Fence Building

Shawn and Jamas survey the scene as they begin their fence building for the Justice Estate.

Shawn putting up the fence.

Jamas and Shawn putting up fence poles. They worked pretty much two days straight, but they got the job done and it looked great! Since it was 10 PM when they got it done, I don't have any pictures because it was dark.

Cousins

Kai, Quinn, Elle and Luke enjoy some chicken nuggets at Celeste's house.

Elle and Luke play on the deck.

Kai, Elle and Quinn playing on the deck.

Luke and Kai supervise the fence building project.

The Guys' Camping Trip 2

Joe and Jordan huddle by the fire. It got down to freezing that night.

The campsite.

It takes teamwork to get the canoe out of the water.

They made it!!

The Guys' Camping Trip

Jordan and Joe get ready to hit the water.

Joe, Shawn and Jordan pose for the camera.

Joe and Jordan on the creek.

Early morning on Perche Creek.

Shawn's 30th Birthday

That's right.....Shawn hit the big 3-0 this year! Here are a few pictures from the small party we had for him at his parents' house.

Look at all that fire!! Good thing he's a firefighter, because it's only going to get worse!

Kai helps Daddy blow out the candles.

A gift from Cousins Jordan and Chelsea. You're never too old to play with cars!

Shawn looking at the scrap book his mother and I made him. Check out Kai eating that cake! Yummy!

Bahrain ERT Pictures

Here's Shawn with his Technical Rescue guys during Desert Sailor 2008.

Desert Sailor graduation. Here are the various members of the host nation and American military, along with the Sigma guys who conducted much of the training. Shawn is in the back row.

Shawn picking up his certificate for all the training hours he put in during Desert Sailor 2008.

The entire ERT, along with host nation members and the instructors.

A Few Pictures From Bahrain

As you may know, it's been about two months since we moved back to the States from Bahrain, but I have yet to post any pictures from the last couple of months. In the following posts, I will do just that. Here are a few leftovers from Bahrain.

Quinn after eating an Oreo by herself for the first time.

It's kind of hard to tell, but that is a kid's head sticking out of the sunroof going down the highway at 60 miles per hour.

Kai and Quinn in the bath.

Shawn after blowdrying his fro. He's since gotten a haircut....whew!

Whirlwind

We've been back in the States now for nearly two months, yet it seems like we've hardly had time to catch our breath! Time is funny, though, because it also feels like Bahrain was light years ago.

Today is the first day we've had internet, and I'm completely unprepared to try to chronicle our adventures in the last two months here today. It will have to wait until another day for now. But I just wanted you all to know that we're okay and getting settled in here in our new house and new life.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

WOW.....

After spending a pleasant week with my siblings and their families, everything is happening all at once. Shawn went for a second interview with a fire department near Kansas City on Tuesday, then we went to my sister's house for three days.

It was a blast to see their little ones and all four of our kids together, though a bit crazy. Shawn and Jamas put up a new chain-link fence in their backyard, so Celeste and I were stuck inside with four rowdy children. It was stressful and fun at the same time, but obviously I'm feeling much more nostalgic looking back at it than I was feeling at the time. Next time, though, we'll have a fenced in yard for the kids to run around in when I visit. I can't wait!

After that, I went to my brother's house and spent a couple of days there with him and his family. We played Guitar Hero (which I'm not so great at) and went to the Titanic Museum in Branson (thanks, guys!). It was a fun time and it was good to see my great-nephew Blake trying to toddle around.

During our week in the Ozark area, Shawn got a call from the fire chief of the department he interviewed at and found that he had beat out 21 other candidates to get a new job there. The catch is that they need him to start right away, so he's starting his new job on Monday! He will be working as a firefighter/EMT and doing more hands-on stuff than he's been doing. He's very excited. That means we've got to find and secure a house and move all of our stuff there by this weekend! We found a house we like and are waiting for all the paperwork to be processed on it; I'll keep the blog posted and be sure to put pictures up once we have them.

Another exciting change is that I'm going blonde again today, after over a year of being a brunette. I will let you know how it goes!

Blog Neglect

I know, I know....I have been neglecting my blog. It has been busy most of the time since we've been home--22 days now. My hope is that sometime soon I'll be able to post some new pictures or interesting updates.

Things we've done since we've been home:

--LOTS of Walmart trips
--A few Taco Bell visits
--Visited with family
--Gone walking on "The Land"
--Watched March Madness games
--Gone through years worth of accumulated papers, pictures, trinkets, junk, clothes, etc.
--Organized, donated, filed, labeled, trashed or boxed up said items
--Managed our rowdy children, one of which has been teething almost the entire time we've been home
--A trip to Oregon for Shawn for a job interview
--A trip to a suburb of Kansas City for a job interview
--Had the stomach flu
--Shawn had a cold
--Chugged Airborne
--Napped
--Laundry---in a REAL sized washer and dryer (woohoo!)
--Dishes---in a REAL sized dishwasher (never thought I'd be so psyched about that)
--Found maternity clothes
--Missed some things about Bahrain
--MIL and I scrapbooked
--Gave Shawn a pedicure
--Celebrated Shawn's big 30th Birthday
--Shawn went camping this evening with his cousin and brother....I imagine I'll be writing a blog post about that one soon

Tune in later!
Upcoming events:

--A second interview near KC
--A visit to my sister's house
--A visit to my brother's house
--Sushi night
--A hair overhaul--I'm going blonde again
--Kai's adoption hearing
--Visiting with my sister-in-law and her little baby girl (whom I haven't met yet!)
--More decisions about work/living arrangments
--Hopefully, more blogging

Life is an adventure!

Back in the States

It's been a long time since I've posted! Somehow blogging has completely fallen by the wayside.

We made our trip home uneventfully (except a short delay in Chicago) and the kids were great! Thanks to everybody who prayed for a safe and pleasant journey for us. It really could probably not have gone any better.

So, now we're in central Missouri with Shawn's parents for the next two months (we think) as we make decisions about work, where to live, further education, etc. It has been an exciting time, though a bit stressful still.

A few days after we got back, Shawn and I took our EMT-Basic exams and passed them. I must say to the National Registry, though, that that test is the strangest test I've ever taken and I'm not sure why I passed it! It was so confusing and Shawn and I both felt it was no representation of what we actually know as EMTs! I guess it doesn't really matter at this point---we're just glad we both passed and are certified now.

Later in our first week, Shawn went to Oregon for a job interview and I will keep you posted on that possibility.

The first weekend we were back, my family came to visit here at the Cherri Orchard. It was a blast to see everybody, but a little overwhelming, too. I wasn't as up for company as I thought I would be after the jet lag and all the adjusments. My hope is that future visits will be a little more lively on my part. Thanks to all of you who made the trip!

This past week has been mostly Shawn and I sorting through our boxes here and trying to pare down our STUFF. How are Americans so good at accumulating STUFF? I also want to send a thanks to my mom who apparently kept all of my school assignments from 1st-4th grade! We have majorly consolidated everything and I'm looking forward to having it all organized. We're getting close!

So for now, we're just settling in! I wanted to let everybody know how things were going and I will post some pictures and more blog posts as events warrant. I hope you guys are all doing well, too. Thanks for all of your support, prayers and love.

Down to the Wire

Yeah, so I've been so excited about the fact that we're going back to the States next week that I didn't realize how stressed I was getting. My weird heart arrhythmia started acting up again and I ended up getting one of those 24-hour heart monitoring things. Turns out I'm probably just fine but that my heart doesn't seem to respond very well when I'm stressed. Just more motivation to find my moment of Zen or something....SERENITY NOW.

We've been busy. Shawn has been in full-blown Desert Sailor mode this week with lots of time at work, starting some mornings before 5 AM. He's crashed out on the couch right now "resting" (that's what he says, anyway). I worked some this week at Central Texas College to train the new girl who was replacing me (even though I was replacing somebody else temporarily). I guess she's the temporary replacement's temporary replacement. That caused me a great deal of heart arrhythmias and I'm glad it's OVER. NO MORE CTC.

Today I spent the day packing up the kitchen and tidying up some other things around the house. I can hardly wait to get home and see everybody!

Yesterday I had my final ultrasound for this pregnancy and the doctor said it is most likely a girl. She was 80% sure, but she said that it is still possible that some little boys don't "pop" until closer to 20 weeks (I'm 18 right now). So much for mother's intuition--I was sure it was a boy. Now we have to apologize and start calling her Claire instead of Asher. Whoops!

Well, that's all the news from here. This week will be the end of our time in Bahrain. It will be bittersweet, but mostly just sweet.....

Names

Okay, so see my previous post for information about our most recent, ambiguous ultrasound results.

If it's a boy, we have chosen the name: Asher Matthew Cherri
If it's a girl, we have chosen the name: Claire Elizabeth Cherri

What do you guys think?

Boy or Girl?

So....

Today was our second ultrasound this pregnancy. I had one around 13 weeks to confirm the dates because I was measuring pretty large. It turns out there is definitely only one baby and I just measure large (I have each pregnancy)! It was too early at that one to find out the gender, so we scheduled one for this week, sure that we would be able to definitively find out.

With Kai, I had an ultrasound at 15 weeks and it was pretty clear he was a boy. Quinn's ultrasound was around 17-18 weeks and it was pretty clear she was a girl. With Kai's pregnancy, I "knew" he was a boy even before the ultrasound. With Quinn, I had a decently strong sense she was a girl before the ultrasound, but wasn't quite as sure as I had been as with Kai.

This pregnancy, I have had a really strong sense that this one is a boy. We've already been calling the baby the boy name we've chosen. I was sure it was going to be a boy.

BUT today......

We had our second ultrasound and the sonographer (a radiologist, not an ultrasound tech) did a full level 2 ultrasound. Everything looked really good and healthy and my dates are still spot on--I'm about 17 weeks tomorrow, making my due date what I originally estimated. I expect to be due around July 15-20th.

She said it was probably still too early to be sure about gender--I was immediately disappointed because I just figured that we'd be sure to see. The baby was in an okay position, but she scanned over the pertinent parts pretty quickly, only lingering there a few seconds. In that few seconds, this is what I saw---a smooth area with a slight bumpy part above it. It LOOKED to me like a girl with part of the umbilical cord down there between her legs up higher (about mid-thigh). Shawn feels like he saw a weiner, but I think he was just seeing that cord part.

The radiologist said it is "most likely a girl, but might be too soon to tell for sure."

SO......

Was my intuition completely wrong? Have we been calling this poor girl "Asher Matthew" for two months now? We aren't even MOSTLY sure that it's a girl--everybody else in our family has been "sensing" boy, too.

When we came home, I lay down and took a nap. During that nap, I had a dream they did another ultrasound. In the ultrasound, they showed the same image--a smooth area with a bumpy part up higher. At first in the dream I thought I saw "boy parts," but the dream ultrasound tech moved in closer and I saw very clearly "girl parts." So in the dream I was certain it was a girl.

Was the dream a clarifying prophecy or something? Or was it just mirroring my own feelings?

Isn't technology wonderful?

A Trip to Saudi Arabia (Almost) Part 3

Buckwheat, I mean, Shawn at the Saudi Causeway restaurant next to a mural.

A view of the Bahrain side of the Saudi Causeway.

A view of the Saudi side of the Saudi Causeway.

Me in my abaya at the top of the observation deck. Note my expanding belly. I love abayas! They so easily double as maternity wear.

A Trip to Saudi Arabia (Almost) Part 2

Waiting in line to cross the Causeway.

In the middle of the Causeway, we stopped at a restaurant/observation tower for lunch. We actually got all screwed up going through this little area. We were trying not to end up accidentally going to Saudi Arabia, but they were doing construction on this area. So we ended up crossing back over the bridge entirely. There are no places to turn around, so we had to go back through the toll booths to enter the Causeway again. The next time we actually took the right exit, so we made it to the restaurant on our second try. Here is Kai playing with some flowers in the restaurant in the middle of the Saudi Causeway.

A view of/from the restaurant. The food here was surprisingly good. We had rice, hummus, naan (Arabic bread), chicken and mushroom soup. Yum!

Our unsuspecting waiter.

A Trip to Saudi Arabia (Almost)

Between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, there is a very long bridge called the Kind Fahd Causeway that is 15.5 miles long. Midway across the Causeway, there is a stopping point with a few restaurants and an observation tower, in addition to the tollbooths into Saudi Arabia. We have never been out there, so we thought we should go check it out before we leave Bahrain at the end of this month. I took a few pictures to document our experience.

Quinn riding across the Causeway.

The view on the Causeway. Beautiful, blue ocean on both sides.

Kai wants out of his carseat.

Quinn enjoying the ride.

Super Bowl Party

I'm a huge football fan. I've looked forward to the Super Bowl all year--finally, last night it was here.

Since we're 8 hours ahead of Central Time, the kickoff time for us here in Bahrain was after 2 AM. Our cable company also does not have the rights to show live programs from certain channels, so we had to go to the Navy Base to watch it. They were having a party there sponsored by MWR. We decided to show up around midnight, but the party had actually begun at 8 PM.

Theresa came and stayed overnight so we could enjoy the game while the children slept. Last year, the party was indoors, but this year (for whatever reason) they decided to have the party outdoors. It was semi-fun and semi-annoying because it was cold enough that we all needed heavy coats, hats and blankets. In some ways it was nice because it was almost like being at a real game!

Since we arrived fashionably late (but still 2 hours before kickoff), there were already many drunk sailors by midnight. They were already rowdy and ready for the game. We watched the pre-game show bundled under a blanket. Some of Shawn's co-workers joined us around kickoff. I was outnumbered--in our little group, most were going for the Patriots. Even my husband! But one other guy and I were going for the Giants. We weren't alone as far as everyone else went. It seemed that Giants fans far outnumbered Patriots fans.

Right before kickoff, about a dozen very drunk guys sat right in front of us. It really started to feel like a real game then! After kickoff, practically every play they were jumping up, cheering, shouting and generally carrying on. Some Patriots fans heckled them and there were some interesting drunken exchanges of words between the two sides.

As the evening wore on, people began to disappear. Both sleep and alcohol reduced the numbers considerably. Inside the NEX complex, lots of sailors either passed out or fell asleep on the floor or on chairs. After half time, our peanut gallery did not return, so we had a much better view of the game.

The Giants managed it and I think Shawn was really disappointed. But I was ecstatic and so were all the Giants fans who still remained (a lot more than Patriots fans still left standing). After the game wrapped up, it was starting to get light. We went home for a few hours of sleep and then back to the grind......

One thing that is not very fun about this atmosphere is that due to its non-profit status, the AFN (Armed Forces Network) that broadcasts the Super Bowl on military bases cannot broadcast the Super Bowl commercials! So for the second year in a row, I've missed all the commercials. In their stead, they show military propoganda and information about resources for military personnel. Sigh....next year...

ALTHOUGH, I heard one sports writer say that this year people might be talking about the GAME instead of the commercials! Isn't that the way it should always be???

Super Bowl Analysis

Woohoo! Victory for the New York Giants!

This year, there was division in the Cherri household. My dear husband was rooting for the New England Patriots and I was rooting for the New York Giants. Why? Well, for one, the Colts were out--Eli Manning is sort of the next best thing. Also, I've liked Tom Brady less and less with each passing year. It seems like the fame and winning has gone to his head. He always comes across as such a laid-back, team-player guy in the media. But last night he showed his true colors when he sulked, pouted and yelled at teammates after botched plays. What a whiny baby--I guess three Superbowls just aren't enough for him.

The New York Giants, on the other hand, lost teammates to injury, started the season 0-2 and had to overcome the "underdog" label in nearly every game they played this season. And last night, they were nearly flawless as a team. I was so surprised that by the 4th quarter, the scores were so low and close. I fully (sorry, Eli and the guys) expected the Patriots to get on a roll early on and just blow the Giants out the water. But I still hoped that the Giants would manage to pull out a huge upset.

The game was not won solely with stellar offense, though both teams played well. It was mostly decided by the steadfastness of both defenses. With so much attention in recent years on offensive lines, quarterbacks and star wide receivers or running backs, it was refreshing to see so much contribution to a meaningful win from the defense. In the first three quarters, neither Manning nor Brady really gave us much of a show--they kept getting rushed and sacked by determined defensive players.

Then, when it really came crunch time, it was Eli Manning and his offensive line with an amazing series that led to that final touchdown. Truly, a thing of beauty!

Congratulations, Giants! You deserve every bit of this one!

Fun WIth Balloons

Quinn with her balloon.

So much fun!

Kai holding his balloon. Of course, both were popped by the time we got out of the parking lot....