The latest...

It’s been a while so I thought I’d better bring you all up to date with the latest happenings on the great Fletcher Adventure!  We have been keeping ourselves busy as always.  In November we had a wonderful vacation to Disney World with Grandma Titus and Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher.  We spent five days going to the different parks at Disney World.  We also took a day to drive east and were able to see the Space Shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral!  And we even managed to spend a little time at the beach.  Our next trip was for Thanksgiving in Warsaw at Grandma and Grandpa Titus’.  We had a great time with all the aunts, uncles and cousins.  We miss you all!  After Thanksgiving it was time to get ready for Christmas.  December was busy with Christmas parties, Christmas decorating (which was very thrilling since we had not put our Christmas decorations up in three years) and, of course, Christmas shopping.  We spent Christmas itself at home but then went up to Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher’s to ring in the New Year and had a blast with family!  January was a busy month with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher over the MLK Jr. weekend and visiting with or entertaining friends for dinner.  We even had an unusually big snow storm and we all (even Justin!) had a ball sledding.  Now February is here and rolling by in record speed, it seems.  Over President’s Day weekend we enjoyed another fun visit from Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher.  The weather Saturday was wonderful and we took advantage of it by going to the Enid Railroad Museum of Oklahoma, had lunch at Phil’s BBQ, and then went to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge for a magnificent time OUTSIDE walking on the nature trail.  That evening, Joseph and I had a fantastic time watching “Are We There Yet?” at the Gaslight Dinner Theater and enjoying a delicious meal catered by Panevino. 

The three boys are growing up way too fast!  Andrew is doing a great job with his school and will be playing soccer the spring.  Mark is learning in leaps and bounds.  And Justin is sitting up by himself, has six teeth and thinks he would like to crawl now.  I think to myself, Oh please slow down all of you!   I don’t want to miss a thing!  Joseph loves his job here at Vance AFB and his new “toy!”  I got my first ride in the plane in January.  It was a beautiful flight with my man, and most importantly, I DID NOT GET SICK!  Thank you Uncle David for watching the boys…the price for a ride is watching the three boys so I can have a ride…seems fair don’t you think?!?!  Other than that, I’m busy with being a wife to the most amazing man in the world, being the mom to three brilliant boys, homeschooling, being a tutor for CC, participating in the OSC, Squadron Socials, making new friends, keeping up with old friends, playing BUNCO, and selling Uppercase Living!

November 2009

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Mark at bed time...

Last night at bed time...

Me (talking to Mark): "It is time for bed little guy."

Mark: "Me need to brush me teeth and ..."

Me: "You are right you need to brush your teeth."

Mark (jumping up and down): "No!" "No!"  "Mommy me need to brush me teeth and shave!!!"

Me: "Ok, Mark you can brush your teeth but I think you can hold off on shaving for a few more years."

Check out the smile!

Thank you Lynniece & family!

Our very cute South Korean baby!

Life in OK...in Sept

This past weekend was spent decorating the house and having company over for the first time. It was so much FUN, both the decorating and the guests! We have started to make connections here in Enid and it such a blessing to meet the people God has placed in our lives so far! The fall weather is also just ideal for enjoying the outdoors! So, we have been making the most of it by walks, runs, campfires, playing in the yard and just enjoying the peaceful view from our backyard! Thank you, LORD!

Joseph has now built the, as we like to call it, “Plastic Monstrosity” in the backyard. We are hoping the neighbors still like us... We know our kids do! They are having a ball climbing all over it.

Slowly but surely we are getting unpacked and settled in…hope some day soon I will be able to report that the last box has been gone through!!!

ABC's

Mark learning to write his ABC's

100% Sweet!

A boy & his dog!

Finger painting FUN!

Mark and Andrew did a little finger painting…very fun and messy…thankfully they were outside!

Campfire

This past weekend we had fun making a campfire in our backyard. As part of our eventual landscaping plans, including a fire pit is one of the must-haves. We are still unpacking and hope this “fun” will soon come to an end. In addition to having too much “stuff” we have found that each of our projects take up a bunch of space. So, we are going to have a shop built sometime this fall. That way Joseph will have space to work on his plane and I hope to someday get back on the potter’s wheel. Plus it brings the added benefit of getting all our cars out of the weather instead of in our driveway!

Justin Titus Fletcher

Justin Titus Fletcher

July 7, 2009

7 pounds 3 ounces

20 1/2 inches

Septic...YUK!

Life is never dull, I’ll have to say. We have not had a working septic system for going on four days now and it was acting up for three days prior to that. We are hoping the fun ends soon with a working septic system. I must say the people in Enid are very kind and helpful and because of their quick help we now know what the problem is but can’t seem to get a plumber on the weekend. So, Joseph is doing a little part time plumbing work. He has decided that he will continue in his current profession as a pilot and leave the plumbing to the professionals after this weekend. The low point for me today was when I told Joseph that I needed to use the bathroom and he asked why I did not go while we were out. I said I did not need to go then but I do now! My husband always remarks how we should be like pioneers, so I said I could just go out back like a pioneer and he said what about the neighbors plus pioneers would not go in their own backyard. So, after that fun exchange I headed to the closest gas station but there was a train and I was not going to make it. So, I pulled off on a dirt road, which was very muddy from all the rain, and stopped, got out, and started walking quickly. All the cars passing by I’m sure were wondering who the crazy lady was walking down a muddy road in her church clothes caring a purse in a BIG hurry! At this point I did not care what anyone thought…I just needed a tree. So, I found my tree and took care of business as the train rolled by and the horses grazed in the pasture in front of me. And so the adventure goes on…

We did try a different church this Sunday but think we will either keep looking or go back to the first church we tried. (This church did have very nice WORKING toilets!!! This was a huge blessing for us!!! And no one ran away even though we have not been able to shower in a while!!!) We are finding it hard to find a church home. We don’t want to hurt any ones feelings.

Joseph should be home from Lowe’s soon with what he needs to fix the septic system. I’m praying it works and we can flush again, do laundry, wash dishes and shower. It could be a BIG evening for us!

Andrew is enjoying having kids near his age in the neighborhood to play with. He knows our neighbors better than we do already. He is our little social butterfly. He also has added a box turtle and a horny toad to our growing family. Mark is as funny as ever – he just makes me laugh. He enjoys learning and is into the movie “Cars” currently. Justin is smiling and making more and more great noises. I just love holding him all the time. Joseph still loves his job! And I’m busy with the kids, homeschooling and getting involved with the ladies in the squadron & OSC.

Praise GOD!!!!
WE HAVE A WORKING SEPTIC SYSTEM!!!!
My man is fabulous, spectacular, amazing and brilliant! I have the dishwasher going, laundry started, and I have been flushing the toilets just because I can! It is the simple things in life…the JOY of working toilets! Next, SHOWERS and BATHS for everyone!

Oklahoma

Well, we have made the move from San Antonio to Oklahoma! It is marvelous to be out of the heat of San Antonio and be able to take pleasure in the outdoors again! We are still very busy unpacking but achieved a milestone this past weekend by getting two cars in the garage. We now have two dogs, Maggie and Franklin, and it is wonderful to have them both here with us. We had really missed them! The house is starting to feel more and more like home and that is such a blessing. Justin will be two months old in about a week. He is growing and changing daily and is a very snuggly baby. This makes it extremely hard for me to put him down because I just love holding him. So much for unpacking! Mark is just hilarious and far better than TV. This past weekend he told his dad that he could not eat his hotdog because it was covered in hair and would make him sick. When we asked Andrew how Mark got hair on his hotdog he informed us Mark had hit Franklin (our dog) with the hotdog! Franklin’s revenge! Mark and I are doing pre-school in the mornings and he loves it. Andrew is off to a fine start to the 4th grade. He is doing Classical Conversations one day a week and seems to be not only enjoying it but also getting a lot out of it. Joseph is enjoying his new job and I’m busy with home schooling. We tried the Enid Mennonite Brethren Church this past Sunday and it seemed to be a good fit for our family. Since there are around 100 churches here to pick from it is hard to know where to start looking and it could take years to try them all out. So, I think we will try this one for a while and see how it goes. I think we are going to love living life here and can’t wait to see what God has for us here!

Mark turns 3, a cave, and the beach...

Our past two weekends have been busy as normal for this family. Two weekends ago, on Saturday, we made the trip to the Dallas/Ft Worth area for Andrew to start the first of his two summer visits to Arkansas. It is so hard for us all to say goodbye to him. He so very much missed! It brings tears to my eyes every time. We have been told it would get easier but that does not seem to be the case for us. We keep finding it harder and harder and we miss him even more each time he goes away. He is such a blessing to our family! Mark has been looking for his big brother ever since he left. He goes into Andrew’s room and climbs into his bed and just lays there. Well, enough about that before I start crying, again.

Mark turned three the Friday before Andrew left and some dear friends had us over for dinner to share in some wonderful fellowship, to sing Mark “Happy Birthday,” and to eat some birthday cake. As has happened before with such singing, he was on the verge of tears! It did help that we sang very softly though! Mark loves music and singing, but ever since the “traumatic event” at Chili’s when they sang “Happy Birthday” to Joseph when Mark was almost two, he since would rather have nothing to do with that song! The kids had a great time together as did the adults! Thanks, Runkles, for a marvelous evening out!

Sunday was such a gorgeous day here that after church we just had to get out and do something enjoyable outside but with out getting a sunburn. So, we headed off to Natural Bridge Caverns which is just outside San Antonio on the northeast side. It was a pleasurable outing. Even though Mark has been in caves before, the first time being when he was two and we went to a cave in South Korea, while he was very interested in the cave this time he was not 100% sure about it. He just wanted Daddy to hold him so he could take in the whole thing from a safe location. Daddy’s arms got a good two-hour workout!

This past Memorial Day weekend we went on an out to Corpus Christi and the Padre Island National Seashore. Saturday we had perfect weather for the beach. It was partly cloudy, warm and there was a lovely breeze. We all had super time playing in the water, building sand castles and walking on the beach. For dinner we found a great little pizzeria and had one of the best pizza’s I’ve had in a long while. After dinner, we made our way back to the beach to camp out over night…RIGHT ON THE BEACH!!!! Does life get much better? Going to sleep with the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves…just wonderful…and waking up to the sunrise, WOW! We had a nice walk on the beach before it was time to find an IHOP. After breakfast, we went back to the beach for a short time (by noon I was done with the heat) then drove around Corpus Christi just to see what was there. We got home around dinner time and all had a great night’s sleep.

Memorial Day we recovered by staying close to home by going for a swim in the pool at the apartment complex and playing at the little playground. Very low key!!! We did try a new recipe that was yummy, Chinese Barbeque chicken. The Commissary always has new things for us to try that you just can’t find in the average grocery store. I have not spent anytime looking for the Asian markets around here, and since we are here such a short time, I’m not sure I have the energy to look too hard. So, the Commissary will just have to do!

National MPS Awarness Day

Today is National MPS Awarness Day!
This is a deadly disease that steals the life of children. If you would like to make a contribution financially please let me know and I will put you in contact with a family that has 2 MPS children their needs are great! Any amount would be appreciated!

San Antonio Zoo...

Well it has been another eventful weekend for us here in San Antonio. We moved into yet another place. Moving seems to be the story of our lives…Mark is not sure where he lives for sure anymore…poor little guy! Our new place has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, WOW! It is awfully nice to have so much space now…what a blessing! The move was a lot of work but Joseph and Andrew did a great job of carrying everything over and Mark and I put it away.

Saturday we went to the San Antonio Zoo and had a great time. The big hit of the zoo was the butterfly tent. We did also enjoy all the other wonderful animals at the zoo, at least until I had all I could take of the heat! After I was done with the heat at the zoo we all went on a little train ride that was just outside the zoo. Later, while talking with Grandma on the phone, Mark told her his favorite animal was the train.

We had a low key and relaxing Mother’s Day for the most part. We had to recover from the zoo! Joseph and the boys did all the cooking for the day…thank you! We went to church and then did a little shopping for the soon-to-be three year old. Andrew gave me the most beautiful wood bowl and Mark gave me the best smelling candle ever. The cards the boys gave me were precious. It was another great Mother’s Day!

The latest from the Fletchers

Joseph arrived home from South Korea on March 24th!!!!! We have all been enjoying being back together as a family! It is such a blessing to have Joseph home! I have been busy doing a Grad class in order to renew my teaching license – hence one reason why I have not been able to keep up with the blog. I am happy to report the class is done and now all I have to do is jump through some hoops to renew my license. I am also 32 weeks along now and go to my first OBGYN visit here in San Antonio tomorrow. I hope I like the doctor here as much as I liked the one I had in Indiana. Once Joseph arrived home, we have been busy visiting with family in both Indiana and Kansas, finding a house in Oklahoma, picking up one of our cars in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and moving to San Antonio for Joseph’s training. Besides being busy, we’ve had fun too. While we were in Kansas, we went to Science City in Kansas City. It was a fun and educational outing which we recommend if you are ever in the area. We did find a house in Oklahoma and will close on it by the end of this month. We are all looking forward to our life in Oklahoma. Right now we are living in a one-bedroom apartment here in San Antonio, which for those of you who saw our place in South Korea, is still almost twice its size. I am not sure what to do with all the extra space…not really…loving the extra space…what a blessing! But because we might have visitors, we’re moving into a two-bedroom apartment tomorrow!!!! WOW! Just think of all the space! When we’re in need of a little more room outside, we go to a nice little park for walks and bike rides with the kids. There is also a pool here at our apartment complex which is wonderful with the heat here. It feels much hotter here than in Alamogordo! Since arriving in San Antonio, we have seen our friends, the Runkles, and made a trip to the Johnson Space Center in Houston (and to see David, Jessica, and Erica). Last weekend we went to Sea World – it was a blast!!!! Mark, however, didn’t like getting splashed by Shamu! We plan to go to the San Antonio Zoo this coming weekend. I’ll provide another update after the outing.

Back from Korea...

We made it back safe and sound from Korea. It was a long trip…over 36 hours of traveling which included a two and half hour drive to Incheon International Airport, four flights (one to Hawaii, then LAX, then Dallas/FW, and finally Chicago O’Hare), lots of waiting in airports (will the fun never end?) and topped off by a three hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa’s home. It was LONG and VERY PAINFUL! I do not want to do this much travel with young kids by myself again any time soon!! It took a lot out of me. I got so much gray hair from this trip…I’m going to finally break down and color it! It took us all a good week to get over the jet lag which seems pretty good considering the 14 hour time change.

We enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving meal at Aunt Tiffany’s and Uncle Jeff’s home with their new baby. She is just the cutest little baby girl I have ever seen! It was good to finally get to meet her and hold her. After Thanksgiving Mark got a nasty cold and then ended up with an ear infection. So, he is on an antibiotic and seems to be doing much better. He did feel the need to share his cold with me, yuck! I’m still not over it and Andrew sounds like he is getting it also.

I have been for my first OB doctor’s visit. Everything went great…I really like the doctor I have now. He was able to find the baby’s heartbeat! I’m still smiling! I’m 12 weeks and my due date is June 28th. I had my first ultrasound this past Wednesday and got to see the baby who was very active…arms and legs going and body wiggling...very cute for an ultrasound picture of him or her. It is way too early to tell the sex yet…just have to wait until the next ultrasound around 20 weeks. So, sometime in February we might know?

Seoraksan National Park

November 10-11, 2008 – We headed off for a short but much needed getaway to Seoraksan National Park. It was a beautiful three and a half hour drive through South Korea. Once we arrived we check into the Mt. Seorak Tourist Hotel. It was a nice clean room at a great price with marvelous views. The fall leaves were still striking in all their colors even this late into the month. After getting settled in it was time to take the cable car ride up to the top of the mountain near by. Mark kept saying we were flying while on the cable car. Once we got to the top we hiked the rest of the way up to the summit of the mountain. It had been raining and we were hiking on rock so it was a very slippery hike. Some of the higher mountains were even a bit snow covered! It was quite a lovely sight. As is typical in Korea, there were some women hiking in heels! CRAZY, from my point of view!!!! The Korean women like to hike in style I guess? The next hike we did was the Two Waterfalls hike. The waterfalls were impressive and the hike was not only gorgeous but peaceful also. By then it was time to eat dinner and head back to our room to watch a movie and go to bed. The next morning after breakfast, we hiked the trail that starts behind the very large Unification Buddha near our hotel. It was another outstanding hike up to a prayer hall inside a cave called Gyejoam. The huge boulders all around had Chinese characters carved into them. By the time we got back, it was nearly 2 pm and time to start the long drive home. We stopped at a rest stop for a late lunch on the way out. Overall, Seoraksan was wonderful to get to spend time in God’s amazing creation together as a family.

Thanksgiving - November 8, 2008

Saturday, November 8th, the Somers family (Owen, Lynnience, Alexander and Zachary) and our family took a full Thanksgiving feast over to Moonja and Jong Gun’s home to teach some 20 of their students about Thanksgiving. It was an enjoyable and educational day! The three older boys did a short presentation on Thanksgiving for the Korean students which I recorded and you can watch on You Tube. The Korean students were all good sports about trying the very different foods. They were not sure what to do with the gravy since they do not have anything like it in their diet. Some tried to put it on the side to dip food in which did not work out so well! I’m sure the food was somewhat bland to them since most of their food is spicy. I don’t think any of the students came back for seconds but the Americans sure did! It was very delicious!

Who's the dummy directing traffic?

Two dummies and two U-Turns! (second dummy was driving and not available for a picture)