Happy New Year!

I really don't think this year could be topped. Dave came home from Iraq. We moved to San Antonio, TX and bought our first house. I was able to furnish the house with brand new furniture, buy Dave a truck and still have money for a swimming pool.
This year we hope to finish with the decorating of the house. A computer station and organized play area upstairs. Dylan's room needs some paint. Painting the dinning room and turning our bedroom and bathroom into a spa. The vegetable garden, and tropical plants surrounding the pool area.
The biggest event happening right now is the process of opening our own business. This is an idea that Dave and I each had at separate times. In Hawaii there is a clothing boutique. I love their clothes so much I had Dave go on a shopping spree to fill up my closet before he left Hawaii. The clothes are famine, floral and flirty.
One night I had a dream that I owned a store. I woke up and thought how funny it was that I liked her clothes so much that I dream of them. A few days later Dave and I were in the car and the subject of the future came up. He then began to tell me he had a dream of us owning this store. I laughed and said I did too. We talked about it, but set the idea aside. In December we went to a little apple cider festival and as I walked passed a store front that was for rent. I thought to myself that it would make a good location for our store. A few seconds later as Dave walked passed the same store he yelled up to me that this was a good location for the boutique. With this happening again we decided to look further into this crazy idea. So here is the idea for our boutique...
It's a small women's and girls clothing boutique.It has a romantic, vintage, shabby chic feel. The smells in the air will be of roses, lilac, lavender and jasmine. The music playing in the back ground will be singers and standards. Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Michal Buble, Elle Fitzgerald etc. The wallpaper will be vintage floral. Pink and cream paint. Dark brown hard wood floors, white and cream shelves, armories and tables ,and crystal chandeliers. The clothes are soft flowing sun dresses and shirts. Capri pants and shorts. The extras will be handmade beaded jewelry, soaps, lotions, candles and my tote bags.
We are still in the planning stage. Dave will be calling the owner of the Hawaii store this month and with luck we will get an ok and either we will be owners of a franchise or buying their clothes wholesale. I will keep you posted on the progress and welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Sorry it's been a while. We have finally finished on the big project for the house, the pool. I tell you it turned out just like we hoped it would. Now it's time to relax a bit and start saving up for the big spring project, the vegetable garden.

Things are running pretty smoothly here, the boys are still doing good in school. The babies are driving me crazy and Dave is doing his best at finding me a job with in his office. The thought of going back to work is exciting and scary. I'm scared only because it's been almost 3 years since I worked. I'm looking forward to the positives of working though, a little more income will help with the stress of having real bills now. The babies will get to interact with other kids at daycare and waste the crazy amount of energy they have. And then there is the fact that I'll actually have a reason to get fully dressed and out of my well worn yoga clothes.

The job has a bit of a change for me, I'm a little bit of a go to girl. I'll do some standard secretarial work and organizing. But what I'm most comfortable with is the travel needs that this group has. I've started putting together my resume with some other info then just travel agent jargin. Thankfully my computer has grammar and spell check, otherwise I'd be screwed.

Another job option that we've come up with is starting our own business. We have this grand idea based on my most favorite store in Hawaii. My only problem is I have no clue how to ask the designer if I can sell her clothes in my store. Do I say "Hi I really love your clothes and want to sell them in my store" Or do I say "Hi I want to open a store based on your store and would love to sell your clothes" Then lets just say she says "ok sure" then do I buy them from her and keep them in my garage until I find a place, or do I find the place first and hope she says yes.

The more I think about it, the more I'm just comfortable working for the government and getting a great paycheck. Then to put my house up as collateral and if the boutique fails not only will I be out of thousands of dollars, jobless, but now homeless.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

So I sit here thinking of something interesting to write and I can't come up with much. The latest goings on in my life are centered around the children. The boys have finally started their sports. Brian is in fall baseball and Dylan in soccer. During the day they have school which leaves me at home with the babies who are creating work to keep me busy. We have practices though out the week and games on saturdays. The games I am sad to admit are poorly watched by me and Dave since at soccer we are trying to keep the babies from running onto the field to play with the ball. During the baseball games Im dealing with the babies and Dylan and the constant need to check out the concession stand or get stuck under the bleachers while Dave is on the field or in the dug out with Brian.
The days are still hot and muggy something I hope is not the norm. Thankfully the pool will be installed next week. I do hope it stays warm just enough for us to get in a few times before we have to close it for the winter.
All in all I can't complain. We are all together and finally into a routine. We still have a list of things to do around the house and no deadlines to meet. I put out a feeler on a job and to my surprise I was offered a position, unfortunately it was not the job I wanted. I was hoping for a position as an outside agent, but the offer was for an office agent. With the babies not in school I cant see the benefit in working so that my paycheck can pay for daycare. Maybe in time they will call me back and say they have the perfect situation for me.
I did get my hair done which was long past due. I spent 4 glorious hours at the spa drinking hot tea getting my head massaged and chatting it up with adults that I didn't need to yell at or repeat myself too. I will remember how that felt and try to go back in a month or two.
Until then I will continue to stay home cleaning up after everyone, trying to make a dinner that all four kids will eat and keeping myself busy with projects so I don't get bored.

New Mexico

There are certain times of the year that I love coming to New Mexico and the fall is one of those times. We came back just for the weekend to pick up the stuff we left behind when we moved. The stuff that I should never have bought in the first place. But whatever its time to fully move out of my parents house, and this weekend was as good a time as any to do it.
Fall is my favorite time of the year in New Mexico. The weather cools down to a very comfortable degree and the smell of roasting green chili is in the air. My mom and I have been going to the Bernalillo Wine Fest every year that Im here and then theres the statefair, balloon fiesta and the Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty. These are the things that I miss other than the family, but with all that said I look forward to finding out what great local things San Antonio will have during its fall season? I have already figured out that football is a major part of Texas. The best part I have already figured out is that I don't have allergies there. so heres to finding and enjoying new things.

Whats new

Well things are off to a good start. The boys have started school which is a blessing to me. As much as I truly enjoy having my boys around I absolutely enjoy the peace and somewhat quite that comes with them not being around. The babies seem to be alot easier to manage and I think they like having the house to themselves. Its funny to me that I still call them the babies since they are 2 and not technically babies. I wonder when I'll stop?
Anyway where was I? Now is the time to start working on the yard. We have started the process on the pool installation which should be complete by october-ish. Then we start the fall plantings of trees and shrubs. The spring is the big planting time for us. Dave will be building some vegetable planter boxes and then I'll start the vegetables and other pretty plants for the yard. I think I'm most excited about this project because I know I won't have to dug it up when we move. (no more military houses) We have big plans for the back yard and look forward to many days and evenings spent outside. Hopefully next summer won't be such a scorcher as this one has, but at least we'll have a pool.
Im doing much better now that our family is back together and things are as they should be. I have my moments of irritated melt downs, and as Dylan says I need to take my chill pills. I still find myself asking Brian for help when Dave is sitting right there. I need to remember that Brian is a child and not "the man of the house" anymore. Dylan requires a bit more extra attention and I have gladly handed that job off to Dave since he has more patience and energy then I do. The babies are working on potty training which for some reason seems to be taking twice as long as it took Brian and Dylan to figure out.
Well, that about does it. I've updated you with the latest, not to much going on around here. Enjoying our house, our yard and new neighbors. So I guess until next time....

guests

We had our first dinner guests in the first week that we moved in. Now we just had our first out of town guests, my mom and nephew Ayden. They were here for a week and boy what a week it was. Lots of shopping, sea world, cave explorations, painting of rooms, margaritas at the river walk, and watching the Dallas Cowboys at training camp. Oh and the best part, mom's cooking. I love my mom's cooking. Its the best part of going home and the hardest part to leave. No matter how much I try my sopapillas don't pop open like hers, my tortillas aren't as round and my chili is not as flavorful. Oh and some how I burn my beans????? My excuse is/was that I didn't have a cast iron griddle and pot or a pressure cooker. Well now I'm out of excuses because I have them now. The best part is that I have a family that will eat my cooking and tell me it tastes like my moms even though my sopas are a little raw, my tortillas are more square then round and my beans are part refried and whole. I lie my excuse now is that I haven't had a life time of practice. So as they say practice makes perfect and bon appetite

Pictures of house