Sounds Like Life To Me

Hubby is HOME!!

2010-01-29T21:32:00.001-06:00

So hubby made it home on Jan 17th!! We all went up to the airport to meet him. Rory was so excited to see him (as was I!!) Lily was trying to figure out who he was LOL! Right now he has been on his leave. He has one more week left then goes back to work.

With him being back, we have been doing some things around the house. Had to re-insulate under our bedroom floor. It is so much warmer in there!! We both wore our military uniforms...I am no longer in so glad to see they still have a use!! He wore the ones he had in Kuwait with him and it was funny b/c the 6 months he was in the desert, they were always so clean...after 6 days being home...He got them completely and utterly filthy!!

Almost had to replace our garbage disposal but was able to figure it out and fix it...Waiting for our taxes to get done. The things are so confusing this year. But we are looking at getting anywhere between 7500 and 8500 back. So continuing on with paying down our debt and buying a new (to us) van. We found the one we want...Now just waiting to see if we can afford it. Still owe 7500 on my car (paying it off with our taxes) and using his newly paid off car as a trade in and hopefully only have to pay about 2500 out of pocket for the van. Hoping to talk down the price a lil bit...about 500. I sit and drool when looking at it online. LOL

Other than that, not much really going on. Kids are growing and one seems to always be crying. It is nice having someone here that I can just turn to and say...Your turn!! Well that is all for now. Hoping I can keep up with my blogging so I dont have so much to do at once...Will have to look at that mobile posting stuff.

He Is Finally Coming Home!!

2010-01-13T19:45:00.000-06:00

FINALLY! He has a fly out date for leaving Kuwait!! And it is a two day window of when he actually gets here. I am so excited. We are still trying to decide on what to do when he gets here...how to spend his time off and what not. He still wants to go to Washington for two weeks and I still dont want him to. So going rounds on this one LOL. We will have to see if we even have the money first...

Did an estimate of our taxes and it looks like we will be able to finish paying off my car and have some left over for savings and our stockpile. I cant wait to get everything paid off and start our Fully Funded Emergency Fund!! I figure we will need about $7,000 for about 4 months of expenses...Seems crazy when you see it like that doesn't it??

Rory was sick over the weekend...Woke up and spent all morning throwing up. Poor baby couldn't eat or drink anything...had no wet diapers so we went to the ER...and of course after sitting there she was feeling so much better....LOL! Just like when a girl takes her car to the mechanic...I swear that child makes a liar out of me everytime. So they gave her some Zofram and sent her home. She was feeling so much better the next day and it was a lil warmer so we went out to play in the snow. I let her stay out til she was frozen...this time there was no fighting when it was time to go in...

Today we went to Walmart and Lily got her first chance of sitting in the cart instead of her carseat...She loved it!!

She kept kicking her feet and looking around. Well I am off to start on Ryans welcome home sign...Much excitement!!

Rory's Snow Day

2010-01-07T22:21:00.001-06:00

So about 4-5 inches of snow last night made for a fun outing for Rory!! We couldn't stay out to long because of how cold it was but she LOVED it!! When it was time to go in, she screamed and cried...I was ready to cry from the cold and here she wanted to stay outside!! Ah the joys of being a stubborn child...LOL! As soon as we went outside, she made a beeline for the swing set...Covered in snow but she still wanted to slide and swing...Here are some pics

Gettin all bundled up

She kept falling down and crawling thru the snow...

Beeline for the swingset

She looks so cold!

Such a crazy child!!

I have a video of this...but it is sideways

She even got to swing...Mommy had to dump the snow out of it first...

Drinking hot cocoa afterwards

All sorts of tuckered out... :)

So was able to talk to ryan, his relief has arrived and is in training!! So he *should* be home soon!! So excited!! I miss him!! Okay off to bed...

*I WILL BE ASLEEP B4 MIDNIGHT! I WILL BE ASLEEP B4 MIDNIGHT! I WILL BE ASLEEP B4 MIDNIGHT!*

I am learning!!

2010-01-06T23:41:00.000-06:00

Yay I am finally learning how to customize my blog!! Yay!! Okay need to finish Mercy...it is so sad...but happy too....Aww I hope they get back together and have a baby!! Seriously, finish the show, then go watch the snow...Then bed!! Oh wow, next week looks freakin awesome!! WooHoo!! Night all!!

Ahhhh just beautiful!!

Oh PS...what the hell is with the music industry today?? Where do they come up with these costumes?? They look like they are from the 80's!!

Snow and Snowball payments!

2010-01-06T22:33:00.000-06:00

I am super excited!! There is finally SNOW coming down! Real snow...not that flaky crap...I am so happy that Rory might actually get to play in snow this year! Last year she was only about 9-10 mos old and I took her out when we had a good 7-8 inches. She really enjoyed it!!

This year she is old enough to actually play in it and there hasnt been ANYTHING but a dusting on the ground for maybe 2 hours...BOOO! But now we have at least 2-3 inches and its still coming down!!

So tomorrow should be fun!!

On another note...My hubby and I are trying to become debt free. We are following the Dave Ramsey plan and have so far paid off $10K in credit card debt, Ryans car ($7K) and are currently paying off my car (just under $9K left on it!!) So with him hopefully coming home soon, we will be changing up our routines and going to cash only...All our bills are paid online but things like groceries, household items, baby stuff, entertainment and our blow money will be gas. We will keep a debit card for gas so we can do pay at the pump...So I took some time between kiddos I made some envelopes like the DR plan sells...His are not so pretty so a fellow DR fan posted a template and instructions to make your own!! They were so easy to make and look so cute; plus I can switch them out depending on my mood!

So now with that done I need to start packing so we can move back to our house...We need to fix up the water damage from the pipes bursting. Hopefully we will be back home within a couple of weeks. The check came thru from the insurance company so woohoo!! It will help with the updates to the house as we are doing the repairs ourselves so we wont have to pay for labor...Recently had the living room/family room area redone...

Old look

New Look (Its from a cell phone...you can just barely see the trim and walls...Trim is being redone as there is an opening between the old trim and new floor due to the shag carpet)

So it will be a busy year for us but hopefully an exciting one!! The kids are growing more everyday. Rory talks more and more in sentences and Lily is climbing all over everything. I cant believe how fast they have grown...

Rory has grown so fast...Some days it seems like yesterday she was born....

Now she is potty training and being a great big sis!!

My lil Christmas angel...

Lily is giving mommy a heart attack with all her growing and climbing...She climbs on anything and everything...(dont mind the mess!! LOL)

Apparently she wants to potty train too!! Woohoo!! No more diapers! I wish!

But I suppose that is all...It had been awhile since I updated so not all my posts are normally this long...Thanks for reading!!

The True Meaning of Christmas

2009-12-20T01:19:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I experienced the true meaning of Christmas. A lady from my birthboard made a simple mistake, due to hecticness or mommy brain....She is the wife of a military man, a hard job in itself, mom of three amazing children; two of which are special needs. Money is tight in their families just like most families. But she decided that for Christmas they were going to try to get a decent picture done and mail it to family across the country (remember, she is a military wife, most likely not going home for the holidays). While packing kids and packages into the car, she somehow lost her precious pictures. These weren't just any pictures. 2 of her children have an eye disorder that is causing her angels to go blind and their eyes do not track at the same time. Well, they were able to get a really good shot of all the children. Unfortunately no one found (or turned in) the pictures, Sears wouldn't reprint them for her so it seemed like she had just lost her money. A group of ladies on said birthboard created a group and within 24 hours had gotten this amazing women a professional photographer who is donating a full day session to redo the pictures and we raised $1,118.00! This is enough to cover 3 plane tickets for a convention for people with the same disorder as her children. Due to money they have never been able to go. This completely made the spirit of Christmas flame again in me.

I am thinking that later today I may dress the kiddos up and head to church. I haven't been to church since tech school over 6 years ago. I feel as though I am missing something in my life and I am hoping that this will fill the void.

Some good news from the battle fronts...My hubby should be coming home sooner than expected!! I am so excited by this!! I hired a friends brother in law to rip up the carpet in our living room/playroom and refinish the floors. And he is going to finish all the painting in the two rooms!! That combined with the pipes bursting will make a great "remodel" gift for his return. I can't wait for him to come home. Every night I go to bed thinking he will appear in the morning...Every morning I wake up and reality washes over me.

Ryan missed yet another first in Rory's young life...Yesterday was her first time actually playing in the snow. She got bundled up just like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" and had so much fun running around flinging snow and brushing snow off anything she could. We have barely half an inch but she didn't care. She had fun just the same. Lily is getting tooth number 6...and she is crawling everywhere!! She has even mastered crawling OVER things, like the high chair, jumparoo, table runners etc...They are both fascinated with the Christmas tree...Rory loves the ornaments and Lily loves unwrapping the presents underneath...I don't even want to know how many presents I have re-wrapped/re-taped. And Rory taking all the ornaments off...Sheesh!!

Well, I am watching a Monk Marathon when I should be sleeping...I dont want bags under my eyes for church tomorrow...Night all!

Fun Day...Kinda

2009-12-17T22:31:00.000-06:00

Last night was a nightmare! My youngest, Lily, did NOT want to go to sleep...We fought for 3 hours....she was fed, clean diaper, had teething tablets and Tylenol (she is getting teeth 5&6 right now) and we even took a bath with that oh so special night time lavender soap stuff...yeah right...I was at my wits end...She screamed and cried so much that she woke up Rory who apparently had had just enough sleep to be hyper at 0200!! All she wanted was for me to stand up and hold her...she didn't want me to sit down or lay down...I had to stand....So she is screaming and crying, I am screaming and crying and I just felt like such a failure...I was convinced she hated me...

But she finally went to sleep and I got Rory back to sleep. We get up (after ignoring 2 different people knocking on our door this morning...sorry Ed McMann!!) and who is a bright eyed bushy tailed baby...Yep...My precious Lily. She didn't nap at all until like 2 in the afternoon...and even then it was only for about 45 minutes...So my sister gets home and we go to the park for a bit. It was an unusually mild day so I figured we would let the kids run out some energy. Rory loves the slides and boy was she mad when it was time to go. But what kid isn't mad when they have to leave the park?? :)

During the day I was able to talk to an old acquaintance from school. She is in the reserves (army) and just got married to active duty air force...who was deployed a week after the wedding. So I try to help her out as much as possible with dealing with the loneliness and the famous red tape to do anything in the military.

Rory got her nails done...She is such a diva...sitting so patiently while I clipped and painted them...she even wanted her toes done!! Girl ain't even two yet...Uh Oh...Daddy (and Papa), you better get your guns ready!! I just can't get over how fast they are growing. Lily is crawling around the house (more like dragging herself like that old dog on "family guy") and she keeps getting into the Christmas presents...Rory is so independent...We are trying to begin potty training...She loves her potty except when it is time to go. I want to get her an Elmo potty...Maybe Santa will get her one for Christmas!! Well, my lil angels are sound asleep now, so I guess I will go get a few winks in myself!!

Babies Don't Keep

2009-12-15T22:26:00.000-06:00

Sunday was my niece's holiday pageant at preschool. It was so strange to be there and listening to our mom talk about how 20 years ago she was doing the same thing with us. In May we had my nephew's kindergarten graduation...It seems like time is flying by. Why are people always rushing to get here and there? I wish we could all slow down and enjoy life...

I woke up this morning tired and cranky. I had stayed up late the night before talking with my hubby on the webcam. By the time I got to bed, my youngest was ready to nurse, the oldest wanted to sing her ABCs to me and tell me a story. So waking up this morning was not pleasant. I always feel guilty that I am not up before my kids and that I am cranky in the morning but at the same time, I NEED those conversations with my hubby...

Our marriage has never been real stable, we got pregnant the day we got married and six months later got preggy again. I wouldn't trade my kids for anything but we are working hard at making our marriage work. I try to do the best I can with our situation that we have right now. And when I don't even notice that my oldest is able to use real words to communicate or she can identify objects...that makes me sad...

Today was a pretty good day though. Rory was really helpful around the house, picking up toys and restocking the diaper drawer. She colored me a couple of pictures and ate all her lunch (big deal for us...she has been on a hunger strike or something lately). Lily was fussy for a bit, but I discovered yet another two teeth coming in...So she was staying on the boob most the day...Fun! I love them both so much and I hate when I get snappy with them...

On another note...The water damage at our house is being covered by insurance thank goodness! They are replacing all the carpeting and a few walls. Plus repainting the entire bathroom and bedroom for us!! Yippee!! So good news on that front. Just have to call the insurance company and find out how to get a contractor...Well I suppose I will go to bed now...Maybe I wont be so cranky in the morning...*fingers crossed for sunshine tomorrow!!*

My Family

2009-12-13T01:05:00.005-06:00

Some pics of my family

Rory

Lily

Ryan and I

I don't know what I would do without them. Sometimes it hurts just from loving them so much! I can't wait for him to be home and make our family whole again. Listening to Rory ask where her Daddy is just brings tears to my eyes. I am sad that Lily doesn't even know who Daddy is really. He deployed when she was under 3 mos old. I miss cuddling with him at night...Sometimes I resent him for not being here with us. Then I feel guilty for feeling like that...He is serving our country; something I felt I could no longer do while trying to raise these two beautiful miracles. In the end, I am sad more than anything else. Sad that he is missing so much of their lives; Sad that he hasn't seen Lily get her first teeth or learn how to crawl. Sad that Rory is missing her Daddy. There are days I feel so inadequate at handling the two of them, then feel ashamed about being mad that he isn't here...There are so many families out there who would love to be able to say their husband/brother/father/son/wife/sister/mother/daughter is deployed but sadly they are no longer with us. I love you honey!! We are anxiously awaiting your return!!

A Lil Intro To My Life

2009-12-13T00:44:00.004-06:00

So just getting back into the whole blogging thing. A quick run down on my family...I spent almost 6 years as an Active Duty Security Forces member in the US Air Force. I have been married to a wonderful man since May 2007 who is also an AD SF Member. He is currently deployed to Kuwait. I am living with my sister in Missouri while he is gone to have a lil help with our two daughters...Rory, age 22 mos and Lily, age 7 mos.

My kids are my life...They drive me nuts but I couldnt imagine life without them. As crazy as they make me...They make me laugh even more...Without them, I couldnt get thru the day. Each day is a new adventure for them and me. Well it is late/early so i should be off to bed...