Foote Family ---- Duane, Elizabeth, Miranda, Ryan, Olivia & Evan: August 2009

Jonas Brothers Experience

If you remember, Miranda got Jonas Brothers tickets for her birthday and last Friday was THE night she'd been waiting a month for. We all made the trek to Charlotte, NC for the event and Duane stayed with the other three kids, while Miranda and I went to the concert. When we arrived there were thousands of girls there, many of them with their mothers, and Miranda started to get really excited. I knew she could not go into the concert without a t-shirt, so we picked one up before finding our seats. The concert was actually really good. Miranda was a bit shy with her excitement and would have probably had more fun going with a friend than her mother. I remember myself at the New Kids on the Block concerts and I went crazy. I'm sure my mom remembers the one she attended with me, but I think she had just as much fun as I did that night. Miranda and I had a great time together at the concert! She is already hoping to attend the Miley Cyrus concert in November, but if we go we'll probably have to take Olivia with us because she sings her songs right along with her sister.

Miranda modeling her knew Jonas Brothers concert t-shirt.

The lights went down and this was Miranda's reaction, pure excitement. She was a little disappointed that they did not come out right away. There were three opening acts...Honor Society (not too bad), The Wonder Girls (a group of 5 females from Korea who are hot stuff in Asia, trying to make in the US....my guess is they won't be a hit here) and Jordin Sparks (American Idol winner and great performer).

Between acts we quickly snapped this picture of us.

I believe it is Joe Jonas with the microphone, Nick as the piano and Kevin on the guitar. I had to get Miranda to tell me who is who, if I'm wrong...I apologize.

First Day of School

The kids started school this week and it is now much quieter at home with just Evan and Olivia. I have to say that based on the time that I need to get them up, I may look forward to their days off. The bus comes at 7am, so I get the kids up at 6am and they walk a 1/2 mile to the bus stop. As a result of the early morning and it still being quite dark outside, I forgot about taking pictures, so when they got home I told them they needed to pose for me.

Miranda is in 5th grade

Ryan is in 3rd grade

Olivia starts preschool in a couple of weeks, but insisted on getting her picture taken.

Miranda is 10!

Yes, I'm still trying to update the blog and I cannot forget that my Miranda turned 10 in July! Where has the time gone?! I remember the day she was born and how I was not expecting her to come 4 weeks early or to be born at 4lbs 5oz. Although she can be a trial, she is a very loving girl who loves to help with her little sister and baby brother. She has a huge heart who loves to help others. On the first day of school she spent the day helping a classmate who had broken her arm. I love you, Miranda!!

We spent the afternoon driving go karts, playing miniature golf and playing arcade games.

Miranda loves pasta, so off to Buca's we went for dinner.

Miranda wanted a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and I added the chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for a little something special.

For Miranda's birthday, we got her tickets to a Jonas Brother's concert, which we attended last week. Look forward to that post!

Our New House

We are settling into our new house and love it! Even though it is new construction, we have had a lot of work done since we've moved in and I think I saw the last of the contractors today. I am still working on the decorating thing inside, while Duane focuses on the landscaping. As our home progresses, I'll post more pictures. We have many busy Saturdays ahead, but look forward to making this our home for a while. If you're ever in NC, please stop by! We'll leave the light on for you!;)

Living Room

Dining Room--We're planning on having a formal dining room set by the end of September.

Master Bedroom

Miranda's Room

Evan

Evan is growing so fast and it's hard to believe that six months have already gone by! After struggling to gain weight, Evan now has a healthy appetite and has gained quite a bit of weight. He is being seen at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his cleft lip and palate. He is scheduled for his first surgery, which will close his lip, on September 14th and his second surgery, which will close his palate is scheduled for December 16th. Evan is a handsome little boy who captures the hearts of those around him. We love having him in our family and pray that his surgeries will be a success.

3mos

3mos

4mos

4mos

4mos

5mos

Summer 2009

So, we've been on a little hiatus, but now that we are settling into NC we can finally get back on track. The kids and I left Okinawa June 13th and we flew to Fayetteville, NC. Since Ft. Bragg is Duane's next duty station, the Army informed us a few days before we were to fly out that we could no longer fly to FL, but must fly to NC. After what seemed like days on an airplane with four kids by myself, my dad picked us up and we drove another six hours to FL. A week later we headed up to NC to look at houses and for Evan's appointment at UNC. Thanks to my dad who came with me to help manage the kids. He was a trooper after spending 6 hours looking at 15 different houses and listening to Evan scream all day. We broke him in that day and I am happy to say I believe he's been trained.

After Evan's appointment we headed to MD to visit with my sister and her family. We had a great time visiting Washington D.C., the National Zoo, Gettysburg and Hanover (what I call my hometown). It was great to see old sites and friends. If we didn't get around to see you, I apologize. We hope to go to MD again soon and would love to visit PA to see friends. Once our time in MD was done, I headed back down to NC for another doctor's visit, this time to get a referral. The road to getting a referral for Evan's care was a rough one and the story is too long to tell, but the important thing is that he has one and all should be well. In addition to the appointment, we looked at more houses, but this time were successful. We found a great house just north of Ft. Bragg and are beginning to settle in.

Once Duane was done with his company command, he was able to join us in FL. Before heading up to NC, we spent our days looking at trucks for Duane, paint colors and seeing the sites of St. Augustine, FL. We were also able to meet up with Duane's brother, Doug, who is stationed at Ft. Rucker, AL and his wife Katie at Wild Adventures in Valdosta, GA. The kids had a great time at both the amusement and water parks there. After a great time in FL (thanks mom, dad and Audra for putting up with us), we headed up to NC at the end of July and looked forward to closing on our new house and getting settled before school started. It's been quite a summer and we are definately ready for things to calm down.

The Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL