Chickasaw tribal meeting

So my birth mom can from Arizona to visit us before our travels to England.

(For those of you who don't know I am Chickasaw Indian from my birth moms side, so we have apow wow haha. )

It was nice for her and her family to come out this way because they got to enjoy the beach.
So I thought the best thing to do would be enjoying the beach for awhile. so we got lots of great sand and water photos.  Then we went ahead and we decided to try the Camarillo outlet mall yay its like 3 miles long don't quote me on this because I'm not a hundred percent sure that that actually how big it is. We had a great time even got my first guess bag it's pretty darn exciting. Of course after a long day of the beach we had a relational fry bread dinner mmm mmm good. If you never had fry bread before you are totally missing out it's basically like bread from heaven. I don't like to brag but what can I say my favorite is pretty darn tasty.

( side note I got a new phone and I'm trying to voice app so basically it's typing everything that I say and may or may not come out correctly including exclamation marks. But of course being a total nerd that I am, I had to try it out)

So again after we have this amazing shopping day and this heavenly fry red including another night of enchiladas we have to part ways and say goodbye this morning, which was bitter sweet.
I took some really great photos which if I can figure out how to block off of this phone I will include probably not with captions seen how it didn't seem to give me the option last time. But I have to say it was a great visit there was Sherrie, my birth mom. Zane my 17 year old brother. Zachary my 14 year old brother.  Ned, her husband and Lamya his daughter, which she also is totally cool because we share the same birthday.
But even know we got to see them for short time two days we did fill our days with a lot of stuff so that was exciting and me the time go by quickly. Why would we want the time to go by quickly you ask? Well that's because we are too yes count them two days away from Disneyland! exciting!!!
So now we get one day breast which will probably be filled with packing and smack buying but then we get to go to Disneyland which for my son who is two and a half years old has been counting down for months. I have to say I'm probably just as excited if not more than my own children. Unfortunately it just seems like in all the midst of saying goodbye we are just go go go . Which wouldn't be so bad but I thought it would feel more like vacation. So hopefully Disneyland will be vacation time .
stay tune for more blogging. Hopefully with photos with captions and on my laptop just so I can make sure I get everything down that I want you to know about. But I am excited to know that even though I can't seem to keep up with my blogging like I had hoped it just means that I'm having a really great time. Because who has time to write about life when you're too busy living it?

Eating at the Habit, YUMMY Burgers

playing in the water

Sherrie (birth mom) and Amariah

The Beach up close and personal and a panoramic shot!

Mike and Miah

Allyson being silly

Lamya writing with her feet in the sand, Zane wearing a towel cape, Zachary in the black shorts, and Ned in the rolled up Jeans

Ocean View

With inlaws that live by the beach who could get enough of such a great ocean view. Our last few days in the states are being enjoyed by great weather and great company.
I am currently blogging from my cell phone because I wanted to update you all but I don't know how this will come out. I am attaching photos from my phone as well.
The pictures are either views from my in laws windows or when we decided to have a burger on the beach, yum!
We're having a good time but fighting off some coughs which are no fun for anyone. Can't wait to post more and blog more when I get my lab top back from my kids haha ;)

Going Away Party

Yesterday we had our going away party.

It was so much fun, yet so bittersweet. Tears were shed. Manly from the kids saying goodbye to each other. :( But we know that we will get the chance to see them again, plus the excitement to meet new friends that God has for us in England. 

The girls are packing up their suitcases today and were doing loads of laundry! Yes even living out of suitcases we have loads and loads of laundry with 7 people. 

It was heartbreaking last night when my 8 year old daughter asked me, "Aren't you said we are leaving our friends? You don't look sad at all." I did not mean to come across like I did not care. I was trying so hard to be strong for my kids so that they did not get more sad due to my being upset. I guess it back fired because they saw me as not sad at all. So we talked it out and I think they understand that I am indeed sad but that I was trying to focus on the positives that way I didn't have a melt down. 

We have been so lucky to live we were do. The friends that we've made and the wonderful church family that we now consider home we will never forget! God calls us to him to learn and once we have the skills that we need he sends us out into the world to use them. So here we are....Skilled up, and ready to be used in anyway that God asks of us. We pray for all of our friends and family to learn, listen, and do that which God is asking them to do. We pray for our safe travels so that we can do what it is that we are supposed to do in the UK. Hard as it is we will move forward and try are hardest to be a light in the world.

ALL our love

The Gulley's

So we brought the camera and forgot to use it. So here are really the only photos that were taken. Boo wish I wouldnt have been so forgetful. 

Me & my Sweet Cousin Heidi

My cousin Autumn and her cute little nugget, meeting Miah for the first time

Me & Tasha

 my cousin who is only 4mo older then me and were grew up basically as sisters

Crack, Crack, POP!

Pretty much as soon as we moved into the TLF (Temp. Living) My neck has decided that it is no longer happy with me. I first thought I was getting a sore throat.....Then maybe it was tight muscles? No, wait...Maybe high blood pressure, with a pulled muscle, followed by some kind of throat thing?.....What ever it is I was not a happy camper. I pretty much nursed my throat/neck issues for two weeks then decided that it was enough and headed to the doc. All he seemed to want to do is put me on muscle relaxers. I did have him swab my throat which he said was a little red, still haven't heard back on what that might be. Scene I am currently nursing a 4mo old baby I couldn't do the meds so next step was heading off to the Chiropractor! I have to admit that I have a fear of Chiropractors. I grew up on 007 movies where James Bond was quiet good at snapping peoples necks and killing them....well as you can imagine I allowed my fear of dying to take control of me and have only been to one chiropractor in all of my COUGH (29 years) of life and even then I did not allow him to touch my neck. So seeing as how I was having neck pains that were also causing me headaches I figures I needed to face my fear and go in. I prayed that God would allow me to be safe and help me over come. Crack, Crack, and a POP and I was out the door. I really didnt feel to different when I left but about an hour later, while wondering target, I felt a lot better. YAY! but I have to admit although I am on the road to recovery, I am also still not completely back to the norm. So I have a appointment again for this next week. I am hoping to be up and ready for Disneyland which is right around the corner!!!!!

I haven't decided if I think time is flying by or dragging on. Each day seems to be pretty quick but at the same time I feel like we should be in England already. Its also hard to keep up excitement when things don't seem to be moving much. Don't get me wrong we still have lots to do but it sure doesn't seem like it at time.

I did manage to get my kids photo taken. They are so super cute!

Tea Party!

Tea Time at Grandma's house! We got to spend a nice lunch time/afternoon at my mothers house for a wonderful Tea and lunch. She went full out! Not only had she been planning this tea for months, she also decided to make all her granddaughter matching crochet dresses as well. Night and Day she worked her butt off and they came out great!

The girls (sisters and one little cousin Elyse, on the far left)

They love their dresses and wanted to wear them all day long. Even Baby Miah sported her little lady bug dress. Grandma A.K.A Mema wasn't satisfied she even had to make matching purses. Mema has a ladybug fetish so she made the Tea party lady bug theme. 

My sister even helped make the party a success as she got very creative with the food! We had enchiladas, cookies, fruit, all kinds of creams to dip them in, tea, apple juice, candies, crackers...food, food, food!

Mema uses her cake decorating skills for lady bug cookies

We all walked away STUFFED!

                      Here they are ready to eat! Shyanne looks like she thinks the spread it perfect

The bigger girls pose for the camera!

We had a great time of conversation and memory making. The girls learned some proper tea educate and the surprises just keep coming.

Longer then they had been alive Mema had been collecting children's silver plated tea sets. Her goal was to one day have a tea party with her granddaughters and present them with there very own little tea sets.  That day finally came.

Mema & Pap engraved the trays to each child

Mema and her youngest granddaughter Amariah (Miah)

More pictures........

 Mema and her granddaughters (she has two more granddaughters not shown because they live in Ga.)

                       Sister in law Shannon, Sister Amanda, Myself, and all the granddaughters

My sister Amanda with my daughter Miah

As you can see we had a pretty great time. Thanks Mom/Mema for the memories!

The Croods

              Yesterday we spent our Sunday as we do most Sundays. Church and lunch together as a family. I was in the mood to do something spontaneous and extra fun for my kids. What to do?....Movies! I had heard on my favorite christian radio stations about the movie "The Croods". Why not go see it?

So we surprised the kids with a trip to the movie theater.  I was first worried I was going to miss the movie all together. My Sleeping beauty (3mo old) decided to wake up right as the movie was starting and throw a fit. I had to take her out and walk around for a bit. Luckily she was still tired and although I missed the previews I got to enjoy the movie in my actual seat ;). 

 

The movie is about a family of cavemen. The daughter Eep (voice by Emma Stone, I really like this actress) is spirited and wants to know what the point of all this is (what they are living for). The Father Grug (voice by Nicholas Cage) is all about protecting the family. I was first a little bummed he was the voice, just because I am not a big fan, but in the end it didn't take the focus of the actual story line as I thought it might.

The humor in this show was pretty good. Father doesn't like mother in law, no new surprise there but funny. I did not remember any thing that was "adult humor" so many cartoons these days try to entertain the parents as well as the kids and I find the humor to not be appropriate for kids. They don't need to include innuendos into things that kids have to wonder why its funny? If the kids does not understand it why is it in the movie?

 

Eep meets a guy, named Guy who tells her about the end of the world coming. So they on a persuade to find a new cave end up following him to a safer place to live.

 

I really liked how Eep was portrayed, she did not have to try and win Guys heart (although she did) and she was not drawn to be the prettiest princess of all the land. In fact a cross fit trainer would have been proud of her lean waist and larger shoulder build.

The Dad has some issues letting go of control and in the end finds that not only was he able to give a little room for change he only really cared about his family and doing what was best for them.
My favorite character was Belt, hes a sloth that loves to say, "Daunt daunt duuuuh" at all the dramatic moments. Very cute.

I gave this movie a 5 out of 5 on family friendliness and I think that it was the best movie of the year so far.
I would love to have this movie in our collection.

California & America

Mr. California & Ms. America

Last night we went to my moms house for dinner. To our surprise we got two going away gifts. Meet our newest Family members.These are from Build a Bear Family went down to the store and not only picked out the bears they each have 10 HEARTS inside of them to represent a heart for each one of our family members that we will be saying good bye too.

As you can see my children are really excited about the new furry friends

Even Amariah was happy about the new additions

Although I think that she is leaning more towards America as her favorite pick ;)

It was really sweet of them to go out of there way and do this for us. My mom said she found the idea off of another blog and thought it was a really sweet idea. I would have to agree!

To Cute!