It Finally happened.....

I have to admit I have been waiting for this day.... I am constantly looking at my children and wondering "when will it happen?" I get anxious, I chew on my lip, I sometimes bite my nails, I am nervous everytime we go anywhere or do anything. Let's face it, these 2 kids have half of my genetic make-up. It was bound to happen sooner or later.... I am thankful that it was later....

Payton got her first set of stitches! At the age of 6 and she only had to get 3!

Now that we got the first set over and done with, I think I can breathe easier. She was scared, but she bravely laid there and joked with the doctor. After it was all said and done she declared that she couldn't go to school for the next week due to the stitches and purple eye. It isn't very fashionable... So we have been "dressing up" her stitches with rainbow heart band-aids and creative hairstyles. She is rockin it!

Waiting for some downtime...

In December I finally broke down and did it.... what is it, you ask. Well I signed up to sell Scentsy! So I have been really busy getting my business up and running.

I have tried several "Independent Sales" businesses before and never really had the success I was looking for. So when I found scentsy a few years back I thought I would "just" be a loyal customer. The product is amazing and over the years I have become addicted! It's safe, fun, and in the long run cheaper than candles. So I finally decided to sell the product, if only to support my habit!

If you already know about scentsy, I'm sure you love it, if not contact me and I will answer all of your questions!To all of my friends and family out there ..... I CAN SHIP DIRECTLY TO YOU! My website is http://www.sarahcherrey.scentsy.us


Now on to everything else that has been keeping us busy..... We recently went to Arizona for several things. While there Dominick decided to earn his "cool" badge. He was learning how to ride a mini motorcycle and challenged the curb to a duel..... I think the curb won!

Actually the story really isn't that cool.... my poor kids have inherited my clutsy gene and Dominick tripped over his own foot and fell into the corner of a door! Poor kid had a bloody nose, split lip, and a huge bruise inside for days!

We also had the chance to attend an iCarly pre-screening episode and meet the cast. It was a school day so I dropped the kids off at school, went grocery shopping, placed some blankets and chairs in line to save our spot, then picked the kids up from school. We were like 10th in line, it was amazing. So after keeping the kids occupied in line for 4 hours we made it inside! We sat 2 rows back and enjoyed our free popcorn!

The Cast was amazing, a few of them have family in the military and know what that life is like, so they wanted to do something special. The other members of the cast were so excited to experience the military life and see different bases. It was cool. So keep an eye out for us on Nicalodean (is that how it's spelled?).

Here's to a New Year

We are back in the swing of things from Christmas break, finally! I have to say I waited very impatiently for the kids to start school again. I love my children but man can they drive me CRAZY!
Some Highlights of 2011 for the Cherrey Family:

Jay always the goof, he can always put a smile on my face.... 9 years of putting up with me!

Dominick turned 8, got his hair cut, and was baptized!

Payton turned 6! Man is she a handfull.....

Many trips to the "Happiest place on Earth", but the best ones were when our friends were there too!

A trip to Idaho to see one of our favorite families! Gretchen and I in all our "mom glory"!

Trust me, there are so many pictures and fond memories.... but alas I still can not figure out how to get my pictures to download. I did manage to transfer the ones from my phone. Here's to the new year and getting it all figured out!

Jay's Resolution:
Loose his non-smoking weight (that's right he quit smoking!), finish his BSN, and take his wife on an amazing anniversary trip!

Sarah's Resolution:
Continue and maintain a healthy diet and routine, have more patience with my kids, keep up with journaling and blogging!

Domino's Resolution:
Be nicer to his sister, finish the HARRY POTTER book series, learn to play the violin, baseball

P-Goat's Resolution:
To ride her bike (no training wheels) with no fear, get better at tying her shoes, reading every night, and being nicer to her brother

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY 2012 TREAT YOU BETTER THAN 2011!

Charity, Love, and Family

Grab This!



My friend Gretchen and her husband are trying to adopt this precious little girl. Sometimes I think she is a little nuts, but hey aren't we all? She is already the mom or 3 very active boys ages 6, 4, and almost 2. She is also expecting a baby girl come February. Adoption has always been in their plans but it wasn't pressing, until they found Marissa. She looks like their children, she laughs like their children, she reaches out through the thousands of miles and through the computer screen and takes hold of your heart. She has been neglected, yet beams at you like the sun. I'm not good at posting links but you can find their adoption story on my blog friends, Ready and Waiting the Gillette Adoption story.

I'm asking for all of my friends and family to please put them in your prayers. I believe that God works in miraculous ways, I believe that this family is meant to unite with this precious little girl.
And if you are feeling generous you can donate to their adoption, every little bit helps! Lets bring this girl home!

I'm Back....... Again!

Well it has been far too long! I can't believe the last time I posted was February! I lost the cord to my camera and figured once I found it I could update and upload.......well it was never found. Then on a trip to Idaho this summer said camera with 6 months worth of pictures was lost. So I'll sum it all up

February: Dominicks birthday, the Death of my Best Friends mother from Cancer
March: Saint Patricks Day Disney trip with the Downs Family
April: School field trips, Spring break
May: Mothers Day, Dominicks Baptism
June: School field trips, Trip to Disneyland with Randi and her boys, Kindergarten Graduation, Fathers Day
July: Long visit to see the Gillette Family in Idaho, then to Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, back home for a week, then back to NM and AZ.
August: Swimming, heat, swimming, beach, more trips I'm sure, my Birthday, a blur of a month....
September: Trip to AZ for a car and B/F's birthday, Paytons birthday, our 9th anniversary, school starting, another trip to Disney, Airshow, etc......

Frankly the entire summer is a complete blur, we were gone for most of it. It seems like we have been on the go constantly. I do have some pictures from a new camera that I will upload soon. Here are a few from a family photo shoot my cousin did Labor Day weekend.
We miss all of our friends in different states and hope we can be better at keeping in touch!

Valentines Day

We don't usually do much for Valentines day around here. I have never really been that into it and my husband feels its a girls holiday! But I found these cute Valentine card ideas on a friends blog, just couldn't resist. 

For some reason P's picture wouldn't upload right, it kept turning it like this.

Anyway HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

The Big 8

I think I have always taken for granted, having been born and raised in the church. I have gotten sidetracked a few times along the way, but I know that I have a true testimony of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  With Dominick turning 8, I realized he wasn't ready for baptism. I know if I asked him to do it he would, but I don't think he would fully understand the covenant he was making. So he has started meeting with the missionaries and preparing himself for that next step.

I CAN NOT BELIEVE my son is 8! That is just crazy and insane to me!

We played a little trick on him, his sister got him a nice starter kit for a DS but he doesn't have a DS. Then he got to open the rest of his presents (I held ours back for last). When he opened ours it was an Empty DS box. (I know you are thinking we are the meanest parents EVER!). HE was a little upset but knew he could still play my old DS when allowed. As he took his presents up to his room he found his new DS sitting on his bed charging and ready to be played! He was SO excited!

 Books from Nana

Time sure does fly because that little boy is now 8. Soon he will be baptized (I hope), he starts boy scouts, he is playing baseball, loves to dance, and is a master lego builder. He LOVES HOMEWORK! His favorite food is spaghetti and he loves chocolate! He always has his nose in a book, sometimes 2, and currently has started the Harry Potter series. We LOVE YOU DOMINO!

Cheerleading and all things Payton

January has been a busy month for me. Payton has been the focus of most of my energy. We have really enjoyed our time together though!

Payton and I had a mother/daughter date night. We got mani/pedi's and went out for ice cream!

Payton started cheerleading for the Base YMCA, I am the team mom

You can't really tell but she lost 2 teeth! The adult teeth actually came in before the baby teeth came out. We were worried that she would have to have them pulled. The first one came out 12/23/10.

And with everything that has been going on, this is what most afternoons look like! She comes home from school, does her homework, then crashes on the couch! I have to wake her up after 30 min. or it would be impossible getting her to bed.

I just can't believe that my little girl has gotten so big. She is in school all day, has cheerleading 3 times a week, and is turning into such a mature person! We are trying really hard to enjoy these times with our kids, because they go by so fast!

Dirty 30!

Thats right he is the BIG 30

This man is my Best Friend!

He is also an AMAZING DAD!

Happy Birthday Jay!

Torrey Pines State Reserve Field Trip

I have really enjoyed having both of my children in school full time. I get lots of free time, plus I am able to help out with school functions more freely. Today I got to chaperon Dominick's class to the Torrey Pines State Reserve.

It was beautiful. I am excited to have found a new place to take my family to on our days off. It's a great place to hike and just take in the beauty that surrounds us.

The class learning all about the animal and plant life in the reserve. They also learned about the different layers of rock and earth that we would be seeing. Very educational, I learned a lot of new things today!

The Torrey Pine Tree, only found in Southern California and on an island 160 miles NW. It is different because of its "5 fingered" needle bunches.

The kids examining the needle bunches.

The "red butte" or as we learned today, the Linda Vista layer of rocks. They get the reddish color from all of the iron deposits (rust...)

One of the cliffs along the shore line. Such a breathtaking view. You can see the trails and hikers too, one of these days I would like to try all of the trails.

After lunch we got to enjoy the state beach. The kids were thrilled! They acted like they had never been to a beach before ( I have to say it's pretty cool to do that on school time).

The kids searching for "souvenir's", they weren't allowed to take anything from the reserve but the beach was a free for all. And those kids took advantage!

And class B8! A pretty amazing group!

Happy New Year, We are Back!

HAppy New Year to all of you! It has been a long time since we have posted, so one of my New Year resolutions is to post once a week. I know I am already a week behind! I have also decided I am not going to "catch up" we are starting fresh.

An overview of what 2010 was like for the Cherrey Family:

January: Moved to San Diego, celebrated Jay's birthday, made new friends and settled into a new ward.

February: Dominick turned 7 and we went to Disneyland

March: Had lots of visitors, got passes to Sea World, Jay officially graduated from Nursing school.

April: Spring Break times three, Legoland, Sea World, Legoland, Sea World, and Jay starts his "terminal leave"

May: More Sea World, More of Jay being home, more visitors

June: Jay still home, Dominick has a Hip-Hop competition and they place 3rd.

July: Payton spends 2 weeks away from home with my parents, we take Domino to Six Flags, spend 4th of July on the beach, and Jay officially retires from the Navy.

August: Jay still home, no job, my birthday, Sea World

September: Payton starts Kindergarten, Dominick starts 2nd grade, Payton turns 5, still no job, Noelle has her baby, Jen has her baby.

October: Sea World, Halloween festivities, still no job

November: Finally a job! A new house to go with new job, Jay's mom visits for Thanksgiving, more Sea World.

December: Settling into new home, Christmas with Family and Friends in AZ, Payton looses first tooth, and an additional job for Jay!

As you can tell we spent a lot of time with Family and friends, and a lot of time at Sea World! The passes were an amazing deal and became a blessing during those months when we had no money and no job. We really couldn't afford to do much but Sea World was free for us! This kids really enjoy the shows, rides, and all the different sea animals.

Now here are a few pictures of the new house, we are really LOVING the space and feel very blessed to have found this home.

Procrastination update

I know I have been procrastinating on posting, but I have some good reasons. We have had many visitors and lots of fun, Jay has been home and looking for work, and I can't upload my photos!

I can't find my camera cord anywhere! I have TONS of pics and videos, I actually had to buy another memory card because my other 2 are full!

We have had my parents come and visit. We have had my best friend and her family visit again. We had my best friend, her 3 kids, a mutual friend, and her 2 kids come for a visit. My sister came with them and stayed with me for 3 weeks.

It was really nice having her here. She played with the kids, cooked, and went on her first date! It gave her some time away from home and us some time to bond a little.

We finally heard some news on our storage (all of our belongings). It is set to be picked up from New Hampshire on the 6th of July. So hopefully we will be up to our eyeballs in boxes! I think I might be the only person excited to unload and unpack, but it has been over a year since we have seen any of that stuff!

Payton is spending the next 2 weeks with my parents. It the first time we have gone that long without one of our kids, but we are excited! She told us that it was only fair, because she sees us everyday and we need to share her with Nana and papa! Then she told us not to worry, she would call us everyday to make sure we were hanging in there and doing OK. She doesn't want us to miss her too terribly! That girl just cracks me up!

Dominick is enjoying his "only child" time, no sharing, no fighting, no whining, and one on one time with DAD! He is also enrolled in another hip hop class for the summer. He LOVES it and works really hard.

Jay took his RN boards and PASSED! So he is officially an RN. Now he is working on finding a job! It hasn't turned out as easy as he thought it would be. He has some potential jobs in the works though, so we are praying that one of them will come through! I can't wait until he goes back to work, I love my husband but he was not made for staying home! He constantly asks what we are doing for the day and then complains if we have no plans! Don't get me wrong he is a huge help around the house, but he gets board very easily and can't stay idle for very long.

I promise as soon as I find the camera cord I will post some pictures! Until then I hope everyone has a safe and happy summer!

A year goes by.....

It is coming up on one year since we have moved from Boston. So I began to reflect on what has transpired for the Cherrey Family this year.

~ 2 moves, equaling around 5,000 miles on the road.

~ 2 new schools for Dominick

~ Another separation from my husband, this one lasting 3 months

~ Downsizing in living quarters (AGAIN)

~ New places, new faces, new friendships

~ Survival on the bare necessities (yes our lives are still in storage)!

~ The end of Nursing school

~ The end of a Navy career

~ The beginning of "civilian" life

~ The beginning of "retirement"

I know there is a whole lot more! This is just a little of the basics. But the past year just seems a little hazy to me. It has been a whole whirlwind of activity, our lives seem to have been in a constant commotion but at the same time it seems like we were at a stand still. Holding our breath and waiting to see what would happen.

Now it's happening and it feels like everything has been put on fast-forward! We are being forced to make and do everything that we have talked about doing for years! My kids dream of actually having real beds and "real" toys to play with (you know, the ones that they really like and had to put away). They dream of having a home that is theirs, not someone else's that we will have to leave.

I dream of having my own dishes, having my food processor, baking dishes, cookbooks. I dream of a real couch and enough chairs in the house that we can actually have company over. I dream of pictures on the walls and actually feeling like I am coming "home" when we walk through the door.

We are still in waiting mode, but it's waiting in fast-forward. Life is coming at us full speed ahead and we are scrambling to meet it head on. I'm not sure how that collision will affect our family but we look forward to the challenge.

New school....

So it has been a little bit of an adjustment for Dominick at his new school. He is an amazing kid and he always try's to make the best of any situation. The kids always AMAZE me at how well they adjust and how quickly they make friends.

Domino's new class

Domino and Madison

P-Goat eating (when is she not?)

SMILE!

We miss our friends and family everywhere, but we are enjoying San Diego and all that this move has brought us.

Extended Spring Break part II

After my parents visit we had another visit. Our friends the Downs family came to spend the last part of their Spring break. Boy, were my kids spoiled and lucky, they had back to back visitors and then their Spring Break came along too!

So here are the kids anxiously awaiting Legoland to open!

Dominick and Mikey in the back, Sarah, Payton and Elizabeth in the front.

All of the kids IN Legoland, they were SOOOOO excited!

The Downs Family picture, there is a stowaway off to the side, she tried to go home with them too!

The kids took the parents for a drive!

And here is my namesake! Sarah squared!

Aunt Cassy and her Goddaughter Payton. I think I rode with Sarah or Elli more than my own kids, and it was all by choice!

Elli was having a blast, but she got a bit chilled! Yes, we dared to do the water rides!

Mom and Daughter, trust me it was super hard to get this picture!

The "MEN"

A picture of the picture, the favorite rollercoaster.

BFF'S FOREVER!

It was a long day, but well worth it!

We LOVE this family and are so glad we are within a days drive of eachother! Mike was my fill-in husband when Jay was in Iraq. If it weren't for this family I don't know where I would be! It is so wonderful to have them in our lives and that the kids are so close also!