friends and are too young to realize they might only be getting a few things. They don't ask for more or wish they got more. So we give them less. Plus, their toys room is full and have extra toys upstairs (and that's not even "spoiled" these days). 

Sterling and I are happier than ever. Our marriage is strong. He is my best friend and I am his. How did I get so lucky?!

Independence day

Last week we went to the beach in Lignano, Italy. Sterling had to work at 2pm however we were able to drive up there, enjoy the beach and get home in time for Ster to get ready for work.

Tiberias had been to a beach one time before that...last Summer on our cruise when we stopped in Greece. This time, Ty's second time, was much more a beach experience. The Greece beach had been rocky whereas the Lignano beach was sandy.
Ty didn't like the feel of the sand, no surprise (he doesn't care for playing in sand boxes) but quickly got use to it. He didn't like the water at first. It was cold water but the air was hot. He eventually got over his dislike of the water and was soon having as much fun and Luke.
It was an amazing beach morning. We ate snacks and played in the water. We made a sand castle. Luke had been asking to go to the beach for a while so he was in heaven.

Monday (yesterday) Sterling got the day off of work. He was helping some military members (a young couple) get married to each other. Sterling was to be the translator for the wedding ceremony.
Sterling offered my photography and cake decorating skills for a small cost to which they accepted. I was excited! I kept praying for help to make the cake beautiful and the portraits perfect. I love doing what I do but I still get nervous because I'm not perfect at either skill.

Monday we got a friend to bring her kids over to our house and babysit our children. We dressed up for the wedding and then received a call from the bride and groom shortly before the ceremony time. They were stuck on the military base. A bomb threat had shut the base down. They had been trapped in the BX for some time. Eventually the people were allowed to leave the BX but could not go to their cars in the parking lot. So the bride and groom walked over to the Shoppette and waited for us to come. Two other friends of the bride and groom arrived. We were all together and Ster and I were the only ones dressed up! The time came to go have the ceremony and still the bride and groom were not allowed to go get their wedding clothes out of their cars. So we call carpooled to the court house in Aviano, Italy.

The Mayor unfortunately was unavailable so the city recorder was the one to marry the young couple. It was a little legal ceremony in a business room. Sterling translated for the ceremony. The recorder read to them a thing about the responsibilities they take on as a married couple, in their family and in the community. It was no where near romantic as Mormon temple wedding words and responsibilities.
Sterling, the bride and groom, the recorder and the witnesses all signed a record that will stay in the Aviano Court House forever. Pretty cool.

We took a few pictures then went back to the base. Sterling and I then went to Subway and had lunch without the kids. It was really nice.
That evening we got Raquel Stevens (our normal babysitter) and left the kids again. We went to do portraits of the bride and groom. The cake I transported on my lap and it was a 25ish minute drive...that was not easy. Wedding cakes are heavy. This one was small...one two levels. It turned out beautiful but once we put it together it started slanting! The same problem I had when I made Alissa's wedding cake a few years ago. I will look online and see if I can learn to prevent that from happening.
We put the cake in the restaurant where the reception was going to be. The waiters put the cake in their fridge. We walked from there just down the street to the town square for portraits. The church there was gorgeous! We did the wedding portraits and they turned out beautiful, thankfully!

We went back to the restaurant for dinner. The other guests were really late so Ster, myself and the bride and groom ate without the rest of the party. We had a lot of fun. The couple who wedd are kind to each other and fun and interesting. They love traveling and don't want to move back to America. Most Americans want to move back to the states! Many even hate traveling because they don't like change or trying new things.

The bride, Megan, asked us for wedding advice. I was going to say "Put your spouse before yourself" but Sterling said his first and it covered my advice. He said that it is just as important what you don't say to each other as what you do say. I mess things up a lot, break stuff, etc. And Sterling doesn't have to tell me I did wrong because I know. He holds his tongue and it makes me feel better! I added to that saying "It really helps if when you do have to say something to your spouse that will possibly hurt them, you take a few days to try and find the kindest way to say it." Even if I take a few days and can't find a nice way to say it seems to be less hurtful when I do say it because I've taken the time to think about it and so he can see how sincerely I don't want to hurt him when I do say it.

It was a wonderful day with two dates for us! lol. We've never left the kids with a sitter twice in one day before.

Today Sterling took our little family on a hike. We went up to the Chrome dome (not far from home). We hiked and had a great time. There was a friendly little dog roaming around the area and he kept with us the whole hike. The boys loved it! It made Sterling and I decide to get the boys a dog once we're done with most of our traveling. If we move to American next year then that's probably when we'll get a dog.

On the hike we told Luke not to touch the dog and he never did. The dog would walk by his side sometimes and it was so cute! When Tiberias walked he also did great to obey our command to not touch the dog. That had to be really hard for him because he loves dogs and he is not yet two years old. I am proud of my boys.

Tiberias is in a very difficult stage though. He's in his terrible twos. He is grumpy almost all the time (growing or teething). He screams and cries when he is frustrated. Throws fits when he doesn't get what he wants. He can speak. He is pretty good at communicating with us but chooses to be ridiculous when things don't go his way. Ster and I have the hard task of teaching him it is NOT OK to scream and throw fits. No fun.

Sterling went to work. I worked on portrait editing. We did a special school lesson today about the 4th of July. I taught Luke that we celebrate the 4th of July because of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That we are Americans and will one day move back to America. That we are free and blessed to be Americans.
We colored and painted patriotic art and hung them on the living room walls.

Tomorrow (Independence day) we are going to the beach in the morning. We invited the entire LDS ward to go with us via Evite.com. Nobody, it seems, is joining us. Stelring says they are too scared of the beaches in Europe. True, you're likely to encounter a topless woman if you go to the beach in the summer. But the Lignano beach we've been going to is not bad at all. I imagine the beach we are going to tomorrow will be the same. Sure, if you have or are a teenage boy then I'd avoid the beaches. Other than that, you can deal with it. Ignore it.

I made cookies to take with us to the beach. We'll purchase items from the corner store for Italian sandwiches to eat lunch at the beach. Sterling has the day off of work, yay.
Then at night we are going to take the boys (after 10pm yikes that's late for them) to see the fireworks at the military base.

This Saturday is Luke's birthday. We have invited just a few friends to have cupcakes and chocolate milk with us at a park to celebrate. Luke wants chocolate milk and chocolate cupcakes. I will decorate them all cute...I'm not yet sure what the theme will be.

We'll decorate the house with balloons and streamers that day just to make the whole day more fun for Luke.

Life is amazing. We are so happy! We are healthy. Alissa is expecting her first baby next month and I am so excited for them! I wish I could be there! I am sending them a fun gift...a jungle themed floor mat for the baby to lay on and play with. I will also warn them of the flat head problems that can be so serious and are a pain to try and correct.

Primary Calling

Here is an email I wrote my mom. It tells what's up lately with me.

Hi Mom!

I'm am so excited that you are going to go help grandma put the genealogy on a computer. That will be wonderful!

And it's so awesome that you sold so many crafts at the fair!

If you've looked at my blog now you know we did have an amazing time with Abigail here. Now that she's gone I am really busy. I have so much going on that I can only do a little bit of each thing. Examples; photography (there are always volunteer opportunities on the base through the photo club), teaching Luke, singing, dinner with friends, service in the ward.

Luke goes to school so I don't feel too bad that I don't have time to do school often at home. But he's been out of school for two whole weeks (vacation and then spring break) and I've only done school with him maybe two times in all that time. I should have done more.

There are always opportunities to do service in our ward. Husbands gone for work, pregnant women, people moving in or out, etc.

Right now I think I have four church callings. I know I have ward historian, which I finally received the official guidelines and folder for even though I've been doing it a year.

I know I am a visiting teacher, of course. I know I am a primary teacher. And I think, but am not sure, that I am still the bulletin board coordinator.

Now we're in the new church and I have a whole bulletin board clean and ready for me.

This week will be full of preparing for church callings...busy busy for me.

This weekend is a baby shower I am helping put on for a sister I visit teach. That same day I have two baptisms of kids I believe are in my class...I have taught yet so I am not sure.

This week I am having a less active couple over to dinner because they seem to not have made any friends in the ward even though I've seen them come on and off for atleast a year. I feel bad I have never reached out. The couple seem like people Sterling and I could really become friends with. Better late than never.

There are two families in the ward who's women are physically unable to take care of their families. So I am hoping to get a meal over to one family this week and one meal to the other family the next week. I'd like to take meals to both families every week but I'm also trying not to overload my schedule. It's so busy!

Since Abi has left I find it the house cleaning is not a high priority anymore. I'm so busy that the apartment is trashed before I get around to cleaning it.

But spending time with Sterling and the boys takes up a lot of my time too. Sterling needs a lot of time with me or he really misses me. So I always have to spend as much time as I can with him. Sometimes that means I have a day here or there where everything has been postponed so long I have to get stuff done instead of spend time with Sterling.

When Abi was here she would play with the kids and I could get everything done. It was nice!

There's also a family moving away soon that we're sad to see go. We're best friends with this family so I'm trying to do something fun with them once a week until they go. This week it's dinner together. Next week I think we're going to go on a double date.

Ok, I'll let you go. I could go on and on though. Busy life.

Love, Tiffany

Poppy season has just passed here in the Aviano area of Italy. Poppies are beautiful red flowers that Americans love having their pictures taken in. This year there were not poppy fields but farmer's crops that wild poppies crept into. But that was better than nothing so I had a few jobs (portrait shoots) with the poppies. And I had one shoot scheduled that had to be rescheduled but because the poppies are dying and/or plowed when I do that shoot we'll do it at gorgeous Porcia Park.

I am so thankful Heavenly Father helps me to improve my photography and editing skills. Each time I have a shoot I prepare as much as I can then I pray for help. After the shoot I pray in thanksgiving for His help and then pray for help with editing.  :)

He helps me improve my singing voice as well. I have been performing quite a bit the last 6 months. It's been fun but it's with Heavenly Father's help that I can stand in front of the ward and sing without forgetting the words or having fear in my voice. I shake like a leaf when I'm in front of everyone but luckily I've been told they can't tell I'm nervous.

I am currently Valiants 8 & 9 teacher in Primary. I am loving it. I started about a month ago with two boys and five girls (one who only comes once in a while though). Anna Lazenby and Andrew Robertson got baptized right after I became their teacher. Then Anna moved away...they went back to the states. 
Currently families are traveling. Last week I had just two kids in my class and this week those two kids will be on vacation so I'm not sure who will show up for class.

Everyone was sad to see the Lazenbys move away.  Dewayne was the bishop for like 4 years. And Mari is so sweet and awesome. Sterling and I have become very close to the Lazenby family. By the time they moved they said that they feel like we are family and will definitely meet up again. They even said they would be happy if they ended up settling down (for retirement) near us...since we are going to get land and live in a small town or out of town. They like that idea and the idea of being our neighbors when retired.  :)   We feel all the same for them.  We celebrated Mother's day together this year and it was the best mother's day!

For Father's day, which is rapidly approaching, I am excited for the gifts I am getting Sterling. I ordered a barbecue apron which the boys and I will paint to personalize. Ster wants to barbecue a lot this summer. He just fixed up his grill.
I also ordered him a chef's hat and coat/shirt as Sterling has been wanting for a few years now. And to go along with the theme I am going to purchase a spinning spice rack Sterling said he wants to get eventually.

My birthday is this weekend. Sterling and I are going to have brownie scookies with ice cream for lunch and hopefully have friends join us. If the Mangles cannot come we will invite the Seamons.
Then for dinner we're leaving the kids with a sitter and going out for dinner. 

So far planning Valiant class lessons I have adjusted my technique a lot. I started out doing almost all of what the book says I can...I ran out of time. Then I changed it to me telling the scripture story, having the class look up one scripture just so they are using their scriptures, and they get time to color their handout (I find coloring pages/clipart for each story we do and put a saying that goes along with the lesson and will help them remember what the lesson teaches). They keep their handouts in a binder so they don't get lost or thrown away. They get candy if they bring their scriptures. And I do an activity to go along with the lesson (my kids love games and role playing). Their favorite game is a version of tic tac toe where I ask they questions about the lesson I taught...if they answer correctly they get their mark on that square.

Sterling is working Swing Shift (2-10p). So we do our big meal for lunch. On school days Ty goes down for his nap when Luke gets on the school bus at 11:30a...so Ster and I get a little time together alone before he goes to work.

Both of my boys love music now! Luke was not a music person before.
They love to dance! Of course, they won't dance long unless mom and/or dad are dancing too. They would dance every day if we had the energy.
They listen to primary music at bedtime now. Ty was now sleeping at night so we bought a night light and put music in their room to help him sleep. We also gave him a binky. He's back on the binky.

Tiberias,a few weeks ago, would not stay in bed. He would get out of bed and come out of his room when it was time to go to sleep (night or day) and then get up all throughout the night. I was not getting my sleep and Sterling was not getting enough for work. I think we dealt with that for a week. After trying music, binky, pain reliever (in case he had growing pains) and night lights we tried putting the port a crib in there and trapping him. It worked! Now he sleeps and night and doesn't get me up at 5am! It's still 6:30 or earlier but not 5 anymore.

At night I lay in bed with them, after prayer and goodnights, and sing them two songs. I usually let Luke pick one of the songs. He likes ABC's and We Are A Happy Family (our own version). Luke knows most of the words to a lot of the primary songs I might sing. Ty tries to sing along;he gets the tune right on some songs.
Tiberias and Luke are huge book boys. Ty more than Luke lately. Ty's favorites are "Old McDonald's Funny Farm" and "See How I Grow."  Luke has outgrown his love for "Dinosaur's Binkit" and "I Know A Rhino" and Ty has grown into loving those.

They are getting so big! I love how old Ty is getting though. About a week ago he all of sudden started acting older and as if he understands and knows a lot more. I think that's helping him to play better with Luke sometimes. They still fight a lot! Ty hurts Luke or teases him or takes his toys away. Luke has always been a gentle and nice big brother. But Luke's problem is that he whines and cries when he's frustrated or unhappy. We now place him in time out for whining and crying when it's not needed. He needs to learn to be a tough big boy.

Luke is so smart! He is too nervous to do Show and Tell anymore. He was doing it at first but won't do it anymore.

My boys are amazing! And my husband is the best! We are so in love. He takes care of me and asks what he can do to make me happier. He rubs my feet and I tickle his back. We keep the magic alive. Being physically active (hiking etc) really helps.

I have decided to throw a block party. Some of my neighbors are moving away and tons have recently moved to the street. Not to mention there are one down the street I have never met. A block party would start the summer off giving all the neighbors a chance to meet everyone and make friends. I am really excited about it. I've been planning since I had the idea yesterday. Tomorrow I will try to recruit a few friends on my street. Once I have someone saying they will help I can plan a meeting and invite the whole neighborhood to my apartment if they want to be involved in the planning of the event.

Heavenly Father is so good to us! We cannot count the numerous blessing we receive each day.

We are great. Tiberias is sick this week because he's teething. But other than that we're great. I'm going to focus on getting Tiberias to use his words. He has started trying to not say any words but just point and grunt. So I am refusing to read him books unless he says the name of an item on each page. So far, today, he has not done it. He's getting close to 2 years old and could talk if he tried. So my focus has to be on getting him to talk.

Luke is now sacred to go anywhere in the apartment unless the lights are on and mom is nearby.

Sterling officially applied for CrossTraining. So hopefully he'll get a great job in the next year. He applied for different jobs, some we'd like more than others.

I am now teaching Valiants 8 & 9 at church. So far I love it but have stuff to figure out on how to make the most of my class time. The kids like to waste a lot of class time and so far I have been unsucessful on changing that.

I sang I Heard Him Come last Sunday. It went so great. I didn't mess up. I was so nervous though. I was shaking up on that stage. Luckily it seems nobody could tell I was nervous.

Stephanie moves away in about a month. She shipped her car already and the movers just came for her stuff too.

My new next door neighbor whose husband is gone TDY found out her husband will come home for maybe a week after his TDY then go on a 6month deployment. It really sucks. She is sad.
I am excited to her next door though because I can tell we are going to be friends. She'll have to come hang out with me a lot while her husband is gone.

Primary Calling

Here is an email I wrote my mom. It tells what's up lately with me.

Hi Mom!

I'm am so excited that you are going to go help grandma put the genealogy on a computer. That will be wonderful!

And it's so awesome that you sold so many crafts at the fair!

If you've looked at my blog now you know we did have an amazing time with Abigail here. Now that she's gone I am really busy. I have so much going on that I can only do a little bit of each thing. Examples; photography (there are always volunteer opportunities on the base through the photo club), teaching Luke, singing, dinner with friends, service in the ward.

Luke goes to school so I don't feel too bad that I don't have time to do school often at home. But he's been out of school for two whole weeks (vacation and then spring break) and I've only done school with him maybe two times in all that time. I should have done more.

There are always opportunities to do service in our ward. Husbands gone for work, pregnant women, people moving in or out, etc.

Right now I think I have four church callings. I know I have ward historian, which I finally received the official guidelines and folder for even though I've been doing it a year.

I know I am a visiting teacher, of course. I know I am a primary teacher. And I think, but am not sure, that I am still the bulletin board coordinator.

Now we're in the new church and I have a whole bulletin board clean and ready for me.

This week will be full of preparing for church callings...busy busy for me.

This weekend is a baby shower I am helping put on for a sister I visit teach. That same day I have two baptisms of kids I believe are in my class...I have taught yet so I am not sure.

This week I am having a less active couple over to dinner because they seem to not have made any friends in the ward even though I've seen them come on and off for atleast a year. I feel bad I have never reached out. The couple seem like people Sterling and I could really become friends with. Better late than never.

There are two families in the ward who's women are physically unable to take care of their families. So I am hoping to get a meal over to one family this week and one meal to the other family the next week. I'd like to take meals to both families every week but I'm also trying not to overload my schedule. It's so busy!

Since Abi has left I find it the house cleaning is not a high priority anymore. I'm so busy that the apartment is trashed before I get around to cleaning it.

But spending time with Sterling and the boys takes up a lot of my time too. Sterling needs a lot of time with me or he really misses me. So I always have to spend as much time as I can with him. Sometimes that means I have a day here or there where everything has been postponed so long I have to get stuff done instead of spend time with Sterling.

When Abi was here she would play with the kids and I could get everything done. It was nice!

There's also a family moving away soon that we're sad to see go. We're best friends with this family so I'm trying to do something fun with them once a week until they go. This week it's dinner together. Next week I think we're going to go on a double date.

Ok, I'll let you go. I could go on and on though. Busy life.

Love, Tiffany