The Jackson 9

Nate - Makenna's Senior Prom

2011-04-09T20:18:00.003-05:00

Nathan and his "not my girlfriend", Makenna, went to her Senior Prom for Mountain Pointe High School. They were both very excited to get all dressed up, meet their friends for dinner at PF Chang's, jump in the limo, and head to the dance. They looked so beautiful and handsome and both of us mom's were clicking our cameras the whole time.

Marshel's 9th birthday party - Rained out!

2011-04-09T19:53:00.007-05:00

Marshel wanted a pool party so bad, so since the pool is open, we thought this was a great idea. Of course, the morning of the party, it was raining and cold. So, we made a quick change and headed to McDonalds. The kids enjoyed a Happy Meal and a great cake. They played with each other and had a great time, while we parents supervised and visited with each other. He kept asking to open his presents and was so excited when he received a new baseball bat and ball, and a batting helmet. He also received a super soaker water gun, Zhu Zhu pet, and Legos. His favorite part was having his face smashed into the cake. It was a fun party.

This is video of Marshel blowing the blue frosting out of his nose after putting his face in the cake. We laughed so hard!

Rachel's Sweet 16 - Black and White Theme

2011-04-09T19:36:00.006-05:00

We spent the day of Rachel's party cleaning the house up, rearranging furniture to create a dance floor, making a ton of food and decorating with black and white balloons all over the floor, black and white plates, cutlery, napkins and serving dishes. We also had a cute banner that had 16's all over it and tissue paper everywhere. We had meatballs, cheeseball and crackers, cheese cubes and pepperoni slices, oreos and chocolate chip cookies, and the drink was the hit of the night - orange sherbet with sprite in it. We asked everyone to dress in Black and White. Rachel's favorite person at the party was her awesome brother, Nate. Nathan planned for 2 weeks which cake to make for Rachel's party. He made the cake from scratch, made his own fondant, designed the cake, and then was so excited to deliver and present the cake to Rachel right in the middle of the party. It was a great moment.

The night was full of food, music and dancing. There were about 20 kids at the party (80% boys, of course) and they had a great time. Rachel got a cute zebra stuffed animal from Jack, the foreign exchange student from Italy. She got a pedicure and nail design from Mom with $25 cash. Michael sent Rachel a sweet note which made Rachel cry, since she misses him so much, as well as $25. We had a good time and she said it was the best party she ever had.

It's all about Michael

2010-02-25T07:39:00.003-06:00

We haven't had much to tell about Mike for awhile. At the beginning of the year, he and his ship went underway, headed to Thailand, Singapore and the Phillipines. He was excited as they only get to Thailand once a year and he's never been to Singapore. He also was pretty excited to tell us that he has been moved from the boring pump room, where he was testing fuel, onto the flight deck where he actually fuels the birds. So far, he has fueled a harrier and 2 60s (helicopters). And just to make sure to keep mom a little nervous, he tells us he was behind a harrier as it was turning around and it was really hot and blowing strong winds. He says "it's not strong enough at that distance to blow you away, but its still very hot and it makes your clothes ripple in the wind."

In the next email, he jokingly (maybe) says, I'm going to let it blow me off the deck just so my suit can inflate and then they'll pick me up. I told him - unless the sharks get you first.

Moving on, while in Thailand, he bought himself a nice suit, had a Thai massage - he got offered the full massage, but turned it down thankfully. He rode an elephant, played with a monkey, bought some DVDs and video games. He also ate fried bugs - scorpions, grasshoppers, beetles, meal worms. He said there was no breading on them, they were just fried with garlic. He did pass on the large hissing beetles, since they just looked creepy.

What an adventure! Now that he's in Singapore, we'll have to see what he does there. More to come!

Kellee's bout with RSV

2010-02-10T20:01:00.004-06:00

Kellee started out with what seemed like a cold - runny nose, low fever. In 2 days, that changed to high fever, coughing, headache, no energy. So, we took her to Urgent Care for some better meds. By this time, she had a temp of 105 and her pulse oxygen was down to 90. After a breathing treatment, it came up, but then went right back down. They took xrays of her chest, looking for pneumonia - nothing. They did a flu test - negative. They determined that she was not stable and sent her to the ER, not by car, by ambulance.

We were at Methodist Children's ER for about 9 hours, more xrays, blood tests, IV fluids because she was dehydrated, breathing treatments. The final diagnosis was RSV or Bronchiolitis. After some steroids, we finally got to bring her home. She has to take steroids for a month and we just have to watch and wait. She's out of school for the rest of the week. She is feeling much better now, but still coughing. It was a little scary for a bit there, but I'm just so glad the nurses and doctor at Urgent Care were paying attention and didn't just send her home with a prescription.

She wanted a picture of her glowing finger - this was the pulse Ox meter. ET - PHONE HOME!

This is Kellee in her fun little hospital bed at the ER. She had more wires hooked up to her than her dad's computer room. It was crazy!

The latest on Michael

2010-01-01T10:54:00.002-06:00

Michael's got a girlfriend! And it seems pretty serious! Her name is Tomomi. She lives in Japan and Mike sees her quite a bit. He went home with her for Christmas and met the family. The family took him to an Onsen ( a public bath). Women and men are separated in the baths, but they are naked. Yep, Mike went traditional and said it was a little uncomfortable at first, but then he just went with the flow. He said the family is really nice and he got along really well with them.

Mike also stayed at one of the capsule hotels that are well-known in Japan. It's just a small capsule with a bed. There's a pull-down TV above the bed. The bathrooms are shared. Interesting!

Mike is heading out to sea for several months, so we won't hear too much from him until he gets back, but he wants everyone to know he's happy and healthy and in love. We miss him so much and hope to see him sometime in 2010.

Nate gets punked - or should we say "Pinked"!

2009-12-29T19:14:00.002-06:00

Nate is so popular and has so many friends that love him that he was left with a wonderful gift this morning. During the night, someone was able to get the key to Nate's car and spent some time decorating it. To top it off, it rained early this morning, just a light drizzle. Nate's car was filled with pink balloons (one of them had his key inside), covered with oreos, had a Princess decoration hanging from the rear view mirror and also had some lovely sentiments written in pink on the windows: I love Jacob Black and I Heart Boys Who Sparkle! The others had washed off, but the point was taken. The best part is that Nate went to the drive through and it did nothing. So, now he's driving around in a polka dot car - it's so cute!

Although Nate was annoyed by the whole incident - he couldn't help but grin about it, b/c he knew it was funny. He'll laugh about it in the future.

Christmas - Part 3

2009-12-29T19:10:00.002-06:00

Rachel got home from Florida around noon on the 26th. We first went to a double feature at the movies - Alvin and the Chipmunks and then Avatar. When we got home, Rachel got to open her presents. Her most favorite present was the Pittsburgh Steelers Roethlisberger jersey. She was so excited. She was glad to be home and spend time with the family.

Christmas - Part 2

2009-12-27T11:23:00.002-06:00

Marshel and Kellee put out Santa's treats - Trash and Sugar Cookies with Eggnog! Nate, Marshel and Kellee opened up their Christmas Eve gift - Christmas PJs. The next morning, everyone slept in until around 8am and then we opened gifts. Later that day,

we had friends over for Christmas dinner and games. It was a lot of fun.

Christmas - Part 1

2009-12-27T11:19:00.002-06:00

Brittan and Lindsay chose to go home before Christmas Day, so we had their Christmas on December 23rd before they went home. Marshel and Kellee got to open a couple of things from Grandma Jackson and Grandma and Grandpa Welch.

Mom's December Friends Cruise

2009-12-27T10:51:00.003-06:00

Marty couldn't get work off so his cousin, Cheryl Rupp, joined Michelle as she escorted a group of friends as they sailed to the Western Caribbean. There were 5 first time cruisers so we enjoyed watching them experience it. We had a great time getting to know one another. In Montego Bay, Jamaica, we all did a River Rafting adventure. In Grand Cayman, we met at the Cracked Conch for lunch. In Jamaica, some of us went on an all-day party boat adventure, complete with snorkeling and beach time. We had a lot of fun and now are all looking forward to 2011 Panama Canal. Good Times!

Our group was made up of: Michelle, Cheryl, Brian and Barb Scherff, Pat and Mike Roberts, Bill and Linda Lynch, Shelley and John Moseley.

Rachel's Dance Performance

2009-12-25T23:59:00.003-06:00

Enjoy Rachel's Christmas dance with her Pep Squad. She lives for performing and it's obvious by the grin on her face that she loves what she's doing. Enjoy!

Getting Ready for Christmas

2009-12-25T23:45:00.003-06:00

We invited some friends over to decorate Christmas cookies. We had a fun time with them making tons of cookies. Brittan and Lindsay had come for a few days to visit, so we enjoyed spending time with them as well.

Rachel performed a cute dance number with her Pep Squad team at both the Mr. Taft Pageant and the Christmas Pep Rally.

Decorating the Christmas tree was fun - once Nate figured out which part of the tree was the top and which was the bottom - good thing Marshel knew how to help him.

Kellee was a big help getting all the stockings hung with care.

Heading Home from Oklahoma

2009-12-25T23:29:00.004-06:00

We had a great time in Oklahoma - what fun memories we have of Black Friday with Paula, Chad and Kordale, while we left all the kids home sleeping and filled our carts with terrific Christmas gifts. Driving around looking for the rock quarry was a definite adventure as well. We were sad to say goodbye, but ready to get home.

We stopped in Oklahoma City for an hour to visit the Oklahoma City Memorial, where the Federal Building was bombed in 1995. It was a solemn, sad, but sacred site with rows of chairs to memorialize those killed in the bombing and the Memorial Wall. The kids enjoyed writing their names on the chalk displays saying that they had been here. It was good to teach the kids a little about the history of this city and the realities of life.

Thanksgiving - time to eat

2009-12-25T23:15:00.004-06:00

While Mom and Aunt Paula cooked in the kitchen, the kids and the men played with toys or on computers. Everyone helped cook - Nate loved being able to help out in the kitchen. Dad helped out the flyswatter.

Thanksgiving Morning - Kickball

2009-12-25T22:44:00.002-06:00

We had a fun game of kickball while dinner was cooking and we were waiting for some friends of Chad and Paula's to come over. The dogs even tried to get in on it. Good times!

Thanksgiving Morning - Football

2009-12-25T20:51:00.002-06:00

Dad and Rachel went with Chad, Jordan and Tori to the stake football game on the morning of Thanksgiving. It was a cold morning, but it warmed up and they had fun playing. It was a nice way to start the Thanksgiving Day.

Let's play Charades

2009-12-25T20:14:00.003-06:00

One night at Paula's, we decided to entertain the kids with a game of Charades. We came up with some really easy actions as well as some a little more challenging. We saved the best for last - watch Chad's rendition and guess what he's doing:

My dog Snickers

2009-12-25T20:09:00.002-06:00

Just as we were leaving to drive to Oklahoma, we realized our 1 year old dog, Snickers, had gone into heat. Just what we needed as we were going to be staying at Paula and Chad's house. So, we got a pull-up, cut a hole for a tail, and put it on her. We all enjoyed laughing at her, and she was so humiliated, but she eventually just lay down and quit worrying about it. Luckily no dogs came to visit and we'll be getting her fixed very soon.

Family Night at Pops in Oklahoma

2009-12-25T20:01:00.003-06:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we headed to Oklahoma to visit with Paula and Chad. It was an 8 hour drive and we enjoyed being able to just relax with them. On Monday night, we headed over to Pop's on Route 66. What a fun adventure we had. This was just a small store, but it was full of hundreds of different types of soda. Each kid got to pick out 2 different flavors and we enjoyed one right there. It was a lot of fun.

Girls Day Out - New Moon

2009-12-25T19:57:00.002-06:00

Rachel and Mom went out with the girls for the day. We went to lunch at Tiago's and then headed to the movie theater where we stood at the front of the line for New Moon. We got awesome seats and loved the movie. It was fun hanging out with our friends laughing and enjoying our time together. Can't wait to do it again!

What is Kellee learning in Kindergarten?

2009-12-25T19:43:00.002-06:00

Kellee loves Kindergarten. If you put her love of music together with all the fun things she's learning, she can tell you everything she's learned. She has learned so many songs helping her spell the colors, months of the year, and more. Check out this video where she sings the months of the year - but wait, there's more: She sings in English and then breaks into Spanish. It's fun to listen to. She's very proud of her songs.

Kellee's Veterans Day Program

2009-12-25T19:31:00.002-06:00

The Kindergarten classes had a Veterans Day program, where they sang patriotic songs for us. They also had a chart in the hall where the kids could list members of their family who had served or were currently serving in the military. Marshel and Kellee were very proud to write down the names of their brother, Michael Cortese - US Navy; Grandpa Welch - US Navy; Grandpa Jackson - US Army; Uncles Brandon and Mark Welch - US Marines. They wore their Navy Brother and Navy Sister shirts and were very proud to show them off.

Happy 17th Birthday Nate

2009-12-25T19:25:00.002-06:00

The night before Nate's birthday, he had some friends stay over night and they hung out all night watching movies, playing video games, eating and staying up most of the night. The next day after they woke up, they went off to hang out with other friends. The day after Nate's actual birthday, we had a little family party complete with cake that Nate decorated himself. He put his face so far into the cake he got it up his nose. Yummy!

Halloween 2009

2009-12-25T19:21:00.002-06:00

Marshel dressed up as Anakin Skywalker. Kellee dressed as a Spanish Flamenco dancer. We took them out trick or treating and got halfway around the neighborhood when Kellee decided she was cold and done. So, Mom took her home and we kept busy handing out candy at the door. Then Marshel showed up with Dad, got a jacket on and headed back out, with Kellee going along. They ended up with a ton of candy and had a good time.

Nate and Rachel both went to parties with their friends, so we didn't see much of them.

Mediterranean - Madrid - Toledo - High Speed Train

2009-11-08T22:55:00.002-06:00

After a long flight from Newark through Miami, we arrived in Madrid early in the morning. Because we had booked this as a Cruise Tour, we were picked up by Celebrity Cruises reps at the airport, where they handled our luggage and directed us to their car. They drove us to our hotel, The Wellington, which took about 45 minutes to drive, due to traffic and construction. We were glad we didn't have to be the ones driving. We could just relax and look at the sights around us. The Hotel Wellington was beautiful, in a great location, next to a huge park and within walking distance of stores, restaurants, and the Plaza Real. Since we had flown all night, we took a few hours to nap and try to catch up on the 7 hour difference in time. We met that night with everyone else in the group at a cocktail party, catching up with all of our Cruise Holidays friends.

Waking up the next morning, we had a great breakfast at the hotel, and then boarded our buses for a great tour of Madrid. We stopped first at the Plaza del Toros, where the bull fights still occur during the summer months. They only have them on Sundays so we didn't get to watch one, but it was interesting to realize what happens here every week.

Next, we stopped at the Palacio Real - the Royal Palace of the King and Queen of Spain. This palace has 2800 rooms, of which we toured about 30. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but it was so cool. Every room had a different theme and had been decorated with items donated by different world leaders over the centuries. The rooms were so ornate, covered with gold and ivory and more. It was really cool. It was hard to imagine someone actually living here. It seemed more like a museum. The coolest room was where they dine when they have parties. The table seated about 100 people. Marty and I decided that once all of our kids are married and have kids, we need a room like this.

We next stopped at a park which has a monument to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. We even asked a policeman if we could take a picture with him. He looked at us like we were crazy, but when we told him that our little boy loves policeman, he said okay and smiled for the camera.

The bus dropped those who wanted to at the Plaza Real, about a 15 minute walk to the hotel. We ate at McDonalds, because we were a little intimidated with what the other restaurants offered, and then walked back, checking out the scenery and some souvenir shops. Every where we turned there was another beautiful building that looked like a castle. This one with Marty in it is the Post Office. Madrid was so clean and we felt very safe walking around. We really liked this city.

The next day we boarded the bus for our trip to Toledo. This is a very old medieval city. We loved it here. We passed olive tree orchards, vineyards and many old churches and buildings. Arriving in Toledo, we were dropped off at the bottom of a series of 5 or 6 escalators that had been built into the side of the hills. Arriving at the top, we then were led by a tour guide, thankfully, through a bunch of winding, narrow alleys. Cars would sometimes come by and we would all hug the walls. We saw many old buildings here and some really cool souvenir shops.

We visited a Cathedral that had been started around 1000 AD. It was a very beautiful church, with some cool donations to the church by many countries. One was from the city of Toledo, Ohio, their sister city. Another was a bejeweled crown of one of the Queens of Spain. It was really cool. There were also several paintings done by El Greco of the Apostles and Christ. After we left Toledo, we drove outside the city walls and were able to see it from outside. The old bridge is not in use anymore and it really reminded us of the times when the knights and carriages would cross that bridge to attend parties or to meet with the government. It was definitely like going back in time.

Upon our return from Toledo, we boarded the high speed train for a 2 hour trip to Barcelona. We were able to relax and see the scenery of this beautiful country, from brown flat countryside to green, rolling hills and small villages complete with their own Cathedrals. The train traveled at about 300 km per hour and we all spent some time in the bar area, where we could stand and visit.

Mediterranean - Barcelona

2009-11-08T22:28:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed 2 wonderful days exploring Barcelona. We had a bus tour that took us all around the city and showed us the highlights. We saw many examples of Gaudi's work, including the Batllo House and La Sagrada Familia. We also saw the Olympic Stadium as well as the beautiful view of Barcelona from Montjuic. The city looks so crowded from on top of the mountain, but when we were down in the city, it didn't feel that crowded.

Next, we visited the Gothic Quarter, where we toured the beautiful Gothic Cathedral, where the apostle Peter is buried. We saw the original Roman walls of this area as well as the scrape marks on the walls where the soldiers used to sharpen their swords. We also were able to hang out with our friend, Bo, the Marketing Rep for Azamara Cruises. We spent the rest of the day exploring on our own, eating lunch in La Rambla with friends, and taking a nice, leisurely walk back to the hotel.

This morning, the buses picked us up and transported us to the cruise dock. Before we left the hotel, we took a morning walk to the Arc de Triumf and through the park. We found a group of older Spanish guys playing Bocce and watched them for awhile. It was fun to see the real people of Barcelona and not just where the tourists go.

Once onboard the ship, we wandered around checking it out and we immediately found the ice cream station. They had several different flavors and we were happy to keep them busy throughout the whole week.

We enjoyed being on deck as we sailed away from Barcelona, seeing the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean and checking out the fun things the ship had to offer. That night, the waters were pretty rough - with some fairly large waves. We watched it from our window and could see that they were about 6-8 feet high. It was really fascinating to watch them break. We tried taking some pictures out the window and caught this really cool picture of Martin looking out the window, almost like I was on the outside taking the picture. We were gently rocked to sleep by the rolling waves.

Mediterranean - Cannes and Portofino

2009-11-08T21:56:00.007-06:00

Our first port of call was in Cannes, France. We tendered in and spent some time walking around town. We took our shoes off, rolled up our pants, and walked along the beach, dipping our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. It didn't take us long to remember that European beaches are well-known for being topless, but it wasn't a big deal. We walked along the Rue du Croisette to the Palais des Festivals, which is where the Cannes Film Festival is held every year. We enjoyed seeing the handprints of several movie stars such as Angelina Jolie, Chuck Norris, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Finishing up in Cannes, we headed back to the ship and relaxed the rest of the day.

Portofino was probably our most relaxing port. We really enjoyed it here. We tendered in again and the seas were a bit rough, so we were lucky to get ashore. Others who waited longer didn't get in because of the dangerous conditions. This little city was very walkable and made us feel like we were right in the middle of the real Italy, not the touristy one. All of the roads and walkways are cobblestone and very narrow. The water comes right up to the where the city is and they say the water level never rises more than a couple of inches, so it doesn't flood.

After a nice, leisurely walk around the city, we decided to head back to the tender and go to the ship. Well, the water had another plan. The tenders weren't running people back and forth because of the rough seas, and there were probably about 100 people standing in line. Rather than wait in line for hours, we decided to go wander around some more. We took about a 1/4 mile hike to the lighthouse and enjoyed the scenery, as well as visiting an old church and cemetery. We then visited an Italian bakery where we bought a bunch of tasty treats, found a little cafe, and sat and enjoyed the sun and the people walking by. We visited with 2 of our friends from Celebrity Cruises - Heather and Ivette -National Marketing Reps.

The seas never let up, so we all boarded a large ferry and they took us over to Saint Marguerite, about a 15 minute ride, where the water was much calmer. Then we took the tender to the ship. Some people were complaining of the long day and not being able to get back to the ship, but we actually enjoyed the day and felt that our stay in Portofino was better than we thought it would have been otherwise.

Mediterranean - Florence

2009-11-08T21:23:00.006-06:00

Our day in Florence began with a 45 minute drive from Livorno, the port city. Our guide took us on a walking tour of Florence, starting at the Museum of Arts where we were able to see some of Michelangelo's works, including the statue, David. It was amazing. We weren't able to take any pictures, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. We also saw the Duomo, the Baptistry, the Ponte Vecchio, River Arno, and the Uffizi.

The Uffizi was the original office buildings of the Florence government. The walls are covered with sculptures of famous people who were born in Florence. Among them were Leonardo da Vinci and Amerigo Vespucci. There was also a replica of the statue of David and another one of a guy holding the head of Medusa. Martin really liked that one.

The story of Pinocchio was written by a man born in Florence as well, so we saw this cool store of Pinocchio items. We also visited another cathedral.

Leaving Florence, we headed into the Tuscan countryside and arrived at Castello di Verazzano. Verazzano was the guy who founded the New York harbor and there is a bridge in New York City named for him - Verazzano Narrows Bridge. We visited his castle and had lunch there. It was beautiful with vineyards, olive trees and fabulous countryside.

Mediterranean - Rome, Vatican City

2009-11-08T20:35:00.005-06:00

We arrived in Civitavecchia and boarded our tour bus for the hour long drive to Rome. We enjoyed a scenic drive around Rome. We didn't have much time here and we can't wait to go back and spend more time here so we can see things up close, but it was a good introduction to the city. We saw several old Roman buildings, statues, palaces, etc. It was really interesting.

The Royal palace was huge. Every Royal leader built additions to it, so it grew through all of the many Roman eras. The Pyramid was built during the time of one leader, who had traveled to Egypt and liked the Pyramids, so he had one built in Rome and is buried in it. The Colosseum was in really great shape considering how old it is. We didn't get to stop and go in, and the line around it was so long, but we'll get back another time.

We stopped at the People's Plaza and had an hour to run around and see some sights. We made sure not to miss Trevi Fountain, where we threw a coin in the fountain. The legend is that if you do that, you will return to Rome again one day. We also were told to get gelato at the Trevi Fountain and wow, it was so good. We also found The Pantheon, which was where the government of Roman times held their meetings. It was so beautifully refurbished. It was this huge building in the middle of this little plaza and was so overwhelming, I got chills when we walked around the corner and saw it. We had to hurry back to our bus for our trip to Vatican City.

In Vatican City, we were able to go through the Museum, which were many long corridors of ancient artifacts, sculptures, paintings and tapestries. Gold everywhere! It was very beautiful and cool to see how old they were. We were able to spend some time in the Sistine Chapel, but couldn't take any pictures. It was really amazing how much detail Michelangelo put into his work. Michelle thought the Swiss Guards were so cute, guarding the Vatican, like court jesters.

Behind the Swiss guards, 2nd window from the left, is the Pope's apartment. He didn't come out to greet us, but it was kind of cool knowing maybe he was looking out the window at us. You never know!

Mediterranean - Naples - Pompeii, Montserrat

2009-11-08T19:52:00.008-06:00

Today the ship stopped in Naples, Italy. We had arranged a tour to Pompeii to see the ruins. It was a nice, clear day and we could see Mount Vesuvius very easily. Pompeii was an amazing city. The homes, streets, tilework, even the brothel, showed a very advanced society. It was a really cold day, but we still really enjoyed this step back in time. The 2 bodies enclosed in glass, were still encased in ash, but we could see their skulls, teeth, etc showing through. It was sad to imagine the way they died. The city was so big, much larger than we all imagined it would be. And, it was really fun spending time there with other Cruise Holiday friends.

Marty even found another Steelers fan, a nice older couple who we helped up the steep alleys. They were very nice.

Upon our return from Pompeii, we enjoyed a slice of Margaretha Pizza, which was created in Naples. We did a little shopping and then headed back to the ship, where it was warm and we could have a nice big lunch.

We had a nice day at sea as we returned to Barcelona. We had another formal night and the waiters served us Baked Alaska. Celebrity had it personalized for our Convention. It was really fun. We had a good time hanging out with our friends, playing in the casino, dancing, etc. It was a great convention.

Upon arriving in Barcelona, we disembarked the ship and boarded a tour bus to Montserrat. It was about an hour drive each way and the scenery was really beautiful. The rock formations on Montserrat were awesome. We walked around the area and were able to enter the Monastery church there, which houses the Black Madonna. After another 1 hour scenic drive back to Barcelona, we were dropped off at the Plaza Catalyuna and spent the night at our hotel.

We woke up the next morning and headed to the airport for a long trip home. It took us about 17 hours from start to finish. We had a short stop in Madrid, then a long layover in Chicago, and finally arrived home around 9pm. We were so tired and fell right into bed as soon as we found our beds. We loved flying on Iberian Airlines, where they had outside cameras and we were able to watch our take off and landing. That was pretty cool.

We were happy to be home, see the kids and get our lives back to normal. But, our Mediterranean trip will always be a wonderful memory. We can't wait to do it again someday.

Rachel's Freshman Year

2009-11-08T19:44:00.002-06:00

Rachel's 1st year of High School has been busy for her and she has really loved it. She joined the Pep Squad and cheers and performs at all of the football games and some of the volleyball games. She has made a lot of friends and is looking forward to cheer and dance team tryouts.

Rachel and her friends had a great time at Homecoming also. They had an all-nighter, following up Homecoming dance with a visit to her friend's Quinceanera. They had a great time.

Pictures from Michael - Finally!

2009-09-12T08:30:00.004-05:00

These are some pictures that Michael finally sent to me. They may not be the clearest pictures, but at least you can see he still looks exactly the same, just a little more grown up.

These first pictures were taken in Sasebo, Japan, where he's stationed. He and some buddies had rented a hotel room for some getaway time, so these are the view from there. Look how everything is just crammed together. He also included a picture of the huge flies they have there and the creepy spiders. Gross!

These are some pictures he took while on the catwalk of the ship. This is while they were at sea, on their way to Australia and back. The helicopter in some of the pictures had just taken off from the deck of their ship. The greener waters are near Japan and the darker water is out at sea.

These pictures are from Brisbane, Australia. The first picture is when they were coming in to the city, late at night. The last picture is also Brisbane. It's so clean and pretty. The other two pictures are of him and his buddy, and some kids they met at a hostel there.

First Day of School - The Saga

2009-09-09T17:53:00.002-05:00

The story starts about 3 days before school started. It was Meet the Teacher night at the brand new Langley Elementary. The kids were so excited to meet their new teachers and to check out the cool new school. Our first stop was the posters on the wall which named the grades and the kids names next to their teachers. We found Marshel's name right away, but couldn't seem to find Kellee's. So, we headed to the office. They pulled her file and said that she was missing her immunization information. We had faxed it about 3 months prior, but they apparently had not received it. We asked if we could just find our who her teacher would be, so she could meet her and then I would come back that night with the immunization record, which I did. So, we headed down to meet the teachers.

Marshel's teacher is Mrs. Christian. She looks like she just got out of high school, but she's actually been teaching for I think it was 8 or 9 years. She seemed very sweet and he was excited about his new room. Kellee's teacher is Mrs. Arguello (Mrs A for short). A grandmotherly lady who just hugged Kellee and made her feel right at home.

Monday morning, August 24, 2009: Mom and Dad took Marshel and Kellee to school, walked Marshel to his classroom. He wouldn't let us take a picture of him by his classroom, because he's too grown up for that now. Then we walked Kellee to her room. Her teacher told us she still didn't have the registration card. So, we had to head over to the office again, where we were told that they had no record of us ever registering her. We argued for about 10 minutes that if she hadn't been registered, they wouldn't have known her immunization records were missing. They refused to get the principal because she was too busy greeting the students. They told us we would have to fill out all of the paperwork again.

So, Mom headed home to get everything, of course fuming all the way. Kellee and Dad stayed in the office waiting. Kellee was sad that she couldn't go to her classroom - great way to start your first day of school EVER, right? So, as Mom got back to the school, she could see Dad in the office finally talking to the Principal. As she came through the doors, she heard Dad say, "If you didn't have her registration, how did you know her shot record was missing?" The principal said, "Your wife told me it was missing." Well, Mom walked right up behind her and said, "Oh no, that is not true. You went in that room, got out the file and told me it was missing and I went home and got it and gave to that nurse right there". Well, the principal looked right at me, and said, "Oh you're right - I did have that file!"

Well, Mom wanted to scream at that point. Regardless we had to fill out all of the paperwork again and Kellee finally got to her classroom about an hour after school had started.

Well, school has been much better since. Marshel and Kellee enjoy taking the bus everyday and Kellee can't wait to do her homework. Marshel goes a little postal around homework time and has to have time to decompress before he can get into it.

Not to leave Nate and RAchel out: Nate is a junior this year, leader in ROTC, and taking some pre-AP classes. Rachel is a freshman and is on Pep Squad. She has games almost every weekend and some during the week, as well as 1-2 practices after school every week. She's definitely a busy girl, but she seems to really like high school

Mom's just glad to have a quiet day to herself where she can get everything done that she wants to! Yay!!!

More on Michael

2009-08-30T11:07:00.003-05:00

Mike's glad to be back "home" in Sasebo, Japan. His ship is undergoing some cleaning, so all of the sailors have been moved, literally, to a berthing barge. They work on their ship, eat and do all of their regular activities, but they go to the berthing barge to sleep. He says its just for a short time, so its no big deal.

He's been able to chat with us lately on either Yahoo Messenger or Facebook. Nate and Rachel have enjoyed getting to catch up with him.

More info as we get it!

Where in the World is Michael?

2009-08-22T18:06:00.003-05:00

Well, he's been all over the place lately. He left Japan about 2 months ago, headed for the Land Down Under. It took him about 2-3 weeks to get there. Once there, his shop stopped in Cairns. He was still working the night shift, so he was awake when they arrived in the middle of the night. He went out on the flight deck and watched as the ship came in. Many people from the city came to welcome the sailors. They were so excited because this was the biggest ship that had ever been to their port. Mike and his fellow sailors spent about a week in this city. Mike loved going out to meet people who spoke English and who were so nice and civilized. He said the girls loved buying the sailors dinner and drinks, so they just let them. That's my boy!

After some time there, the ship headed out again. This time it stopped in Brisbane. Mike was a little lonely and tired of the traveling and didn't even want to get off the ship, but Mom (me) told him to "get his little white butt off the ship and away from all of those gray walls and go see the city". He did and he and some buddies rented space a hostel and had a great time. They hung out with a bunch of people from many places around the world who were traveling and they talked and got to know a little about them. They also got to go to a zoo/farm in Brisbane.

While in Australia, those on the ship had the opportunity to do some training with the Australian navy. Then, the ship headed back out to sea. Mike's TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty) has been mostly done while on his way there and back, so he's almost done with that and can't wait to go back to his regular job in the fuel pump room. They landed back in Sasebo, Japan after dropping the Marines off in Okinawa. He's happy not to have the Marines on board anymore and for life to go back to normal. He now has earned the right to stay longer off the ship, even overnight, so he already took advantage of it by staying up all night, hanging out at an internet cafe downloading stuff to his computer.

He's thinking about coming home for the holidays and we are looking forward to going there next summer to visit. We just have to figure out when his ship will be in port, so he will have time to tour Japan with us. He misses home so much and all the luxuries of the United States. He is just a few days away from his 1-year anniversary in the U.S. Navy. Good job, Mike. Keep going strong. It should get easier now, but we'll still be so happy when we get to see you next! We love you so much and are so proud of you.

Send us some pictures soon! That's what Mom keeps telling him, but we'll see if it ever happens!

On the road again - To Tucson and then home!

2009-08-22T17:45:00.003-05:00

Dropping Dad off at the airport in Las Vegas so he could get home to work. Mom, Rachel, Marshel and Kellee headed out on our way to Tucson. We made a quick stop at the Hoover Dam, so the kids could enjoy the sights. Kellee was too tired to care, but Marshel thought it was really cool.

9 hours on the road, with a few short potty breaks and lunch, and we made it to Tucson to visit Gramma Jackie for a day.

It was too hot to do anything outside at Gramma's, so we headed to the mountains for a picnic. The flies apparently heard we were coming, because we were attacked as soon as we arrived. We ate, looked around a little and headed back down the mountain. Grampa Bill's grand-daughter Caitlyn was visiting so she hung out with Rachel while we were there. Grampa Bill even took them swimming, more so he could get out of the house away from the little ones.

Since the flies ruined our mountain picnic, we thought it would be a great idea to take the kids to a community park that had some grass. It must have been the only grass in all of Arizona, because as soon as we walked through it, we saw all of these bugs flying around. Looking down, we saw that our legs had turned black. We were being attacked by mosquitoes. Apparently, we had walked through the mosquito breeding grounds. We grabbed the little kids and ran back to the car, swatting mosquitoes all the way, and even after we got in the car we still had to get rid of the last few hangers-on. It was pretty disgusting. That's when we decided our day out was over and we headed back home. We went for a long walk around the subdivision to wear the little ones out, took them home and gave them a bath and put them in bed watching a movie. Then Gramma, Mom, Rachel and Caitlyn played a competitive game of Phase 10.

The next morning, we climbed back in the car for our 15 hour drive home. Mom had come down with a cold and was pretty tired, so we almost took a hotel 3 hours away from home, but Mom hung in there and made it home, before falling into bed, so glad to be home.

St. George - The Plays of 2009

2009-08-22T17:05:00.004-05:00

We love Tuacahn. Grandma Hazel Jackson loves us all so much that she makes sure all the kids and grandkids and even some great grandkids get to enjoy her love of the theatre. This year we saw an amazing cast perform in "Annie". Wow, they were so awesome. What great voices these kids have and they were so nice after when the kids met them.

Night 2: Footloose! Brittan, Lindsay and Rachel enjoyed the dancing and singing and funny parts of this play. The lead, who played Ren, was Thayne Jorgensen. The girls loved that he starred in High School Musical 1 and 2 as well as the cool show, "So You Think You Can Dance." Mom's favorite was the cowboy who learned how to dance and was the funny guy of the show.

Nate was with us in St. George for the first week, but then flew to Orlando to spend a week with his Dad, causing him to miss out on the plays at Tuacahn. So, Grandma gave him the extra ticket to the Utah Shakesperean Festival, which he totally loved. We saw Henry V and As You Like It.

Thanks Grandma for being so thoughtful and allowing us to enjoy these great events every year. We love you so much and hope to continue this tradition for many years to come!

Here are some videos of Rachel jumping rope with Annie and Brittan and Rachel dancing on the stage of Footloose:

What is there to do in St. George?

2009-08-22T16:10:00.010-05:00

Watching Camden push Great Grandma around the house

Playing Golf with the family

Hanging with Aunt Roxanne

Visiting with Jennie and Paul

Watching Uncle Brandon eat a whole plate of brownies

Cards with Uncle Mark

Being entertained by Camden

Talking with Uncle Brandon

Down time with Uncle Mark

Dairy Queen - Marshel, Brittan and Lindsay

Fun times with the sista's
Thanks Grandma for the Dairy Queen visit

Getting out of the house for a cold treat

Rachel, Brittan and Kellee playing in the river

AAAHHH! Sisterly love!

This water is freezing!

Strike a pose, everyone!

Hey, cool - A Waterfall!

Kellee trying to walk all the way to Grandma's by way of river - we had to make her come back!

Are you lookin' at me?

Enjoying Medusa's (I mean, Mackenzie's) morning hairstyle
Marshel and Spencer - Having fun with our cousins

Deja Vu - Grandma Welch (caught you snacking)

Playing in the Virgin River

Uncle Brandon wakes up Rachel gently, quietly and lovingly!

From Stillwater to St. George

2009-08-22T15:39:00.006-05:00

We had planned on leaving Stillwater on Tuesday night, but a huge storm almost kept us there overnight. Chad and Marty had to move the trampoline close to the house to keep it out of the path of the huge winds; Marty grabbed the escaped chicken, returned it to its home, and battened down the roof of the chicken house; the rain and wind were amazing. We finally decided, though, to get on the road, so we could travel while the kids slept that night.

We had great weather, but it seemed like there was road construction every 60 miles, so it was a bit of a longer trip than we had planned. But, we kept our spirits up and made the trip fun. We even decided on a detour, so we could visit Four Corners. We wanted to be able to say we'd been there. We drove for about an hour out of our way, through the Indian Reservation, which was interesting. It was sad to see how poor the residents there are.

It was so hot in this part of the country, that Marty and Rachel were the only ones who would get out of the car for this picture. To get into Four Corners was $3 a person, which was actually a bit ridiculous, since you are only there for about 10 minutes -just long enough to stand on Four Corners and take a picture. But, hey, we've now done it! One more thing off of the Bucket List, right?

After leaving Four Corners, we had a beautiful scenic drive through Arizona, past Lake Powell and over the dam into Utah. Then we knew we were almost to St. George and the end of our driving.

The kids liked that we drove past Elm Street - noone had a nightmare.

Going into new Mexico

Now, Arizona
Lake Powell

Finally, Utah!

City pool in Stillwater, Oklahoma

2009-08-19T16:58:00.006-05:00

We had to get the kids out of the house while we are in Oklahoma visiting Paula and her family. They seemed to have a great time. Marshel and Kellee built up their courage to go off the diving board. Kellee tried to do a flip like Morgan and instead did a face plant. She told everyone, "I hit the bottom of the pool".

2009-08-08T15:32:00.005-05:00

Our summer trip began with a 10 hour drive to Stillwater, Oklahoma to spend some time with Paula and Chad. We drove all night and arrived there around 10am. The kids all had a great time catching up with their cousins.

Jordan and Nate hung out so well together and had a lot of fun with each other. They played the Wii, they took care of the goats, they played the piano, etc.

Morgan and Kellee had a great time playing dress up, with slips, belts, hats, etc. They were both so sad when it was time to leave.

The Wii was the big hit of the week, with everyone taking turns playing against each other. The day it was broken you'd think it was the end of the world. But, Marty fixed it and all was well.

We loved loving and cuddling Kordale. He was a little stressed over all of the craziness with so many loud, obnoxious kids, but Aunt Shi-Shi loved just holding him and getting her baby fix. Marshel thought it was AWESOME!

Morgan and Kellee know how to make a mess, that's for sure. Whether it was sitting on the counter eating the chocolate frosting straight from the can, playing in the lake sliding down the mud hill filling their swimsuits, creating a mud pile in the front yard while also "cleaning" Aunt Shi-Shis car with mud, etc. They had a great time together.

We also enjoyed our fieldtrip to Uncle Chad's school. We saw a horse getting his teeth fixed; a really happy Stallion; a dog getting a check-up; an alpaca waiting for the doctor and several other animals. We tried locking the kids in a stall, but Kellee's had the most worried look on his face, so we got them out.

I caught this video of the boys playing on the trampoline. It's a bit fuzzy b/c I was taking the video through the window screen. Aren't they all so cute? It's nice to see them having fun.

Michael: Crossing the Line Ceremony

2009-07-05T00:34:00.004-05:00

I will attempt to share this information the best I can, but without being there, I probably won't be completely accurate. So, here we go:

There is a tradition with sailors that when you cross the line (Equator) for the first time, you have to go through this ceremony called Crossing the Line Ceremony. You go from being a Wog to a Shellback. So, Mike was able to partake in this while sailing to Australia, where he is now. This tradition goes back several years, even decades. This is a paraphrase of Mike's explanation:

He says: It's just a ceremony that means you crossed the equator on a navy vessel. We had to do a lot of stuff that made us look stupid, but it was fun. We had to wear our utilities (working) uniform backwards and inside out, with boots, or tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt on that said WOG on it, and whatever else you wanted to write on it. Mine said "QUEEN!!!" and "Shelbacks Suck" and "Special Case".

They started us out in our berthing and made us crawl around and look at the ground giving some people pointless jobs like bulkhead watcher, and swabber but they keep spraying the floor with water and than make you clean it. We had to sit really close together. Then we crawled all the way to the hangar bay and had to sit there and row and sing Row, Row, Row your boat. Then we had to eat the food in the pictures. It was regular food, just with food coloring.

Then we went up to the flight deck on the elevator sitting down and got sprayed with green salt water all the way up. Then we did random stuff on the flight deck like padeye dewatering (blowing in the padeyes with water going into them). The padeye is the thing that the planes are harnessed to. We had to exercise, and roll around in the green salt water. Then they had a tub that we had to go jump in full of green salt water after asking permission from King Neptune and his wife and his royal haircutter who would cut hair if it was too long to "get the wog stink out of your hair to become a Shellback", then in the tub they would ask, "What are you?" and you had to scream "SHELLBACK". Then you were done and waited in line to sign your name as proof that you did the ceremony.

Mike is in this picture if you look closely. He is right in the middle of the picture under the little caption box. He doesn't look any worse for wear.

Rachel's Dance Class

2009-06-23T19:13:00.003-05:00

Rachel couldn't be here for the recital, so I took some pictures and video of her practicing for it. She loves dance and is excited next year to be on the Pep Squad at the high school and then try out for either cheer or dance or both and see what happens.

Since my camera will only record for a certain amount of time, this is Part 1 of the dance.

Marshel's Final Game

2009-06-23T19:00:00.003-05:00

Well, Marshel has had a great time playing basketball this season. He has improved so much from when he began. His dribbling is pretty good, even though he has still does the 2-handed kind sometimes. He made a few baskets, got some free throws and no fouls this season (okay the refs were really lenient with this age group). He got a ribbon and a trophy and his team had a really awesome pool party afterwards. He loves basketball!

This video is Marshel showing off his dribbling skills.

Michael - June Update

2009-06-13T17:02:00.004-05:00

We don't hear much about what Mike's doing, but here's the latest:

First of all, he has a new girlfriend. He really likes her and thinks she's beautiful, of course. Her name is Tsukasa. She lives in Sasebo, so they get to see each other almost every day.

Mike is now underway, heading for Australia. It should take about 2 weeks to get there, but he's really excited to see that part of the world.

Mike is doing another job for about 3 months, which he refers to as TAD (whatever that is). He works the night shift in the galley, serves food for midrats, cleans up the kitchen, does dishes, and makes sure the kitchen is ready for breakfast. Then he's off to bed. He sleeps during the day.

He seems to really like this job, as it is easier than the one he was doing. Plus, he gets to eat the same food as the officers, which he says is prepared with more time and thought, rather than the big pot of stuff the rest of the crew eat.

Mike is also proud of the fact that he passed his Physical REadiness Test with a time of 10:58. He received an outstanding. They do this twice a year.

We sure miss him around the house, but we know he's doing well. He keeps in touch with us pretty regularly.

By the way, Marty and I are planning to visit him next summer. Let us know if you want to come along.

Washington DC Trip - Memorial Weekend 2009

2009-06-13T16:49:00.002-05:00

After shipping Marshel and Kellee off to Grandma and Grandpa in St. George and Nate and Rachel to stay with friends, Marty and I flew to Baltimore Airport, and our adventure began. We took the Amtrak to Union Station, then a cab to our hotel. The next morning, we walked about 3 blocks to the Metro (which we became really good at using) and headed back to Union Station.

At Union Station, we picked up our tour bus, The Tourmobile. What a great way to see DC. You can hop on and off whenever you want and see what you want. We did the 2 day pass and the feet were done for sure by the end of those 2 days. We must have walked 10 miles by the time we were done. We saw everything we wanted to see and loved it.

Sunday morning, we checked out of the hotel and drove to Mt. Vernon. We toured George Washington's estate, saw the Mansion, the slaves quarters, the laundry area, etc. We also visited the graves of George and Martha, the slave cemetery, and many other areas of the estate. We took a 2 hour cruise up and down the Potomac River, which was beautiful and relaxing.

We then drove to Richmond, Virginia, to visit our good friends, Diane and BJ Shelton. It was a nice way to spend a weekend.

Julia Child's Kitchen
Marty Windsurfing

National Aquarium

Air & Space Museum

View of the Potomac River

Going into the depths of you know where - the Metro!

The Hard Rock Cafe was almost cheaper than eating in the Smithsonian Cafes - much more fun.

Washington DC Trip - More Sights

2009-06-13T16:39:00.003-05:00

World War II Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial - The Wall

I didn't think it would be that emotional, but to see all of the notes and pictures that had been left there, not to mention the men who were there honoring their fallen friends, brothers, etc. I walked away from there with tears streaming down. There was a veteran there playing the bagpipes as well. It was awesome.

Reflecting Pool - dirty and full of ducks, not too much reflection

Washington DC Trip - National Mall Sights

2009-06-13T16:27:00.005-05:00

Shakespeare Library U.S. Capitol

Library of Congress

Department of Education

Jefferson Memorial

Washington Monument

White House

Old Post Office

Peterson House - Where Lincoln Died

Ford's Theatre

Masonic Temple

National Association of Letter Carriers

American Indian Museum

Holocaust Museum Eternal Flame

Holocaust Museu

FBI

Department of Justice

Washington, D.C. Trip - Arlington Cemetery

2009-06-13T15:12:00.007-05:00

This was a very interesting and special place to visit. We could feel the peace and spirit of the cemetery. It was humbling to see so many grave markers. Some were children that had died during the Civil War. We saw the graves of Thurgood Marshall, Robert Kennedy, John F Kennedy and Jacqueline. We thoroughly enjoyed the events at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - the wreath laying ceremony and the Changing of the Guard. It was very cool. I wish we had more time there to wander around, but I hadn't realized how huge that place really is.

Robert F. Kennedy Grave

John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis - Eternal Flame

It was very cool to be there on Memorial Weekend and see all the flags by the graves. I can only imagine how long it took to put those all out.

This is the Memorial to the Navy.

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns

Marshel's Basketball Career Starts

2009-06-10T21:23:00.004-05:00

Marshel started playing basketball and loves his team, the Cardinals. He is a great team player, making sure not to hog the ball and to pass when he can. He has made a few baskets as well. He even made one of his free throws when he was fouled by the other team. He is having a blast playing this sport.

Pools open!

2009-06-10T20:53:00.002-05:00

We were so happy when the pool finally opened for the season, in April! The water was a bit cold still, but the kids didn't care. Mom refused to get in for at least 2 weeks, but she would sit and watch the kids play. They must have different thermostats than adults. They were having a blast and started their summer tans early this year.

Marshel is working on being a better swimmer and Kellee is picking up right where she left off last year. She wants to swim without her vest, but Mom only lets her do that for a little while and only when Mom is very close by. Kellee's too much of a daredevil to be left alone for a second.

Kellee's 5th Birthday

2009-06-10T20:36:00.003-05:00

"Mom, now that I'm 5, can I go to school tomorrow?" I have heard this so much since the big day. Kellee doesn't understand why if she's had her party that she's not going to school now. She had a fun pool party with some of her friends. We had sandwiches, chips, drinks and cupcakes with butterfly rings. Then she had a family party that night, so she got a 2 for 1 deal. For her dinner with mom and dad, she chose the same place Marshel went. She actually ate her food before the saddle came along and loved being the center of attention.

Marshel Turns 7 Years Old

2009-06-10T20:26:00.004-05:00

Marshel's 7th birthday was fun. We had it at the park. It was an overcast, cloudy day and we were worried about rain, but we made it through the party with no showers. A lot of Marshel's friends from school came and they played games and played on the jungle gym. Blowing out the candles was easy - keeping them lit long enough was the biggest problem. But, we finally succeeded, with a lot of help from the parents surrounding the cake. Marshel was so excited for the fun toys he got.

When we asked Marshel where he wanted to go for his birthday dinner, he didn't know the name of the place, but he knew it was the place where he could sit in the saddle. We finally figured out it was Texas Roadhouse. Although he didn't eat much, he loved sitting in the saddle and having the girls announce his birthday.

Don't try this at home:

2009-05-01T21:16:00.002-05:00

So, I have decided that high heels and trotting across a parking lot DO NOT go together.

Who cares that I was in a hurry? I guess I should be happy I didn't fall down in front of everyone.

I should know better as I already have weak ankles, so there you go.

Now, I have to hobble around on a sprained ankle looking like I need a walker.

No pictures required or allowed! You'll just have to use your imaginations!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-04-19T18:58:00.004-05:00

Marshel's note to the Easter Bunny. He said he wouldn't believe in the EAster Bunny unless "it" wrote back and gave him a hug while he was sleeping.

We had fun dying easter eggs. Nate had worked a 9 hour day, so he was pretty exhausted, but he eventually got into it and we had a good time. No one threw any eggs into the dye this year, but we did have several drops, resulting in some cracks.

Here are the results of our labors:

Easter 2009

2009-04-19T18:42:00.005-05:00

The Easter Egg Hunt was a little interesting as we had a bit of a rain storm the night before, so the ground was pretty wet. In fact, all of the eggs came back with grass on them, and everyone's fingers were a little stained.

Nate said he didn't want to look for eggs, so he took pictures for me. But, then he thought better and started picking them up and putting them in his pockets.

Easter morning, Mom awoke to the sound of rustling paper and found Kellee in the kitchen with her Easter basket emptied and all over around her. She was so excited she couldn't wait for everyone else. Mom made her go wake up the rest of the kids.

Easter clothes: Nate got a new white shirt, but he had to work today, so he didn't even get to wear it to church. Rachel got a new dress and cute black sandals to go with them. Marshel got a new shirt and pants, but he gave Mom a hard time with the whole idea of taking pictures. Kellee got a cute new dress, shoes and hat. She loved the picture taking.

Note Rachel's new red hair. She got it just in time for Easter.

San Antonio: The Alamo and Riverwalk

2009-04-19T12:12:00.004-05:00

Jackie and Michelle left the kids behind for an adult day in San Antonio. We first headed to the Alamo, listened to the speaker telling us the story of the Alamo as well as Jim Bowie (with his knife). Then we walked around the grounds seeing the many artifacts, the beautiful trees and gardens, and just enjoying the spirit of the historic place.

We were so amazed at this cool tree and how it just branched out in all different directions.

This is in front of the church at the Alamo site. We enjoyed going inside and seeing the 4 foot thick walls and some of the original artifacts. The flags inside listed what country the defenders of the Alamo were from and how many died there. Apparently, there was a Welshman there.

Looking down at the San Antonio River. The Riverwalk is actually down below this, so that's where we headed. After walking along for a little while, we decided to stop for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. We had great salads, drinks and the waiter kept us company for a little while. We ate outside where we could watch the people walking by and the boats on the river.

After lunch, we headed down to where the boats depart for the tour. The tour was only $7.75 per person and it showed us a lot of the area. It was really interesting and fun. I can't wait to take the kids down there and do it with them.

Right at the end of the tour, we saw this bird in the tree. There was so much vegetation and wildlife along the river tour that it was like being at the zoo. It was a lot of fun.

2009-04-19T11:55:00.004-05:00

While Gramma Jackie was visiting, we decided to have a birthday party for all 4 kids. It was actually Marshel's birthday, so he got some presents from us as well.

When Marshel opened his fire truck from Gramma, he said, "It's just what I wanted". Then Kellee opened up a huge princess coloring book and said, "It's just what I wanted." This started it and Rachel continued the trend when she opened up her yellow daisy purse Gramma had made her and Nate said it too when he opened up his card with cash. It made everyone laugh.

Mom's trip to Memphis

2009-04-19T11:15:00.008-05:00

April 2, 2009: I flew to Kansas City, Missouri where I met Jackie for a quick little vacation. We drove to St. Joseph to my Aunt Bettye Kay lives. She is just a few years older than me and it had been several years since we had seen each other. It was fun to get to meet her kids (my cousins) and get to know them a little.

April 3, 2009: Jackie, Bettye and I left on a road trip to Memphis. It was about a 9 hour trip, with many stops for drinks and then bathrooms. We talked, laughed, reminisced, did some sightseeing on the way.

Crossing the bridge between Arkansas and Tennessee, over the Mississippi River.

We stopped briefly at a bowling alley where April, Leigh, Andy and Keri were playing in their league and visited for about an hour. Then we headed to our hotel to relax after the long drive. Bobbie picked me up and I went to see her new house that she had just moved into that week. We visited for about an hour or so.

The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast and headed to downtown Memphis, to Graceland to experience the Elvis history.

The Elvis Mansion

We wore these lovely headsets so we could hear the story of Elvis and Graceland.

This was Elvis' family room, where they would sit and listen to music and relax with friends.

This was a replica of the house Elvis was born in, in Tupelo, Mississippi, just down the road from where my dad, Freddie Welch, was born just 2 years later.

I couldn't resist - he's so HOT!

Outside the Mansion

Aunt Bettye at the Elvis Auto Museum

If I remember right, this car was driven by Dale Earnhardt.

One of the many motorcycles Elvis owned.

Inside the Lisa Marie (Elvis' plane)

When we were done with Graceland, we headed to April and Leigh's house, so we could see Tyler and Courtnee. Tyler was on a quick break from work, so we only saw him for about 5 minutes. Courtnee was getting ready for prom, so it was a crazy time at the house. Bobbie and Haylee came over to see Courtnee too, so we got to visit for a few minut

Courtnee in her prom dress before heading out.

After sending Courtnee off, Jackie, Bettye, April, Leigh and I headed to dinner. We met Andy and Keri at this little hole in the wall BBQ place that's really famous there. The waiter had been there for almost 50 years. He was sarcastic and funny, and put up with my wanting a picture with him. The food was great.

After dinner, we walked down to Beale Street. First, we went into Coyote Ugly. Yes, the girls were really dancing on the bar. It was fun to see that it's just like in the movie.

Our next stop was BB King's Blues Club. There was a band playing and a dance floor. The place was so crowded, but we had a great time dancing and hanging out. We were there for a couple of hours.

Jackie and Bettye went back to the hotel around 11pm and I stayed out with the rest of the group. We went back to Coyote Ugly and hung around for awhile. All the girls were up on the bar, and they convinced me to try it out. I was a little worried I would fall off the bar, but it was all good. We made it back to the hotel around 4am.

The next day, we headed back to April's. Courtnee came home and slept most of the day, making up for the lack of sleep the night before from prom. Tyler worked all day and we didn't see him at all. We grilled with Leigh and April that night. Later, Andy, Keri and their kids and Bobbie, Haylee and Ryan came over to visit for a couple of hours.

The next morning, the three of us headed back to Kansas City. We weren't so thrilled with the freezing temperatures and the snow flurries. Jackie and I stayed in a hotel near the airport and flew back to San Antonio together on April 7th, 2009.

Rachel's Birthday

2009-04-19T11:11:00.003-05:00

Rachel turned the big 14 this year. We had planned a big party at the house, but only a few girls showed up. So, instead we headed off to the movies. This was also a challenge, as

the movie they wanted to see was sold out. We ended up going to see "A Haunting in Connecticut". Based on a true story, this was one of the scarier movies I've seen. At one point, I had Rachel's head buried in my side. I think most of us saw the movie between our fingers.

After the movie, we came home and the girls had an all-nighter watching movies, playing games and just talking. It was fun.

Marshel and Kite Day

2009-04-19T11:07:00.002-05:00

Marshel is in 1st grade at Ott Elementary. It was the Annual Kite Day. Last year Mom was out of town, so she went this time. Mom was a little worried that she wouldn't be able to get the kite up in the air, but everything went smoothly and it went up without a hitch. There was only one incident of Marshel's kite getting tangled with another, but we got that worked out. The biggest struggle was convincing Marshel that he couldn't stand right next to his friends and their kites. It was a fun Mommy-Son Day.

Postcards from Japan

2009-04-19T10:45:00.004-05:00

Sasebo at night ( Mike says it's a great little Navy town, but most of the locals speak no English)

India Pier (This is what the port looks like. Mike's ship is not in the picture)

India Pier again

The Ginza (It's a big street roughly a mile long full of shops, clubs, restaurants and bars. In this picture, it's decorated for the Emperor's birthday.

Where in the World is Mike?

2009-04-19T10:18:00.004-05:00

This is Mike's ship, the USS Essex.

Here's the latest on Mike:
He's out at sea again. He visited Okinawa for the 3rd time, but hadn't been able to get past the beach there. Others on the ship were being bad - beating on their wives for instance - which caused Mike's whole division to be put on Charlie restriction (grounded to the ship). He and others are so frustrated with being punished for the actions of others. Finally, his Senior Chief took Mike's duty section off the ship, but they weren't supposed to tell anyone. They didn't have time to do much, since they only had 3 hours to be off the ship. He and some of his buddies went to Chili's and ate. They tried to play a prank on their Senior Chief, by sending a birthday cake to his table, but he left the restaurant before it happened.

In Fukuoka, Mike has met a cute Japanese girl, Yurika. They have been out a few times and she is very impressed with his manners and the way he treats her. He made sure to tell me that he opened her door and paid for dinner, even though she offered to pay for her own. He says the Japanese girls like that the US boys aren't afraid to show emotion and romance to the girls, which is very different in their culture. PDA is frowned upon, so they shook hands at the train station as Mike was heading back to the ship. Mike is being a good little missionary to Yurika. He attempted to explain why we celebrate Easter to her, and is working on getting a Japanese Bible and Book of Mormon from the missionaries to give to her.

On Easter Sunday, the ship had a health and comfort inspection. Mike had to sit in the berthing lounge for about 5 hours, while the inspectors searched everyone's rooms and bunks. They were looking for porn, drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, they also took things that didn't have safety tags on it. Mike was lucky to save his computer cord, but his charging station for his mouse was taken away.

Mike also got his anthrax shot. He said that was not a fun experience and his arm hurts a lot.

Mike has been in the Phillipines, so I'm hoping for a full record of what he did there soon. But, here are some pictures that he sent of the areas he's been in:

This is Yurika

Statue in the Phillipines

Taken from the ship, dead jellyfish

Cherry trees blossom only one week of the year in Japan

What's Michael up to?

2009-03-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

Michael's ship has returned to Sasebo after a few weeks out at sea. They visited Thailand for a few days, where he toured around with some buddies a little. I'm still trying to get him to share more details and some pictures, but he's always been a little stubborn in that area. Hopefully, he'll get better at sharing.

Now, that he's back in his home port, he says that he usually only works until around 4:30pm, and then has liberty. He goes out with his friends to some bar, where he drinks their ginger ale. He says its a lot stronger than what he's used to, because it has a lot of ginger in it and it burns when it goes down.

He is interested in starting some college courses, but after being on a ship for so long, working all day, he craves just to wander around town and talk to locals.

He's going to church tomorrow off base with some of the other members. When they are at sea, they have church meetings on the ship, but in port, they can go to the local ward house and meet the local members.

Michael got a new computer so he can play computer games to keep himself busy. He has two IRA's set up for his future retirement, but he is also going to try to save money for his future trips, like Australia in July.

One thing he told me was how they are messing with the new kids on the ship. Here's the story in his own words:

"We pick up a broken phone that isnt even a phone and make them think that someone is on there for them. We set up one guy to go light the smoking lamp.

Everyday whenever they are doing something they say the smoking lamp is out. And we told this new kid he is on the list to go light it when it goes out. He has to do it for a whole day.
The smoking lamp is just a term for no smoking. We told him that for the whole day everytime they say that he needs to go with a 5 lb. jerry can, full of fuel and go to the quarter deck and tell them he is there to refuel and light the smoking lamp.
I also told him that before he does that he needs to go to personnel and fill out an ID 10 T form. Or IDIOT. Get it? Were having fun with them."

More when I know more!

Mom and Rachel have a spa day

2009-03-10T13:34:00.003-05:00

It's always important to get a good start to the Spring Break vacation. Rachel and Mom decided they needed a spa day. They left Nate in charge of the little ones. They started with the Deluxe Pedicure, which included the foot spa, scrub, massage, wax and design. The massage chair is always a nice bonus as well.

Rachel and Mom both are very ticklish in the foot area, so there were some lovely faces made on both sides as they buffed and massaged the bottom of our feet. Rachel was giggling and squirming in her chair. Mom has learned to grin and bear it.

After the pedicure, we moved on to the manicure and acrylic fill. We each chose blue for our colors, but they were a little different. After our fun day at the spa, we went to lunch at Bill Miller's. It was a fun day and a great mother/daughter bonding day.

The finished product:

MS Walk San Antonio: March 7, 2009

2009-03-08T10:51:00.006-05:00

After a few months of preparing for the MS Walk to support Multiple Sclerosis, we had raised a little over $300. We didn't reach our goal, but we did have a late start. Next year, we hope to do better. Mom designed our shirts and we headed off to the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Nate couldn't go because he had to work, so we missed him there with us.

Before the walk started, we got to meet the Coyote from the San Antonio Spurs. Many people also brought their 4-legged creatures for the walk, so the kids (including Marty) had to pet as many as they could find.

Finally, the walk started. We hadn't been walking more than a minute, when Marshel spotted the port-o-potties, and had to visit them. With that done, we were off. Marshel and Kellee didn't want to walk, they wanted to run, so we gave them destinations to run to, where they would wait for us and then be off again.

We had to make a decision after about a half a mile walk. There was a short cut to do just a mile walk instead of the 5K (2.2. miles). We decided to do the whole thing. We knew Marshel and Kellee would have a rough time, but decided we would help them get there. There were snack stops and drinks along the way to keep everyone hydrated and happy.

We were steadily falling further back in the crowd because we had a 6 and 4 year old, but as long as we finished, that's all that was important. Unfortunately, the ice cream ran out before we got to it, but we still got a picture with the ice cream guy, Scoopy!

As far as Marshel and Kellee, we encouraged, dragged and carried them part of the way, but they really walked most of it themselves. We saw other kids on the route, but they were all in wagons or strollers. I didn't see any just walking like ours. We were really proud of them. Hopefully it will always be a good memory for them. We reminded them that it was a long way, but that they can walk and that there are a lot of people out there who can't and that's why we were doing this.

We were some of the last people to cross the finish line, but we did it and that's what's important. We walked across together, jumping that finish line. We then headed off to lunch. On our way there, we had to wait for the train to pass, so we sat at the crossing for about 15 minutes. When the train was gone, the guy in the car next to us had run out of gas, so we helped him push his car over the hill and into a parking lot. Finally, we made it to the Spaghetti Warehouse and had a good lunch. When we got home, we all collapsed for a few hours. It was a good day!

Kellee caught singing

2009-03-08T10:33:00.004-05:00

I was downstairs and heard Kellee singing, so I snuck upstairs with the camera in hand to catch her. She was in her room singing a song from her favorite movie, "The Phantom of the Opera". Even though she had some of the words wrong, she had the music down and was not shy in singing as loud as she could. It's priceless!