Our dog snores.

That is all.

Grace's post

So Grace saw the post with the video of Ariel and the racetrack in her messy room. So she went and cleaned her room then wanted to post a picture and type a post!

Good job Grace!

From Grace

imagine my room is a mess. instead it is clean. look closely and you will see my racetrack. i got for Christmas. it comes with cars. even my dog Ariel got something for Christmas.

A gift that everyone can enjoy...

even Ariel!

Um pretend Grace's room is nice and clean. It was Christmas morning. I'm not sure what happened after that.

Maybe there was a typhoon in there while I was at the store?

That sounds right.

Yes I'm sure that was it.

My dream of being on Top Chef...

came to an abrupt end tonight when I caught the oven on fire.

Don't worry no garlic bread was harmed in the creating of this post.

I found a funny picture online to go with my story!

Mad Skills

So the girls each got a mini etch a sketch for Christmas and Grace is seriously good at it! She can draw letters, shapes and different pictures.

Bonus: we even know what they are without her telling us. :)

Here I'll back up my bragging with a photo of a Christmas tree she did yesterday. She also did a laptop computer and the alphabet. :)

Two of My Pretty Pretty Princesses

This isn't how I remember the song?

Merry Christmas to our family and friends!

P.S.

Brianna loves the post-it notes.

P.P.S. Yes her pajamas don't match!

Dear Santa,

Great job on finding the diary Grace was asking for, and sure you would bring her, and even bigger bonus that it was Hello Kitty and on clearance! Of course the fact it was on clearance should have alerted you to the fact it was DATED on the inside for 2008 and that YES Grace realized it right away. Thankfully she thought you were so busy and happy to have the diary you didn't realize it and that she could just cross out the incorrect day of the week and write in the correct one. It was close for a minute there though!

:)

I'm a mind reader

I made a batch of cookies and gave the girls each one. Brianna was so excited and this is the conversation we had before she tried hers:

Brianna: Thank you Mommy for making my favorite cookies!
Me: Your welcome but I've never made these cookies before.
Brianna: Then how did you know they were my favorite?

I guess I'm a mind reader. Although they have oatmeal, pecans and chocolate chips so what's not to love? :)

Grace the texter!

So lately Grace has been asking whichever parent she is with if she can use their cellphone to send the other parent a text message.

This is the conversation we had this morning:

Grace: Can I borrow your cell phone?
Me: What for?
G: I want to send Daddy a text message.
M: Ok let me just get to the right part.
G: Oh I don't need you to do it, I can do it myself.
M: Ok here you go.

slight pause

Grace: How do you spell crazy?
Me: C-R-A-Z-Y

another slight pause

Grace: Ok I sent it but I couldn't find the period.

So I send Josh another message that says Grace sent the last message and I have no idea what it said, then he sends one back that says I should read it because it's funny. Here is what she sent:

Hi how are you doing at work i hope you are crazy if you are im glad

HAHA!

I think she missed a word or two!

:)

It's the little things

So I have been checking the commissary for the jimmy dean sausage that I use to make stuffing and in the breakfast casserole I make for Christmas morning. Well they haven't had it in forever. I went yesterday and it was still out and I was pretty discouraged that they would get it at this point. I could make the stuffing without it and it would be no big deal but what was I going to do about breakfast for Christmas? I love this casserole because you make it the night before then pop it into the over in the morning so once the presents are all opened it's ready! Perfect in my humble opinion! They had some other sausage but nothing that seemed like it would work. For some reason I've been really bothered by this. Not only are we away from family but it seemed like an end to a tradition that really in the big picture isn't a big deal, but to me, yesterday, it was.

So I'm sure you're wondering what the point of this rambling post it! Well this morning Josh called to have me bring him his razor (he's on duty and has been gone since yesterday morning) so after we dropped it off I figured I would run by the commissary real quick to get wax paper since I was already out. Well while we were there I thought I'll just check one last time for the sausage and IT WAS THERE! I could have cried I was so happy.

About sausage.

Strange I know.

Apparently I have issues.

Blame my mother.

Just kidding Mom!

:)

Golf day

So Josh played in the Seabee Golf Tournament today and tied for Third place! Of course then they flipped for who would get the prize and he lost the coin toss. Ah well he had fun anyways!

On another note Brianna keeps calling Josh "step-father" and it's driving him crazy! :) I told him it should make him feel better that she calls me "step-mother" at least she only does it when she is pretending to be a princess. He tried telling her not all princesses have step-parents but alas his logic is lost on the four year old who watches too many Disney movies.

Grace is not a morning person...

just like her Mommy!

Did I mention we have had EIGHT green days in a row!

Yay Grace!!!

Can I smell the flowers?

Brianna LOVES these flowers but will not accept the fact that they are fake and have no scent. My Dad and Lisa gave them to me in 1994 (yes I save everything) so they have been around her entire life but she still wants to smell them all the time!

One day I should spray them with perfume so they smell when she sniffs them!

:)

Charley's in Guam...

does not have the same menu as Charley's in California!

Nothing to say today so here's a couple pictures!

Santa looks a little different in Guam

Today they had a Holiday party at the gym and Santa was there. It seems here in Guam even Santa is more relaxed!

The girls got to decorate their own cookies!

Even the Nativity is a bit different! :)

Brianna loves...

someone more then me.

She was standing looking at some pictures and says "Guess who I love more then you?" so I asked who and she said "Hopper" which translates to Harper her cousin in California.

Silly kid.

She then said she loves Hoppers whole family in California but they live too far away to walk.

Um yeah.

Unless you're Jesus that's a walk you won't be making.

All that worry...

for nothing.

So last night was pretty quiet. Our lights flickered twice so we got the candles and flashlights out just in case but nothing happened. It's still raining this morning but the wind seems to have died down.

So a funny thing. I went off base yesterday after I picked the girls up and keep in mind everything on base has been canceled and places are closing early. As I'm driving down the main road I see a couple at a park on the beach dressed in their wedding finery with a photographer clicking away!!!

I thought the contrast between the two things was funny.

I'm out of the loop, as usual.

I guess were in a tropical storm warning.

My neighbor mentioned something when we were outside, in the pouring rain, when the power was out and now I just got an email saying cheer leading practice was canceled and places were closing early today. Plus tomorrow is their last performance and it may be canceled also due to weather. Crazy!

Maybe I should go to the commissary?

Eh maybe not. :)

Welcome to the jungle

I was talking on the phone on the way to the hospital and I always get cut off driving down the road to get there. I said it's like driving through the jungle so I though I'd post a picture.

Good thing...

I didn't bother resetting all the clocks yet because the power went out again today!

Right before I was going to fix Brianna lunch.

At least the Leapster runs on batteries so I read and Brianna played Leapster for a little bit since we weren't going to be home long enough to break out arts and crafts.

Christmas Party

Ask and you shall receive...
(my black purse is on my shoulder)

So I don't think...

Guam likes me very much.

Now I have a ear infection!

What's up with that?

I need a bubble to live in.

Picture request

Brianna's cheer leading team was asked to come and cheer at the Army vs. Navy game last weekend. Of course they cheered for Navy! Grace didn't want to go sit and watch the football game in the heat so I stayed home with her while Josh took Brianna.

Brianna is always ready to smile for the camera!

They had games for the kids during half time and Brianna won a silver medal in a kick/throw competition. Go Brianna!

We didn't take any pictures of the Christmas party on our camera and we haven't gotten any of the other yet but as soon as we do I'll post those as well!

Just when...

we get all the clocks in the house set to the right time they shut the power off, again.

Ugh.

Did I mention that they don't notify us if it's going to be for two hours or less? Of course they don't usually notify us when it's longer then that either.

Grace's note

So Grace got upset and went to her room and wrote us this note:

I cracked up at the thank you for your support addition!!!

She came back out a little bit later with another note that said "I love you Brianna and Mommy and Daddyyyyyyy signed by Gracie Cotterell"

Personally I like that she puts her last name also, you know just in case we thought it was another Gracie! :)

Did I mention...

Grace was on green on Thursday also???

Friday was a green day as well!!

Yipee!!!

Thursday highs and lows

Thursday night was the Christmas party for Josh's work. It was held at one of the big hotels down on hotel row and was really nice. They had a bunch of prizes and we lucked out because both our tickets won. The first time our ticket was called Josh went up and you get to pick from a table of wrapped gifts, well he picked a painted beer mug. Um ok? So later in the night during the last drawing our other number got pulled so this time I went up and picked and I got a digital picture frame! Yay! I am pretty excited about it!

One cheesy thing though was the first number pulled belonged to one of the guys who bought and wrapped all the gifts so of course what gift did he pick. The Wii! Of course the best gift in the bunch! We all thought it was great he won but he should have let someone else pick for him since he wrapped the gifts!!!

When we got home we found out Grace had been great but Brianna wouldn't go to bed AND had broken Grace's collectible Christmas snow globe. Ugh!

Can't wait to see what is in store for the weekend! We have a cheer leading show, a pool party and a birthday party!

Woo Hoo

Grace had ANOTHER green day!!!

Brianna on the other hand, not so much. ;)

Yay Grace!

Grace came home today and not only did she have a green day, her teacher even wrote "Great day!" with a happy face!!!

While things aren't perfect it helps me think we made some good decisions.