On the 9th of October Blayne celebrated his eighth birthday! It just happened that there was no school that day so he was able to have a birthday party. We had his party at Burger King, here on Fort Riley....since we are new to the area (and do not know many families) we allowed Blayne to invite his school classmates to celebrate with him, and they turned out in force. Blayne kept saying that he wanted his friends and cousins from Utah to surprise him for his big day (which made my heart hurt) but, we convinced him that they would be wishing him well from afar. The kids were able to play on a great inside playground, they ate lunch, opened presents and enjoyed yummy cake. Blayne wanted an Army theme which was pretty easy. All in all he had a great day. I was very proud of him for being a good host. Now that he is older we really tried to impress upon him how important it would be to welcome everyone that arrived (especially because he would know the kids & we would not) he took everyone's coats and gifts and introduced them to Jeff and I, just like a little gentleman. Happy Birthday Blayne! WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!

Kansas,Here We Are!!

The McKinney's have a new address! Yes, it is true we reside in Kansas now....a lucky stroke of fate has brought us together as a family (if only for a few months). Jeff will not deploy until Fall of 2010, so the boys and I were able to join Jeff at Fort Riley on Labor Day weekend. We are fortunate enough to be able to live in military housing here on the army base. The boys are enrolled in school; Wyatt at Fort Riley Middle School and Blayne and Aydan at Custer Hill Elementary (yes, the school was named after General Custer himself )! Kindergarten is all day here so I have been trying to unpack our household goods during the time school is in session. Jeff is pretty busy, as his Brigade is preparing to deploy....but the time we are able to spend with him is wonderful and irreplaceable. Bryce did stay in Cedar City with my folks and we miss her desperately, but understand the need she has to fulfill commitments she has there as she is now in high school. I do not know what we would do without such wonderful family and friends at home. Saydi the dog is with us and is now settling in here as well. If any one is passing through or would like to come and visit, please know that you are always welcome and we would love you to stay with us...we will show you around the area. I will write more about our escapades very soon. I also hope to find our camera so I can post photos as well!

Summer in a Nutshell

As summer "winds down" I find myself wondering why time passes so quickly! We have packed a lot into just a couple of months....I started the break off by traveling to St. Louis to spend time with Jeff. We had a wonderful time together, he surprised me by taking me to dinner on a river boat that traveled a couple of hours on the Mississippi River...we saw the "Arch" and drove around the beautiful area. Upon returning home everything was running full tilt at the McKinney Household with T-Ball, Baseball & Soccer; not to mention Boy Scouts and other church activities. Bryce's club soccer team took a silver medal at The Utah Summer Games and then she started with cheer practice soon after. Jeff arrived at the beginning of June and was able to be with us for three weeks. We managed to visit his folks in Northern Utah and even do some sight-seeing. We took the kids to Lagoon Amusement Park during our visit. We had our photo taken in an old "Wild West" setting. Jeff left and is now stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. He has his own private room in the barracks where we correspond through the internet and telephone, just thankful for daily contact! The kids and I have been able to attend two family reunions this summer. My moms side of the family (The Cosslett's) held their family reunion here in Cedar City at a park close to the mouth of Cedar Canyon. There was good food and time for the older folks and kids to get re-acquainted with each other. My mom always puts this reunion together and does as great job! My dads side of the family held their reunion (The Robb Reunion) at a park in Parowan, Utah. I loved being able to see cousins that I have not seen in a while as well as the older members of our extended family. The kids ate and went directly to the Parowan City pool to swim...which was reserved just for the reunion. It was the firs time I had been to a reunion since the passing of my dad, and even though it has been five years since his death, it took me quite a few minutes to get a hold of myself (turn off the water-works) and enjoy the time spent with relatives ( I just kept thinking back to times when my dad would take us places...he would give my sisters and I "a talking to," about behavior and the finer details of politeness before we could join in on the fun). In the sort weeks of Summer I (by myself) was able to fit a visit in to Jeff in Kansas. We talked and enjoyed each others company the "SHORT" three days I was able to spend with my soldier. We found the church he will be attending, went to the movie (Harry Potter), purchased a car for Jeff to get around post in (an older model Volkswagen Jetta) and drove around admiring the countryside near Fort Riley, Kansas. In another nutshell Summer went by too darn quickly!!! Other things to mention about the summer; 4th of July in Cedar City with my folks and Neshia's family, Bryce attending Cheer camp, Bryce attending a Pioneer Trek reactment in Wyoming with many other young adults (ages 14-18) from our church. Swimming, hiking, mowing yards, trips to the library and just trying to enjoy the things we are blessed with.

Extra $ doing what I enjoy!

To bring in a little extra money, I take care of two other yards than ours. One of them is just up the street from our home and the other is across town. The kids have really helped this year making the time I have to spend taking care of the jobs much easier and less time consuming. Here are a few photos of the flowers we have been cultivating.

Cheer Camp-Bryce

Wyatt, Aydan & I were able to spend some time with Nana and Paw Paw McKinney the week of July 7-12, due to Bryce attending her first Cheerleading Camp. I traveled to and from camp between Layton (where mom and dad McKinney reside), and Logan (where USA cheer camp was held). Blayne stayed with my folks in Cedar, because of baseball games, the other two boys (and myself) enjoyed Nana's wonderful cooking; they also spent time with cousins in Huntsville. Nana and Paw Paw celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary when we were there as well (what an accomplishment)! Bryce made the Cheer Team for Cedar High School this past April and has been practicing hard for next year. Our house has been filled with cheers and dance moves (so much so, that the boys know every word to the cheers and can sing along to the music that every dance is coreographed to.

Here is one of their performances....

Go Redmen!!!!

"He's in the Army now"

Jeff returned to active duty service as a soldier in the US Army. I can't tell you how proud I am of him, but at the same time I miss him very much. We have been able to talk everyday via cell phone. The kids miss him for many different reasons but one of the top being his homestyle breakfast! No eggs and bacon from Mom weekday mornings...I am sad to say it is fend for yourself at the McKinney household...we all need to be out the door at 7:30am. The first week was a bit shakey without Jeff because my sweet Mother keeps the younger boys and drops them off at school and pre-school. Mom was unable to help out that first week because my step-father (Dan) had to have heart by-pass surgery (X5). He is home and getting better each day. Did I say that some great friends stepped in and made it possible for me to work a couple of hours a day when my mom was with Dan? Thanks to all of you! I better be going it is time to pick Aydan up from pre-school.

Jeff will leave for training with the Army on the 25th of February. I have mixed feelings about him re-entering the service full time. I am looking forward to him working full time and keeping busy, for his own peace of mind. I will certainly be glad to be able to watch what I want if I have time to watch TV...but, "dang it" we will miss him! It has taken a year but, he is a pretty good house keeper (he does not clean all the time, but is very good at influencing the kids to keep things tidy). I will also miss being able to go for a walk or ride in the car with him at our leisure. We sure have had to adjust financially this past year but we have grown together so much that those blessings outweigh being poor. We have enjoyed playing board games and cards with the family, having long discussions about life and everyones biggest concerns (from Aydan-worries about what to take for sharing to Bryce- wondering what elective classes to take in High School next year)! I will have to get back on a strict schedule in terms of getting everyone to their scheduled events and also make sure that we have a bathroom schedule again (if not, Bryce will bathe 4 times a day and the boys won't bathe at all)! What happened to the days when I could throw them all into the tub at the same time??? I will cease rambling and post more in the future.