Happy Birthday from Iraq

Michael was sad that he wasn't here to celebrate Conner's birthday (of course), but was able to do something fun for his birthday. He hung a flag (a tradition over there where they keep the flag and get a certificate that says that the flag was hung in Iraq) today for Conner. He also went to a junkyard where there were old Russian planes and tanks from the last Iraqi war. He was able to have a little fun with spray paint to show Conner that he was thinking of him. ....Isn't he hot? I sure do miss him. : (

Another birthday....Conner's THREE!

Happy Birthday Conner! We had a fun day and a fun water party. Conner is such a great little three year old. Since he is three, I thought I would share three things that I love about Conner:

1. He gives hugs several times a day and is always telling me that he loves me. The other day, he said, "You the best mom ever!".

2. He loves to dance in the kitchen and is always asking me to turn the music on.

3. He is very good at sports and loves to play with balls.

Out at the range

Today when I asked Michael how his day was, he said, "Just like yesterday." He works long days seven days a week and so it's nice when he is able to mix things up a little bit by shooting at the range. He is so awesome! I'm proud of all that he is doing and for his positive attitude during this whole experience.

More TBall pictures

It has been fun to watch Braden get more and more into T-ball as the season has gone by. He gets so proud of himself when he gets the ball or has a good hit. I'm proud of him for sticking it out, even though he wasn't very excited about it at the beginning of summer. He is such a cute boy!

Happy Birthday Haley!

Today is Haley's 1st birthday! I can't belive that she is already one. She still feels so little to me, but is the cutest and sweetest thing ever. I just love her so much!

We are sad that Daddy can't celebrate with us, but we took lots of pictures and I made a special book for Haley of her Daddy for her birthday.

A Frog in my shower!!

Michael spent about two weeks in a very small base South of Baghdad. One morning when he went to get in the shower, he found a little shower buddy. He thought this picture would be fun for the boys to see.

4th of July in Iraq

Michael celebrated the 4th of July on the 5th by shooting off flares on the roof of their compound. He said it was pretty cool, but missed the fireworks in the U.S.

I am very proud of my little herb garden, so I thought I would share a picture. For Mother's Day, Michael gave me everything I needed to start the garden and it has been fun for me and the boys to see everything grow. I am growing basil (-my favorite! I love to dip french bread in pesto or have bruschetta), cilantro, parsley, and chives. This has been my first herb garden, and So fun to have fresh herbs on hand.

It was so nice to have so much family in town. After our family reunion, we were able to celebrate the 4th of July together, which was so nice. Michael was definitely missed and thought about a lot. I got emotional everytime I heard a patriotic song. I'm so grateful that Michael has had this opportunity to serve our county and I'm so proud of him. Though it is very hard for him to be over there in Iraq, he has had such a positive attitude and I really admire that.

After the fourth, we went on a hike to some waterfalls and tubing down the Platte River. On Saturday night I had 20 family members sleep over and on Sunday we had 24 for dinner and games. It was crazy, but I just loved being with everyone. It was sad to see my sisters head back East. I sure do love my family.

It has been a neat experience for Michael to train some of the SF medics. Here he is teaching a medic to pull a tooth. Yikes, I'm glad I'm not the one in the chair. Quite the dental clinic, isn't it?

I don't know the name of this cake, and don't have an actual recipe. But, it is SOOO yummy so I thought I'd share.

1 white cake mix and ingredients to make cake
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
fresh strawberries, cut up
whip cream

Bake cake according to directions on box. Cool and then poke holes all over using the end of a wooden spoon. Pour all three milks over the top. Refrigerate until cold. Top with whip cream (or you can use cool whip if you must) and strawberries. Yum!

We just got back from a family reunion in Altamont, Utah. There were 120 Monsons and we had a great time. There was lots to do and never a dull moment. We have such a great family! There was a pond out in front of the cabin and the boys loved paddle-boating. They would have spent all day out on the paddle boats if I would have let them. We sure missed Michael!

Aunt Nichole and Uncle Mike came for a visit and it was so nice to be with them. One of our favorite things that we did was go on a hike. It felt so nice to be in the mountains again. It is pretty hard to go hiking with Michael gone, so it was really nice to take advantage of Mike and Nichole!