Shea Family

Changes...

2011-09-01T07:58:00.000-04:00

So much has happened in 2011, I really don't know where to begin! So here's a quick breakdown...

moved
3 surgeries (Jeremy, Kaleb, and myself)
family visits
car wrecks
bought a new house (in process of being built, finished November)
Jakob started kindergarten
I started college
oldest is now a teenager
Hurrican Irene
Earthquake in NC
weight loss
family vacation to DC/Busch Gardens

That's my breakdown. It's been a roller coaster of a year but we are all in good health now, and blessed in so many ways. I will update more with photos soon, I promise!

~becky~

USS North Carolina

2011-03-18T16:32:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, we headed to Wilmington to check out the USS North Carolina Battleship. It was so interesting and I loved seeing the excitement in the boys faces. They loved hearing the history and they wanted to read everything. I think Jeremy enjoyed being able to share military history with the boys as well.

This is me and Kaleb in the kitchen

It was a beautiful day to enjoy the battleship.

Water faucets in the bathroom.

The boys.

The dental lab.

Markus checking out the big guns.

We plan on going back this summer when Jeremy's parents are in town.

DIY Wall Art

2011-03-08T12:01:00.003-05:00

I started with this...

and here is the finished project...

So simple and quick! I started by painting 4 canvas' different colors. I let it dry and then painted on the letters, free-hand. After it was all dry, I added the ribbon to the backs with Gorilla Glue. That's it!

This is the view of the whole area...

:::Kids Wall Art:::

2011-03-06T20:42:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I had the boys sit down and paint on canvas. I told them to paint whatever they wanted and it did not have to be perfect. I wanted to fill a wall with art and I love the idea of kids art work.

They really enjoyed this idea. It took a few days to finish because they wanted to paint the backgrounds a certain color so they had to wait for it to dry.

I think they turned out really cute!!!

I love how it adds color to our living room.

I also did some painting...

I'll show you what I did with my canvas' tomorrow.

Getting to know North Carolina...

2011-03-01T15:02:00.001-05:00

We try to venture out as much as possible to get to know the area. The beaches here are gorgeous!!! I can't wait for it to start warming up more so we can get outdoors more often!

These are some pics from this past weekend at Topsail Beach, NC

Is it going to snow again tomorrow...

2011-02-25T16:29:00.001-05:00

That is what Jake asks me almost everyday! He loved the snow. He especially loved eating the snow. Im pretty sure we are all finished with the snow for the season but who knows. Im ready for winter to be over with and move on to some Spring weather.

This is Jake eating snow.

SNOW DAY

2011-01-10T11:23:00.000-05:00

We have finally made it home from visiting family in Oklahoma for the holidays and we had a great time. The day we were scheduled to head home however, we did get an unfortunate call that my cousin was in the hospital and we needed to get there immediately. He is still in the hospital and is in an up and down roller coaster, he improves then gets worse. So, we are continuing to pray for him and my Aunt Val. She has not left the hospital since he was admitted and then later transferred to Oklahoma City.

On another note, since we got home to North Carolina, we have been so busy getting back into our routine, its been a struggle but we are getting there. The boys were a little upset that the whole trip we did not see any snow and while were gone, it snowed here in NC. Last night, the news said we were gonna get a "wintery" mix but when we woke up this morning it was snowing, alot! The boys were still sleeping at 9am, so I just couldn't resist and woke them up. They were so excited to see all the snow.

They have been asking all morning to go out and play but its still coming down hard.

Before I woke them up I took these photos, I just love this weather, other then my toes feeling like they will never warm up! Im so not used to this weather. We are gonna enjoy our day off and play in the snow and drink hot chocolate :)

SANTA'S COMING!

2010-12-11T09:17:00.003-05:00

Yes, that's right! This lil guy is super excited!!! When we talk about Santa, this is his face, hehe! Last night, Santa drove through the neighborhood with the firetrucks and the Military Police on a decorated float! It was totally unexpected, we had no idea it was going on. Jeremy was out in the garage putting together his weight/gym set and heard the sirens and came in to tell Jake to go outside and check it out. When we went outside, his lil face lit up!!! He was so excited to see Santa, again. It was so cool, he drove right in front of our house, and I'm sad I didnt have my camera with me, like I said we were not expecting this. At one point, Santa pointed right at Jake and said "don't forget to bake me some yummy cookies", he was one happy lil boy. As we were going back inside, Jake says "we gotta go bake Santa cookies". He thought Santa was coming last night to bring him presents! Yikes, how do you explain to a 4 year old that he has to wait 2 more weeks. I told him Santa has to go make the toys and will be back when he gets done. Stuff like that just makes me and Jeremy smile, our older two boys are getting too "old" for Santa.

Last Saturday, we took Jake to the mall so he could tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. We stood in line for 30+ mins waiting on crying kids, stressed out moms, and annoyed Elves, just to get up there and have our picture taken and done in less then 5 minutes! Really! Ok, it was for the kids, I know but by the time we were done, I was done and needed a Frappuccino! Jake did so good, he didn't act too shy, AND even Markus and Kaleb wanted to sit on Santa's lap! They all told him what they wanted and took a super cute picture, sorry I haven't scanned it yet.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy every minute of it, I know we will! We leave for Oklahoma in a few days. Ill try to update while we are there, but don't count on it :)

~becky~

Boys play dress up too!

2010-12-10T10:12:00.003-05:00

Jake loves to dress up in his old Halloween costumes or his big brothers clothes/shoes/hats/etc. This is what he was wearing last week.

Its a Marine Pilot Jumpsuit. He's so cute! He will even wear this out, like he did last week when we went to lunch then out to the Dollar Store. I say it builds character and imagination!!!! Have a good weekend!

~becky~

Im Back!!!!

2010-12-07T13:37:00.009-05:00

North Carolina Living

I have been slacking on my blogging lately due to our recent journey across the United States! We are now living here in Jacksonville, North Carolina. I must say first off that I'm looooving this place! It's so beautiful, very country living, and its right near the beach!!!

We left California October 16th and headed for Oklahoma, where we are both from, and had a quick 5 day visit with our families. It wasnt nearly enough time considering Jeremy hadn't been back home in a year but we had to keep moving and get to NC asap. We didnt have a house set up or anything planned. We knew we wanted to live in base housing, but didnt know how long we would have to wait or anything. When we got here we checked in and found out that there was a long waiting list for a 4 bedroom, so we signed a waiver to move into a 3 bedroom. In the mean time we had to stay with a friend for 3 weeks, which was so nice of him to take on a family of 5!

We moved into our house November 23rd, picture at top. It is smaller then what we were used to but it will work for us and I have already made it home. I have unpacked every box in the house, except the garage. Everything is all set up and it feels like home. I havent hung up some pictures yet but that is always last on my list. We are leaving next week to go to Oklahoma for Christmas!!! We are all so excited, it will be a 2 week visit this time. Here are just a few pictures of our new house.

Our living room, with temporary curtains-the brown sheers

Dining area/computer/kitchen/front door

Master bedroom, I do have plans to do some wall art very soon

Kitchen, its "L" shaped

Im going to start re-doing the boys rooms when we get home from Oklahoma. They have been neglected and I think they need something to call their spaces. As soon as the screened porch area is done I will post pics of that area, I think it will be our cozy hang out when it starts to warm up.

~becky~

I heart Faces-Shades

2010-08-16T11:17:00.003-04:00

This is a picture of my husband, Jeremy and his sister Rachael the day we visited Pioneertown, Ca. We were walking through the little town and I stopped them both where they were and snapped this picture. I loved how it turned out, shades and all!!!

~becky~

On the move yet again!

2010-07-19T17:27:00.007-04:00

Yes, thats right, we are moving for the 3rd time in one year! We dont move until Oct but thats only a few months away. We knew that moving to California was temporary, so I really cant complain, well too much. Good thing is we dont have to pack and move our stuff, just like last time, the military will pack and move us. However, we are moving allllllll the way across the US!!!! Literally, we are moving from one coast to the other! We are moving to Jacksonville, NC! Ok, Im not gonna lie but Iam a tiny bit excited about this move. We have never been to that area, and we have a few friends there, so it will be so awesome to see them all again. Thats the one thing about the military, its small world and you will eventually see all your friends again.

On another note, a few weeks ago, Jeremys parents and his sister came out to visit us for a week. It was a nice visit and we were so happy they came. We took them out to see the area and went on a few adventures. Most days however, we stayed at the house, since it has been so hot here. Its been like a hundred and eleven, average!!! I know that most of the US is going through the same thing. So here are just a few pics from our visit with Jeremy's family.

Jeremy and his sister, Rachael in Pioneer Town

Jeremy with his family

At SkyviewHave a great week!
~becky~

i heart teens!

2010-06-21T00:56:00.003-04:00

This week at i heart faces, its all about teens! I was happy about this because I just got home from Oklahoma and while I was there I got to take some photos of my cousin who just graduated from High School! Her name is Rachel, she is 18, and a super smart girl! This is just one of my many favorite ones of her...

For more great teen photos head over to i heart faces.

~becky~

Happy Fathers Day!

2010-06-20T16:14:00.006-04:00

I have been married to my husband, Jeremy for almost 10 years! We had our first son, Markus at the young age of 16 and ever since I found out I was pregnant, Jeremy has been by my side and has been a great Dad to our 3 boys. When we were teenagers and still living at home with our parents, he was always been there for me no matter what. We both had to go to high school and raise a newborn baby. Jeremy also had a part time job as a dishwasher. Times were very tough back then but he was not going to abandon me or our son no matter how hard things got. He did what he had to in order for us to live and take care of our son with little help from our parents.

Twelve years later, we have 3 boys ages 11,8, and 3! We have stayed together through all the hard and good times. Our boys love their Dad so much and you can tell by the smiles on their faces how much they adore their Dad. Jeremy is always there for our boys, whether it be coaching little league baseball, playing a game of basketball outside, or teaching them to ride a bike, he always has time for them. He is also teaching our boys to be gentlemen and I know one day they will all make great Fathers as well, and for this Im thankful to Jeremy for the great years and the many more to come!!!

Jeremy and the boys last year, 2009

August 1998, the day we had our first son Markus

Jeremy and Jake enjoying some lunch

Jeremy, Markus and Kaleb in 2003 after he got home from Iraq

This was Jeremy this morning, he had to make his own breakfast because he makes eggs better then me! HA! If you look closely you can see his smirk, he thought it was kinda funny too that he had to make his own Fathers Day breakfast!

Happy Fathers Day!

~becky~

Trying to get back in my routine/A challenge

2010-06-02T15:52:00.004-04:00

First, I hope everyone had a great weekend, yeah I know its already Wednesday but Im a lil slow right now. We had a nice long relaxing weekend ourselves. Since I have been home for a lil over a week now, I've been having such a hard time getting back into my own routine! For starters, Jeremy was off for 4 days, so that threw things off with him being home. Also, Jake is out of preschool for the summer and I also have my nephew here spending the summer. So, Im trying to get things in order and get myself back in my groove!

We have had so many other things going on in our life right now that I feel like we were in a rut and struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know God is here watching over us and this is just something he has challenged us with. Jeremy thinks that when we go thru things like this, God is testing our Faith, I however do not believe this! I feel that its God way of telling us to show his Love to someone in need and to show our Faith in God. That is exactly the outcome that Iam seeing right now. Our situation started off with us totally stressed out and me feeling like "why is this happening to us?" however, as time went on, I realized its not about us at all! Its about us helping someone else out! I seriously wanted to knock myself upside the head! I really do not want to tell anyone what is going on exactly but I wanted to tell you all how things are changing in our lives right now and how God is working thru us to help others out. Its something small to some but its a great reward for us to know that in the end I may of changed someones life.

With that being said, Im keeping my Faith in God and living for him as I have been in the past.

"God is pleased when we do small things for Him out of Loving Obedience. They may be unnoticed by others, but God notices them and considers them acts of worship."

Here are some more photos from my trip home!!!

Me and my new sweet nephew, Hayden

My sister Melanie and her new baby

The Raasch Family

Jake and his Papa Frank picking strawberries out of the garden

Me and my dad, Mark Sr.

~becky~

I've been on out of town...

2010-05-21T17:24:00.002-04:00

Because of this lil guy....

His name is Hayden Bradley and he was born May 13th, 2010! I came home to Oklahoma to be with my sister while she had him and spend a few days helping her out. I actually head home in a few days and I have tons of pics to share with everyone! He is super cute and super chunky! He weighed 8'13.

~becky~

Andrea out and about 29 Palms

2010-04-30T14:43:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, I asked my friend Andrea if I could take a few pictures of her just so I could play around with my camera and photograph someone other then my own kids. She said yes, and so we headed out on a Saturday evening around our lovely town of 29 Palms, Ca. It was fun for me, but for her, she was a bit nervous being the "subject". I tried to crack jokes but mostly I was too busy concentrating on doing the best job I could. I wanted her to have finished pictures that she could "show off". So, here are just a few of my favorite ones.....

I was telling her something funny....

Im still learning how to edit, lighting, angles, and all that fun stuff.

~becky~

Showing off my home/decor

2010-04-29T13:49:00.005-04:00

Since we have moved once again, I would like to share with you our new housing/base housing living. This is by far the best military housing we have ever lived in. Its big, its new, its clean and very up to date on appliances. These photos were just random shots I took just so I could email them to my sister back home. Yes, right behind our house is a park, so my boys are able to go right out our back door to play. We also live in a cul-de-sac so no traffic!

Our house

view from the garage door

dining room, looking into kitchen and living area

dining room

living area, missing a big clock over entry way table, it fell a few weeks ago from the kids slamming door and the wind caught it just shattered it

my favorite decor, those are from Southern Living at home

living area, view from front door, we had no where to put our tv so for now it is in the corner, blocking the window, which I do not like, I think windows should be open with nothing blocking them.

living area, Im not sure what to do with those 3 small windows, any suggestions will be a big help!

view from stairs

I still need to find a new clock for the living room and also, in the dining room, my big mirror also fell the same day! So Im on the search to replace the two. My walls seems so bare and white, but I dont want to paint since we are looking at moving once AGAIN in Oct. Yes, the life of a military family, always moving!!!

~becky~

Atlanta Braves in 29 Palms, CA!!!

2010-04-21T19:09:00.003-04:00

As a little league team that is! Kaleb, 7, began playing in a little league this year, we are super excited, since baseball is my favorite sport to watch. He is actually supposed to be playing in "coach pitch" but when he went to the evaluations before the season started they wanted him to be moved up a league and of course we were all for it. So, here are a few pics from his game on Saturday.

This is my "mini me"

warming up, playing second base

catching a grounder

batting, with some serious determination, see the lips!

Dont you just love a man in uniform! I sure do! I love them baseball uniforms, they are all just sooo cute! They didnt win that first game but they had fun and so did the parents!

~Becky~

There's no crying in baseball, only smiles...

2010-04-20T12:57:00.003-04:00

Literally! Last night Markus pitched an awesome game! Towards the end of the game he was literally smiling thru every pitch! He had that much confidence in himself! He knew he had that game in the bag. We were all just so thrilled for him. However, I did not get to capture that smile, due to me sitting in the bleachers, making sure Jake did not fall off of them. I did get a few of him warming up before the game started.....

Nice posture!

His nervous lip chewing, he gets that from me.

He is a natural!

More photos later from Kaleb's game, he did awesome as well and I just think they look so stinkin cute in their uniforms!

~Becky~

Ella...

2010-04-09T14:03:00.003-04:00

This is my niece Ella, she is an adorable little girl, I just love her so much. I took these photos last October but I still enjoy playing around with them.

~becky~

Monochrome Weekend~windmills

2010-04-02T19:01:00.001-04:00

The windmills of Palms Springs, CA

Undecided, color or b&w???

2010-04-01T00:04:00.004-04:00

Meet Abby! She is an adorable, fun, sweet lil 5 year old who is so photogenic. She came over Monday to play with Jake and of course I had to pull out my camera. Now, the thing is Im a huge fan of black and white and her mom is not, so Im in need of advice. Which picture looks better, color or black and white????

and then there is this one.......

they are best buds!

~becky~

Just a Sample from Susan

2010-03-29T18:08:00.003-04:00

Last weekend as most of you know we went to Joshua Tree Park for our photo session with Susan. Well, I wanted to share one picture that is my all time favorite. I posted it up on my facebook and have had tons of comments, so I wanted to share with you as well.

To see more work from Susan head over to her page.

~becky~

Monochrome Weekend~waves

2010-03-29T00:04:00.002-04:00

~Becky~