Thanksgiving

Today I am thankful !!! Thankful for all the blessings in my life.......for how He has touched my life and lead me this past year. I have discovered so many new things and gained new understandings. I am thankful for my beautiful children, a supportive family and wonderful friends who help sustain me. I am thankful for my wonderful husband who continues to sacrifice his time for his country and am so very proud of him. I am thankful for my doggies who make me laugh almost as much as they make me angry ;) So very grateful for new friendships and keeping the old ones. I am thankful for living here with the freedoms we have and thankful for all those who have sacrificed in order to keep it free. I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you may go and be a blessing to others.

Sweet baby boy

Tonight I heard Miss G talking and fussing in her room after a nap....LM loves to go and open her door and turn on her light. So he did this evening.....and as I cleaned up he decided to go ahead and take care of her. Suddenly I didn't hear a thing--all was quiet--which is never good!!
So I round the corner and he has closed her door--uh oh! I then realize he is in there reading to her next to her bed. I walk in and he says "I am reading to Miss G Mommy". She was so happy and content I hadn't heard a peep out of her--what a sweet moment!
On a different note: LM had a few good nights in the big boy bed......then there was last night.
I hear "Help me" ....go in and see him and he has somehow gotten his head stuck under the bed between the bed and pillow I had on the floor in case of a fall...poor little guy got stuck. It was awful--hopefully he will get better at this big boy bed thing.

Big Boy Bed

I had been waiting for Christmas and our visitors to help with this transition but we went ahead and did it. I got a wild hair and decided to take the rail off the crib and put the toddler rails on it. LM was so excited as he watched this work in progress and pieces of the crib everywhere. We got it all ready with a new sheet and all for a nap. He was so excited he was jumping up and down and kept running to his bed and saying "nite nite Mommy". I was thrilled he was so excited......so here we were and naptime was over. Would he come get me? Would he play with his toys? No, he just laid there in his bed like he did when the rail was up. Now, I was really thrilled. What a good boy!! Then I went in and he said "I didn't fall out". No, he didn't ......and he didn't that night either, and he did great the following day and night and THEN, we had last night. Started great and when I went to check on him before I went to bed I went in to find him kneeling on the pillows I had placed there on the floor in case he fell out.....thought he was awake but no, he was in a prayer position with his head on the mattress and body on the pillow. We moved him back to the bed. At 3 am I am awakened to him moaning--"Help me.....help me"
I go in to find not only has he slithered out of bed onto the floor but moved a pillow about 4 feet from the bed and made a little bed on the floor. His Help me plea was for me to get him his blanket and bring it to the floor. WHAT? No way, so we moved him back to his bed and he stayed there until 7 am this morning. We'll see what tonight brings.
Another first we had this weekend was a first movie. I took him to his first movie on the big screen while Miss G stayed with some friends. He did GREAT!! Loved the movie and sat by himself in th eseat the whole time as we shared popcorn and even got a souvenir cup from the movie ( of which he poked his finger in the straw hole and got it caught and came to me with the cup and said "help please")
Miss G is saying "mammamamamam" but only when she is mad ....which is how LM started with his first sounds / words. Will they ever say Mama when they are happy?????

I need help....

So the LM has been absolutely hilarious. In the last twenty four hours he has managed to fall headfirst into his stool while trying to see himself poop...oh yeah, that happened. That was the first "I need help"...which ended in my run to the commissary to get a plunger b/c not only did he try and watch himself, while he sat in there with Elmo he proceeded to put gobs of tp down the toilet. Next, he looked in the viewmaster at Chicken Little--when he was tired of that he came to me and said "mommy I want to watch Chicken Little"....Well, buddy that isn't a dvd. LM: Mommy put it in the tv!! --Mommy put it in the TV!!!!--Luckily that request died when he began to run in circles and said "sometimes I like to run very fast and fall down". And no I didn'g give him a lot of sugar. The second "I need help" came after this:
LM: Mommy where is my stool
M: It's in the kitchen baby where we were making bread
LM: (runs off quickly to retrieve said stool) Okay
About a minute passes and I hear a faint "I need help" .....louder now....."I need help!!!"
I walk into his room to find him dangling , swinging if you will on his shelf where he had placed the stool under it in order to climb onto a box in his closet inorder to reach a box of trains that apparently I did not hide well enough and he saw just a hint of Thomas blue box. I tell you this boy is killing me.....but in a good way. He has had me laughing so much lately and after my rant about him not saying love you .....he came up to me yesterday and hugged my neck unprompted and said "I love you so much Mommy". Yeah, I melted right then and there......that little guy stole my heart a long time ago ;)

Daddy helped me up......

As I put LM to bed tonight after prayers he said :
Daddy helped me up....... I said when , baby? .......LM: when I fall down daddy help me up, he pick me up!
So sweet how he views daddy and the stuff he remembers about him. He sees him as a protector, his helper and someone who loves him unconditionally. So amazing that kids already pick up on that.
In other Sunday events.....as we drove to church on what was an already difficult morning with puking (miss G) , bathroom issues (LM) , and smoothie issues (mommy) ....we drove along at a cool 35 mph and the only bird in the sky --a seagull -- tattooed the van. Scared me to death, LM said "that bird pooed on the car". So for the rest of the day he said mommy sometimes birds poo on the car. It was hilarious, even though the car is filthy now it was still hilarious. At that point I was tempted to turn around and go home, was this a sign on an already difficult morning? No, I kept going and we made it to church and boy was I glad I did. I got a lot from themessage today and even shed a tear.....glad for all I have been blessed with and for the comfort of prayer and safety for daddy as these months go by. Going by quickly though as we are more than halfway through. I better get my rear in gear and get the rest of this baby weight off. We had a deal and I gotta get going.....almost there :)

Rolling.......

Miss G is rolling all over the place like a little roly poly. She keeps startling herself with it too and that is the best face --so cute. And she is now drinking from a sippy cup...holding it with her own hands and so pleased with this devilish grin on her face. She loves it but likes to reach for my glass of water even more and grunts when she doesn't get it..and on more than one occasion as we eat dinner (G in the bumbo next to us) she has grabbed the candlestand on the table even though I put it far away .....and thrown the candle across the dining room. She just has a smile that lights up a room with those two front teeth coming in. Man, she is cute!
And LM--he has been on a roll lately. He just loves to read to Mommy and Miss G and tells her who all the people are in our pictures so she can get to know everyone. It's so cute. He handed her the daddy picture the other day and said G, this is daddy! Yeah, the tears were flowing :)
Anyway, we are enjoying some beautiful days (along with a few bad ones too) up here in the NW but we were able to get out and play today with the dogs and cut grass! No other big news really!

I love you

As I put LM down tonight as I do every night we say prayers, with Mommy and our Daddy frame that talks. And we hug and kiss night night. I say sleep tight, sweet dreams, I love you , etc. I must say at least those three things or he won't let me leave the room. He used to say I love you back. This is what tonight sounded like:
M: Night night, sweet dreams, sleep tight, love you LM
LM: sweet dreams, sleept tight
M: love you LM
LM: sweet dreams
M: ( a little more emphatically) LOVE YOU LM
LM: I heared you mommy ( and yes I did say heared b/c that is how he says it)
My day has passed....already?? Really? I thought it wouldn't be until he was at least 18--that's okay I am going to make a momma's boy out of this one yet ;) But really it's sad that he doesn't even say it anymore. It's forced now --how do boy sknow this stuff already?? I bet Miss G will start saying it and never stop. Boys just know they aren't supposed to be too mushy.

I am outing myself again....

I figured while I was on a roll I may as well out myself on this topic too. I am growing fond of WA.....okay my Spain friends I know you can't possibly understand. I have finally come to terms with this place and we have an understanding. That first year really was the worst I have seen and the last few years haven't been nearly as bad. I didn't believe the locals when they said it was the worst they had seen in years. Now I do believe them. God and my husband I am sure were sick of me complaining. God has put me in a place where I can finally accept and appreciate my surroundings. I am not sure if that is it or it was so bad my standard of good has lowered ;) I used to think our sister squadron members were crazy when they didn't want to leave here and now I get that you have to stay longer than 2 years to get it. Am I dying to come back here? Not a chance, but I have learned to make the best of it and learned a lot about myself in the process. It certainly helps that we have had massive amounts of sunshine for this late in the year too. And I also think this place is very endearing to me b/c my beautiful babies were born here so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Am I ready for a change? As Sarah would say "you betcha".

I finally have to admit it.....

What I am about to say may cost me my marriage, it is the travesty of all travesties, the most unthinkable of unthinkables, and in my family I may as well just go ahead and write myself off.
I'll start with dear AU friends please know that I love the loveliest village on the plains. It's the most beautiful place I have seen on a fall day with that orange and blue sky. I am an Auburn fan and I love the school. I love the football even when they aren't doing well. I stand behind my team even when times are tough and am proud to support them......but what you may not know about me is ..................I love Alabama football too. Okay, for those of you who are still reading this and haven't fainted or decided to write me off (including my husband) I have always loved AL football. As a little girl I grew up rooting for the Tide. I have fond memories of sitting in my paw paw's living room decked out in AL stuff from wall to wall and watching the game on Saturdays or watching with my Dad and I never remember my family saying bad things about Auburn. We just weren't that family that was always dogging the other team...don't get me wrong there is and always will be arivalry but it wasn't that deep down disdain. Now, for those of you dear AU fans and friends I know it's killing you as you shake your head and say how is this possible? You JUST CAN'T like both --you can't LOVE both. Well, you can and I do.......when they play each other what do I do? I cheer them both on and hope they both have a great game with no injuries. As an AU student I loved seeing them win and Toomer's being littered with tp all over.
I have been stifling my true passion for AL football all these years to keep the peace in my house. ANd one thing you may not know about my dear die hard husband is he too was once an AL fan ( when he was young and silly according to him) Either way I will wear my Auburn shirts proudly as an alumni. I will share with my son the passion for both , after all they are both from the state of AL and at this point we are rooting for anyone from the state we have been gone so long. When you are all the way up in WA you start to root for any team from AL!!! I want him to decide on his own who he likes without bad mouthing the other team....but today we were AL fans rooting for a win over LSU. With our red and white shakers we sat and watched and waited and cheered. And there it was......the arms raised for a TD.....everyone went wild and I was so glad to see Saban beat Les Myles. And my little man said......"yeah, Roll Tide mommy.....Auburn won" Dear boy--so sweet :) Yes, they did win today too :)
All of this said at the risk of losing dear friends and possibly my husband.....but I knew today that deep down I still have that love for AL too because of how I felt when they won. I was so excited I couldn't breathe, I jumped up and down and twirled my boy around and nearly came to tears. They may lose next week to FL but I will still be rooting them on just like I do Auburn too each week. Now that I have outed myself I hope some of you still talk to me.

At the request....

of my dear husband I will stop talking politics and "start posting more pictures of the kids" :)
Here are the latest of our little bubbies.

I am over it....

.....maybe. Still quite disappointed but I am definitely hopeful that through prayer and unity we as Americans can make a difference and shout out to what we think is wrong. And hopefully our president -elect will hear us. I still and will continue to pray for him and our leaders as they make decisions that affect us. I do now realize that no matter who the dem candidate was they would have won. People were ready for a change and I understand that , much in the way people were ready for a change when Clinton left the oval office. After 8 years of questionable moral character people were ready for a change. Do I still believe in Bush and all he has done....mostly yes. I am still a firm believer in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and taking it to them there rather than waiting on it to come here. I think we should see it through and if we don't we will have to deal with those consequences. I think history will tell what Bush set in motion and the things he did do that were positive. But for now we all wait to see what the next move will be...the ball is in his court. As for the media and its liberal bias I don't want to hear one word of negativity about Barack --he was your golden boy and no matter what he does they better stand behind him b/c the first negative thing I hear I may kick my tv in. ;)

waiting.....

I have been waiting for this to all be over before I blogged about it. I don't know where to begin. What a tenacious man John McCain is and I don't care what people think I love Sarah Palin. Thrust into the spotlight she never strayed from her conservative views, many of the same views I share no matter how un PC it was.
I can remember when Clinton was elected...I remember the fear of the unknown and in comparison I think his years will look like glory days compared to what we will experience soon. As a parent I share that same fear. My morals and the morals this country was founded on are now in jeopardy. The next four years will take the next twenty to fix. I would like to say I have faith in the people of this country but most of that has been shattered today. Where did people not see that a man who has the same associations as our president elect couldn't even qualify to be an FBI agent but is capable to run this country. So now , I pray---for our country , for our safety, for our morals and values not to decline even further. Maybe it's because I am a military wife and as much as I hate it the fight has to be fought away from our home. I fear for my children, for my husband. It won't be long until we are facing another 9/11 type situation at home and what will this man do......let's hope he will stand and fight for this country that he so adamantly says he loves. Radicals, terrorists , and our enemies around the world are rejoicing because they know where this guy stands....mark my words the fear will be back just like we felt on 9/11 and then the same people will want a president who will take a stand. I only pray that he will--I pray for wisdom and guidance for our country and its leaders. Many may be offended by what I put on here today and in all honesty I don't care. I have held my own tongue far too long so as not to be offensive in this liberal state I live in....no longer. I see a hard road ahead for my children as they go to school and are told they can't talk about their faith or their beliefs but any other person with any other religion is granted special privileges so as not to offend them. All of this said, I may have lost a lot of faith in the American people tonight but I still have my faith in God. He has put all of this in motion for a reason....He is the provider and He will give us strength and guidance. I just pray for our military men and women out there because an even bigger target was just put on them to be the test...I pray for their families as well. I may just be a housewife but I will fight for what is right and what I believe in and to be able to express that. So today I put my faith in our creator that He has a plan for all of this and I seek peace in that.

Pupcakes

LM and I made some "pupcakes" with green frosting this weekend. I thought it was adorable that he kept calling them pupcakes....and for lunch we made "piece of dillas" or quesadillas. He has been so hilarious lately. He just lights up my day with that smile. And Miss G too! She is so precious, such a happy girl...except when she is hungry. Watch out when she wants food.
I have been thinking a lot lately on this first week of November. Can you believe that it's Nov. already? This time last year I was battling morning sickness and chasing LM around and just returning from a trip to AL. I can't believe it's also been six months since daddy left. I can remember when we first got the news that we were going to have to deal with this IA. It was so devastating to get that news that he would be gone for a year. It didn't help that I was hormonal and pregnant. I just remember the anger and disbelief of it all. I look back now and realize it's just a range of emotions I had to go through and realize it's pretty normal looking at other IA wives. I went through the sadness and loneliness ( and still there ) and now am in survival mode. This experience was/is such a learning experience. I am learning so much about myself. There are days when I want to curl up in a ball and cry b/c I would love some help and I feel so lonely even though I am surrounded by great friends. But there are many more days where I feel like I am thriving, learning and surviving. It's small potatoes compared to what some people go through but at the time I thought how will I do this. The family rallied around and helped when Miss G came and that was such a blessing and I don't think I could have made it through those first few months without all the help. It's been so great to learn just how tough I am, how much I can do that I never thought I could. I really did think I was going to run for the hills or at least AL screaming. And here I am halfway through this year and still in one piece, looking back and thinking it hasn't been as hard as I thought......do I ever want to do it again? NO, not on your life but as a military wife you can bet your bottom I will have to do it at least several more times. But now I know I can and it's not so overwhelming...well, maybe it is but I have learned that I am tougher than I thought, coffee is Great except when you try to get off of it, sleep isn't necessary to function (to function rationally maybe)..... I'm pretty sure all the praying has helped too :)