The Steele Family

Colten Turns 3!

2012-01-27T22:57:00.001-06:00

Today, I am posting a quick picture of the new 3 year old in our family!!! It doesn't really seem that long ago that I was in a warm hospital, snuggling my brand new baby while it iced the heck out of Northwest Arkansas! Poor big brother was stuck in the "cold house" when the power went out and Bobo and Yaya got to keep him warm and occupied! Yep, Colten's appearance is something we will never forget for several reasons!

Colten is a fearless, smart, caring, loving, active boy. Even at a young age he had places to go and people to see! He pulled up and started cruising before 6 months and walked at 8. This made for many bumps and bruises, but that's where fearlessness came in! He may not be as big as his older brother, but he will sure try to keep up with him!

For every ounce of energy, he has twice as much love. I have never seen a 19 month old be as careful with a baby as Colten was when Aiden was born. From the very beginning, he made sure to live up to being that new baby's big brother! He loves on Aiden and is his protector. He guides Aiden when he feels his little brother needs it. Sure, he is showing Aiden how to rumble, but he will make sure that only he and Austin can tackle him!!!

That love doesn't stop with Aiden. While he has gotten a little more leery of strangers than he used to be (thanks goodness!) he will still talk to people when I say it's ok and warms up to people very easily. He is still a Mama's boy, but he's happy to have his Daddy back to love on as well!

The last year, Colten has grown do much with his speech. He has worked really hard on it and while he may not be ip to age appropriate just yet, I am sure he will be soon! He definitely understands more than what he can verbalize right now! It's amazing what you can tell him to do and he'll go and do it.

Colten's 2s may have been a little easier than Austin's, but I think we will see a lot more testing come through in the next year. We have already gotten a taste of it for the past month and if that's any indication, we are in for a challenging year! It will also be fun and surely full of laughter just as the last year has been!

Happy Birthday, Colten! Daddy and Mommy and your brothers love you very much!!!

Picking Back Up

2012-01-26T16:52:00.001-06:00

So, our fun and exhausting trip had me skipping some days (a week!!!) on my blogging, but I'm back and now ready to start back up again. I'll catch up on Disney pictures when I get done going through them.

For today, I am posting a picture of our weims, Abby and Koa. Abby is the one looking at me and the one begging for food from Aiden (who is out of the picture and throwing food) is Koa.

Abby was once our only baby. Now she's 4th in line! She's going to be 10 in August. Can't believe that! She has issues with weight gain, but looks really good right now!

Koa is our over-priced dog from Hawaii. His name means "warrior or soldier" and he'll be 4 in May. He's definitely not the brightest dog, but he loves us...sometimes a little too much!

They don't get much attention on here, but we do love them. Very much!

Sneak Peek at Sea World

2012-01-16T22:11:00.000-06:00

The first thing we did when getting to Sea World was get in line to feed the dolphins. It was an awesome experience and was something I am so glad I got on "film." I hope the kids look back on this and think it was really cool even when they are teenagers!

The shows were fantastic and I have a ton of pictures from those as well as other things we did! It was a GREAT day with great weather and some pretty great kids who were just great! :-) See a theme here?

Tomorrow, we go to Animal Kingdom. I know it will be equally great!

One from Hollywood studios

2012-01-15T22:00:00.000-06:00

Just a peak of Day One at Disney World!

We Are Here!

2012-01-14T21:58:00.001-06:00

The boys have been WIRED. Seriously, it has been almost unbearable, but I think tomorrow will be better.

We got to the resort right around 4pm, got checked in and went to our room. Walk in and get hit in the face with a stale, stagnant smell that was not good. Brian and I discussed it and both of us were getting headaches, so we called to the front desk and got moved to a different building. MUCH better!

The move set us back on dinnertime, but we got the kids fed, got a few breakfast items for a couple of mornings and headed back to our room. The boys climbed into our HUGE whirlpool tub and "swam" for a while. Then it was time for a surprise from Daddy and Mommy! New Disney pajamas. An unnoticed clue to what tomorrow holds. ;-)

It took a while to get them settled and to sleep, but after rearranging a kid and allowing for separate sleeping room (at least until they fell asleep), they were finally down for the count.

Tomorrow we gave an "owners breakfast" and then we are off to our first park - Disney's Hollywood Studios. We are Westgate timeshare owners, so that's why we are going to the breakfast...plus, it's free! :-D Can't beat that!

Hot Tub Fun

2012-01-13T23:41:00.000-06:00

On the way to Florida, we stopped in Georgia to visit a good friend who is a military friend from Hawaii. Unfortunately, her husband is away while we are here, but we still had some fun with the kids making s'mores and then talked and laughed and had some wine in the hot tub.

It was almost like our "wine table" in Hawaii, but we were missing some people!

Heather, we had a blast and are so thankful for your friendship and hospitality! Jerry, wish you were here!

Packed and Ready!

2012-01-12T22:46:00.000-06:00

The boys bag...all ready to go!

They have no clue where we are going and we haven't given any indicators as to our destination. Although, it has been HARD to not let it slip. I've had some close calls, but have been able to fix what I was saying just in time. :-)

Our first day at the park will be Sunday...I'm hoping I can post pictures at least from my phone to keep up the photo every day. We'll see. I have to look for another app since the one I have stopped working.

The Boys

2012-01-11T23:10:00.000-06:00

I think Brian has been thinking about these kinds of nights for a year. Laying on the couch with his boys and some pizza and a movie playing. Well, 2 of his 3 boys. Aiden is still too messy to eat on the couch, even with the towels I put down.

Aiden got to sit in his chair and watch the movie. The boys all ate really well though...especially Austin who had FIVE pieces of pizza. Sure, not the healthiest, but sometimes it's fun to have a pizza and movie night. Even more fun when it's on a school night. :-) Homework went fast and Kung Fu Panda 2 had just come on, so it was perfect.

The boys still got to bed on time and it was a fun night for everyone! Yep, I think Brian is glad to be back with his boys and looks forward to many more nights like this! And Mom is happy to see it all as well. REALLY HAPPY!

Homework Time

2012-01-10T23:38:00.000-06:00

Tonight we went over to Aunt Paula's house to bring her dinner and hang with the cousins. We left for her house as soon as Austin came home, so he had to do his homework there after dinner. Do you know how much better it is to have someone else be available for homework time? Brian's been helping him the majority of the time for homework while I deal with the Littles and get dinner started. Tonight was no different other than the fact that dinner was already done. :-)

Sidenote: It looks like we still have Austin on a sippy cup, but that's Colten's for the car. ;-) Austin was using the Gatorade bottle. Didn't want anyone to wonder if he had ever learned to use a real cup! LOL

That Kind of Day

2012-01-09T22:36:00.003-06:00

Brian watching the Championship Game tonight. Yeah, this about sums up the excitement in the Steele House today. :-)

Today was just the kind of day where not a lot got done and it may not have been exciting, but it was good. We did our workout, played with the kids, had a good dinner, Austin got to go to Cub Scouts and then we put the boys to bed so Brian could watch the game and I could surf the internet looking at all sorts of stuff. :-)

The next few nights will be busy while we get ready for our trip south and figure out our plans for our vacation! Can't wait!

Cheesy Eater

2012-01-08T20:38:00.000-06:00

Tonight, Aiden was so funny while he ate his soup. He was reaching and reaching for his food while Brian took a bite of HIS soup and then sat there with his mouth open wide like a little bird waiting for Brian to give him a bite.

After each bite, he would smack his lips and make all these "mmmm" noises. Then, the process would start all over again! He was really enjoying his dinner tonight!

Real Men Do the Dishes

2012-01-07T21:52:00.002-06:00

Does your husband do the dishes? Mine does and although he doesn't look happy about it in this picture, he really doesn't look this way the entire time he does them! Plus, I am not sure anyone looks happy doing the dishes! :-)

I told him what I had put as the caption to this picture on Instagram. "Real men do dishes for their wives." He said that he doesn't do it for me...he does it for himself. It really doesn't matter WHY he does it or who he does it for. The important thing is that he does them and that makes me happy. Sure, I can do them and did do them for the time that he was gone. But I didn't like it and missed the help. He doesn't usually hand wash the dishes that can't or won't fit into the dishwasher. Those wait for me. He unloads and then reloads the dishwasher. He also puts the dishes away that are drying in the dish rack at times.

He may not realize it, but he's doing it for our sons as well. It's good that they see him doing things that may be seen as more of a "wife job." I think it's important that our sons know that men can clean or do laundry or whatever else needs to be done. Someday, their wives will thank us...especially their Daddy for showing them that it's not just HER place in the kitchen, but there's room for HIM to be in there as well!

Jan 6 - Skateboarding...or something like that!

2012-01-06T20:44:00.001-06:00

It was such a nice day today that quite a few kids in the neighborhood were outside, including our 3! The older boys were out with their skateboards, at least until they all went into one house to play video games. They left those skateboards outside and the little kids took over. ;-)

The top photo is my photo of the day. I love this picture! This is so Colten. He usually has no fear and just goes head first into everything he does. I love his passion!

He had so much fun and it was funny to watch him work those legs and arms to get himself moving.

Not the sharpest picture, but a picture of a sharp boy! I love this boy!

Some Love for the Doggie

2012-01-04T22:26:00.001-06:00

Today, I am sharing a couple of pictures. Aiden was in a loving mood and decided to show that love to Abby. Abby is 9 years old and is so laid back with our kids. She just let him climb right up on her and hug her for several minutes. When Aiden was done, he got off and just walked off. She stayed there and fell asleep. I love that she is so good with our kids and that our kids love her so much!

Abby has been an awesome dog. We love her so much and as she gets older, it makes me sad to see the lumps get bigger and her slow down. She was our first "kid!" Of course, I wish she would show our other furry kid how to calm down! :-) I do have to say that Koa has had this same exact treatment recently and has reacted the same way Abby did.

Indoor Picnic

2012-01-03T17:53:00.002-06:00

Tonight, we ate dinner in the living room, picnic style. The kids love doing this. We watched America's Funniest Home Videos while eating and even pulled Aiden's chair in. Of course, he threw food on the floor, but I knew those crumbs would be cleaned up as soon as we let the dogs downstairs.

Ok, yeah, the kids like to do it, but that's not the real reason. If you look closely, you'll see the embroidery machine still on the table in the background. Yep, I didn't want to clean it all up and move it to another spot, so we ate in the living room. Hehehehe.

Hey, it doesn't matter WHY we did it, just that we did! :-D

Jan 2 - Learning Something New

2012-01-02T22:02:00.002-06:00

Tonight, I am up later than I wanted because of this machine. People, let's just say that when you gasp at the price that people charge to embroider, know that they deserve EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY just by learning how to use the damn machine. Yes, and I totally cursed on here. That is just how frustrating it can be!

You'll be happy to know, or either you don't care and you thought I'd actually post interesting pictures on here, that I did get it working. No, you can't see because it's not the best and I am still working out the kinks. (Read: it looks crappy and I'm too embarrassed to show it off after hours of trying to figure the thing out!)

So, tomorrow, this will again be on and I will waste yet another old t-shirt. :-)

Jen, my friend, you will have your machine figured out soon. I promise! Oh, but I will be borrowing it anytime I want! LOL

Yep! I'm gonna do it! DAY 1 of 365

2012-01-01T10:54:00.001-06:00

This is the year! I'm going to try, no strike that, I am DOING IT! I am going to post a picture each and every day of 2012. Yes, I know that it's been more than 3 months since I posted anything on here. However, I am determined to document our lives by posting at least one picture a day! Maybe at the end of 2012, I'll make a book and turn it into a tradition. We'll see.

Already, 2012 is starting out much better than 2011. Last year, we were facing Brian's 3rd year long deployment to Iraq. He spent almost all of 2011 away from us and it was pretty tough in so many ways. However, we made it and now 2012 will be a year of staying put! Well, staying put in Army terms...which means he may be gone here or there for training or something, but he won't be deployed.

So, for the first picture, I wanted to post the very first picture of us together in 2012. Ok, there MAY have been a couple of outtakes, but those don't count. hehehe

Here's to a deployment-free year, a year of family and a year of fun.

Oh, and I have two other resolutions...
1. lose weight and get back into shape. The last year has not been good to my body. Stress and stress-eating has taken it's toll. Brian and I are starting P90X again tomorrow (we want our "off day" to be on Sundays). I also have my gym membership, so I'll do my cardio there on the days that I can with the kids' schedule. This will be the year of fitness!

2. pay off debt. Brian and I saved a lot of his deployment money over the year and addition to a trip to Disney World (which the kids know nothing about until we pull through those Mickey Gates!) we are paying off my van and stacking payments on other debts. This would be the reason Brian didn't get his motorcycle and he is excited to see the light at the end of our debt tunnel. It's not big when compared to some people, but it's more than we should have.

So, there it is, people. Our New Year written out. 2012 will be awesome!

Touch of Sun - I Heart Faces Challenge

2011-09-20T14:00:00.001-05:00

This week is the Touch of Sun theme over at I Heart Faces. I know I just posted this photo, but I iimmediately thought of it when I saw the theme. I haven't been doing much entering because life just kind of takes over, but since I had just shot this photo, I figured I would try and put it in. Of course, I have tried to publish this entry more times than I can count, so I'm not even sure if it will post at this point. Crossing my fingers and pushing "Publish!" Hope this works!

Head on over to the I Heart Faces webite for more sunny photos - www.iheartfaces.com

Aiden is ONE!

2011-09-09T00:50:00.000-05:00

Today, we have a ONE YEAR OLD! A whole year has gone by since this little guy has come into our lives. I can't even imagine what our lives were like before this energetic, smiley, loving, cheesy-grinned, little boy showed up! One thing is for sure, our family is better by having him and we will have fun watching our 3 boys grow up together!

Aiden, your Daddy and Mommy love you very much! You may be the third boy in our family, but each of you come first in our hearts. You are going to be showered with both love and wrestling moves and tackled with hugs and kisses. You're going to be a tough little boy, it's almost a requirement with the 2 bigger brothers that you have! You have already shown that you are ready and willing to bound right in there and take them on! You love them though, and it shows in the way that you light up when you see one of them.

Today, we no longer have an infant. Instead, here stands a toddler. Ready to take on the world!

Invisible

2011-09-02T20:04:00.002-05:00

Tonight, I read an article that was shared on Facebook. It really hit home because I often feel invisible. Just someone here to do things. Cook, clean, tie shoes, make lunch, turn the TV on, lay out the clothes for the day, etc, etc, etc. It was a negative thing to me...until today.

I suggest you read the article right now. It's amazing how something like that shows up when you need it to, isn't it? Today, I have gone from being bitter about everything I have to do on my own, to being proud. It is all for the greater good. My kids will grow up knowing that Mommy can do anything she sets her mind to and hopefully will model that and be able to do anything they set their mind to! Plus, even if they don't seem to see it, God does. I'm thinking that He has a special place in Heaven for us Moms. I'm thinking spa-like, with beautiful aromas, calming music, and a place to sit and just be. :-) Of course, by the time I make it there, I'm hoping I have lived a long life and won't really need the spa-like atmosphere. I'll probably want the chaos of children around me again.

I'm building cathedrals...3 very rambunctious cathedrals, but cathedrals nonetheless. It's an important job and I will try to remember that as often as I can.

Proud

2011-08-30T19:18:00.005-05:00

I haven't blogged about it, but Austin was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of the last school year. Brian and I have known that this was a possibility for a while, but was hoping we would be able to help him cope with it without going to medication. This just wasn't in the cards.

Kindergarten is supposed to be a fun year. Kids are supposed to like Kindergarten. Not our son. It was too hard, too boring, not fun, and any other reason he could throw at us. His teacher wasn't having any behavior issues with him, but had said that he was awfully slow at getting his work done. He was always one of the last to get done. I later found out that if you didn't get done with your work, it was set aside and you'd try to get it done during a free time. Undone work accumulated all week and was done while the other kids did "fun centers" on Friday afternoon. This would probably be the reason why it was hard, boring and not fun. He was constantly working to keep up and didn't have a chance to have any free time. I'm sure there were times when he finally caught up and got to have fun, but I'm not sure how many times he had to work vs. have free time with his classmates.

Without going into a long story (because I know this will be long enough...I tend to ramble), his neurologist nurse practitioner noticed some signs just sitting in the exam room with him and asked me if we struggled with focusing, impulsiveness, etc. I had already seen the poster they had on the wall and said that we could probably check all of them but one or two. Our plan was to make sure that he wasn't having focal seizures by doing another EEG and then talk about medications.

Now, Brian and I know about the medications associated with ADHD. We weren't thrilled with the side effects and were apprehensive about them. The biggest reason is that they are usually stimulants, which increases Austin's chance of having more seizures. However, we were becoming more open-minded about them as the school year progressed and our son grew more and more unhappy with school. At our follow up appt after the EEG (which had the same results as the EEG he had last September), he was tested for ADHD using the Quotient test. The results broke my heart. Out of 15 minutes, he was only attentive for 30 seconds, two different times. He was either impulsive or distracted for most of the test and the last 4 minutes of the test had completely given up and was disengaged. The neurologist (the doctor this time) said there was no wonder he didn't like school...Austin couldn't focus long enough to do much of anything and was constantly trying to keep up and was still not successful despite his hard work. I wanted to cry. I had let it go the whole year, hoping it would get better. Why didn't I do something about it before?

After a month on one medicine, we switched him because of extreme stomach aches that he got from the meds. He had 2 seizures at the end of that month as well, which were attributed to him out-growing his seizure medicine (since he IS a growing boy!). The next medicine seemed to work pretty well, with no stomach problems. Until about 3 or 3:30. Then, our little world fell apart as the medicine started to leave his system. I've been told that they feel very weird and their body is apparently going through quite a bit as the medicine wears off. He was moody, sensitive and would snap at the littlest thing. It was the worst time of the day for us. There was no way we were going to get through homework time with him like this at that time of the day! He didn't even get home until after 3:40 most days! The doctor switched things again and we are now trying a patch called Daytrana. We are hopeful that this one will work.

SO, all that back story to finally get to the proud moment! :-) Yesterday, I had a conference scheduled with Austin's first grade teacher. She decided that instead of trying to talk to every parent at length at open house, she would schedule these meetings to talk about their child and see what she can do to help them this year. WONDERFUL!

I get there and I am schedule 30 minutes...we filled that 30 minutes and I walked out of there grinning from ear to ear! Basically, although it's only the 3rd day of school, Austin seems to be doing the complete opposite of last year! Mrs. Hume had no clue he was ADHD because he seemed so focused. He's been getting his work done and has even been one of the first kids done in some instances and with GREAT work to boot! Nice penmanship and great work. She said that he is one of the best behaved kids she has and is very caring and friendly towards the other students. With everything he is dealing with, he is doing GREAT! I could have seriously burst at the seams, I was just so ecstatic! She assured me that she would keep an eye on him as we switched his medicine and that she wasn't a teacher to let things go very long at all before getting with the parents if there was an issue. If he's having issues with the amount of homework (since it's a bad time for him right now), just to let her know and we'd try to work something out. I think I could have hugged her...she completely made my day with just this 30 minute block of time!

So, after that meeting, I had a GREAT feeling about this year. I am confidant that this year is going to turn his attitude towards school around! He's even saying how much he likes school. And really, right now, that's all that matters! The rest will fall into place!

{For those who don't agree with ADHD children getting medication to help them, please keep those thoughts to yourself. There is such a stigma associated with these meds and even the diagnoses itself. People think that parents who can't handle their children automatically try to get this fake diagnoses and medicate them into submission. I can tell you that there are probably parents out there that do that...but they are few and far between. The majority of us are just trying to do what's best for our children. Until you walk in our shoes or our children's shoes, you can't know what it's like to have to balance the knowledge of these drugs' side effects with the benefits that they clearly bring to our kids. In the end, if my son's self esteem is better and he's happier because he can finally feel in control of himself, then I am happy.}

A Seasoned Elementary School Veteran (aka...a First Grader)

2011-08-26T21:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of school. It meant that we were back to waking up at a certain time, eating breakfast on a schedule, getting dressed right away, brushing teeth right after that and rushing out the door without forgetting to take his medicine or leaving his lunchbox on the counter. Yep, the lazy days of summer have ended and the crazy days of school have begun.

Except that our summer really hasn't been all that lazy. As soon as school was out, we left that weekend for Missouri and Arkansas for 2+ weeks (pictures being sorted still). Then, we had a few days after getting back before Daddy came home for R&R (yes, that deserves it's own post and it is coming...I promise!). The week after Daddy went back to Iraq, Austin did 3 days of football camp. The next week, he had 3 days of golf camp. Then, he had a week of summer camp at Camp Kanata! After Camp Kanata, we did have a couple of weeks of down time before this week. :-)

Anyway, it's hard to believe that it's here. First grade. His second year of school. More learning. More friends. More reading and math skills. More activities, field trips, library books, painted pictures, and more cereal math charts!

Austin's grown a lot since Kindergarten. In every way imaginable!

He doesn't exactly look like a little kid anymore, does he? In fact, I think this picture on the stairs gives me a little glimpse into what he's going to look like as a teenager!

I worked hard on getting all 3 boys ready to walk down to the new bus stop so that we would have time to take pictures. It was a hard job. One that I remember from last year, but still haven't mastered! Sigh. Mornings never seem long enough!

Austin's eyes change different shades of blue depending on what he's wearing. Since he was wearing a gray shirt, they are more of a gray blue. Such a handsome boy! I mean Cool. He's a cool boy!

Ok, now he's a little silly. We just won't tell him I said that.

And I had to get a detail picture of his shoes and bags. I love the shoes. He LOVES the shoes. It's a rare thing for us to both love the same thing like this. I'm hoping it continues with other things! He also loved getting a new lunchbox and he ended up with TWO "backpacks." He specifically wanted a "one strap back pack." That's exactly what he said. This is the style he pointed out. I looked at couple of different places and didn't find any boyish ones. Then, I was tipped off that The Children's Place had them. We went and he loved the camo messenger bag. I bought it, and as the cashier rang it up, I realized it was half-off! SCORE!

Then, we got home and I started thinking about how his backpack from last year looked. It should have been replaced after Christmas. There were holes in the bottom, but he pushed through the rest of the year with it. I wasn't sure this new bag was going to make it the whole year, much less until Christmas. So, I went searching for another bag as a back up. Found out that Land's End had a sale PLUS free shipping. I looked and found this one that was pretty neutral with two boy colors (although, it is technically a girl bag, don't tell him that! I am not sure why it was labled as only a girl's bag...it's not any different than the boy's bag other than the colors and I think these colors can be either!) I ordered it and he opened it up when we got it and loved it too. He chose this one for the first day and wanted to take his camo one today. I told him that we would only be switching every week...not everyday. So, I guess we'll see how these bags last. I did find out today that a boy has a backpack with only one strap...I guess it's called a sling bag? Anyway, Austin said that's the kind he wanted. I think he just changed his mind, but he's gonna just have to wait until next year to get it. His are bought already!

Ah, the joys of school. We'll see how his teacher is as the school year starts. So far, I like her. I go in on Monday for a conference since she says they don't have enough time during open house to talk to everyone. I like that. Anyway, I'm hoping she's a good match for him! So far, he likes it. And he likes her. That's a good sign!

11 Months

2011-08-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

I'm amazed. Our baby, our last baby, is 11 months old. It just can't be! In a month, he will go from a baby into a toddler. That just sounds so sad to me. Exciting, but sad. Any other parent will know what I mean. It's just hard to explain.

So, here we are. A month from our last comparison picture. I've only missed one. I may not have blogged them all (I will get caught up), but I've taken them all but one. I'm giving myself a break and letting that one go. My husband is deployed and I have 3 boys, 2 dogs, a huge house to try to keep from falling down from those 5 beings and a huge yard to take care of! One picture isn't going to make that much of a difference. I took pictures, just not the one of him on this bedspread with those pillows behind him. :-)

He's getting so big!

So, in the last month or so, Aiden has pulled up and started cruising. He has stopped "Army crawling" and is now crawling like a pro. Boy, is he fast!

He wears mostly 12 month clothes, but we have moved into 18 month clothes as well. Some of the one piece outfits are pretty tight around the crotch if they are 12 month. When he's in a disposable diaper, he's wearing a size 3. He wears a size 4 at night because he is a heavy wetter. I still use cloth diapers, although recently we have been on the go so much I haven't had time to do a lot of laundry, so he uses them when I know I'll be able to get them through their wash cycle.

I have no clue what size shoe he wears...he doesn't wear them yet. I think the only shoe-like things he's had on has been Robeez and whatever size he's in right now is getting small and he'll be moving up a size. I think to the 18-24 month size.

He has gotten quite the temper lately. When he doesn't get his way or something isn't working like he thinks it should, he starts yelling and screaming and waving his arms and kicking his legs like crazy. Then, the fun begins. He starts throwing himself down on the floor and kicks and scoots himself all over because he's so mad. He also rolls all over all while still kicking and screaming and crying. Forget about the Terrible Twos...we are in the Ornery Ones!

Despite the temper tantrums he is already having, he can be the most loving child. Two of his favorite people are his brothers. The world is just a brighter place when he sees one of his brothers. He smiles and gives them hugs and tackles them. He laughs and just gets a kick out of both of them. I know it's temporary. Before long, he'll be joining in the fighting that is already rampant between the older two. However, I know they all love each other, even when they aren't showing it.

Just like his older brothers, he isn't saying much. He will say "Hi Da!" sometimes when Brian is on the computer. He has started waving to certain strangers in the stores (most of them have been girls) that catches his eye and he is starting to sign all done and is trying to say it as well. He also shakes his head no like a pro. :-)

The boy loves to eat. He eats and eats and eats. He can sometimes out-eat his older brothers. He's not real big on baby food out of a jar anymore. He'll take a bite or two and then push it away. He does, however, love to eat the baby food that is in the spouted pouches. He will suck the food straight out of those pouches in 30 seconds flat. The downside to that is that they are expensive! I like to give them to him to make sure he's getting enough veggies, but I try to limit those and get him to eat veggies in other things. Right now, he's not big into eating diced veggies on his try. I don't know why. He eats them much better off a fork, but I have to alternate them with something he likes better. I like to add mixed veggie baby food into foods like mac and cheese or chicken tetrazzini. I also mix applesauce or sweet potato puree into his pancake batter. It's sweetens the pancakes naturally while still being healthy. He loves drinking water out of straw cups and we will be introducing whole milk sometime this month.

So, I am going to 'fess up here and say that he is still not sleeping through the night. Yes, I know he should be by now. He's still getting up at least once a night. It had been worse, so once (or even twice) a night isn't so bad. It had been 3-4 times a night still. Granted, he got his teeth in like crazy back in May, so I think that had a lot to do with it as well as the crazy allergies that kept him from breathing right. Now, it's more of a habit than anything. {For the record, I've already been given the advice of letting him cry it out...I don't need advice at this point, but thank you!} Colten was still getting up once a night at 2:30 at this age...he'd nurse for a couple of minutes and go back to bed. When he weaned himself at a year, it was easy to break that habit since I didn't have anything to give him. I plan on this happening again with Aiden. Um, yes, I am going to be selfish and wean him at a year because I want him to. I may regret it after he's done since he's my last, but I think I'm willing to live with that at this point.

Aiden is a people person. He hasn't gone through separation anxiety yet and I think it's because he just loves people. He loves his Mommy and will come to me when he needs me, but dropping him off at hourly care is easy peasy. He LOVES our friend, Laura. So much so that he has pushed her son (who is just a few months older than Aiden) out of the way so she can pick him up. He will actually lean over to her while I'm holding him so that she'll hold him. :-) He will let people he doesn't even really know hold him. He's just a kid who loves people! Of course, since I've said this, he'll start that phase where I can't leave the room without him crying...it's just Murphy's Law! :-)

So, that's basically it. Aiden is happy, healthy and thriving. His Daddy and Mommy love him and his brothers adore him!

Day 2 at Great Wolf Lodge

2011-07-11T22:03:00.001-05:00

Today was another great day at GWL! I could really get used to this type of vacation where everything you do is all in the resort! It is so easy, albeit expensive!

We started off by eating donuts and then getting the boys their wands for MagiQuest. If you haven't heard of it, look it up (the Internet is horribly slow here or else I'd hyperlink it for you). It's an awesome interactive game that even our 2 year old has loved doing!!!

After a bit, the bigger boys went to the pool whole I tried to get Aiden down for his nap....he seemed a little tired. He wasnt tires enough and refused to sleep, so I took him to the pool and we all swam and had a great time. Then, it was lunchtime and that's when the exhaustion hit poor Aiden. Brian got our foo and I took mine back to the room, fed Aiden quickly, gave Gave him bath (he had food ALL over him), and he was OUT!

Te boys returned from the pool and I helped get them dressed and then they were off again to make something at the Cub Club and then more MagiQuest. Brian took some pictures of the tie dye shirts that they made. Well, Colten didn't really help, but he'll have a short tomorrow.

When Aiden woke up, we all went to play mini golf. It was HOT outside!!! We found out afterwards that we had been misinformed and that we could have traded in our golf passes for more tokens. Figures, but the kids had fun and that's what matters.

Brian said it was the quickest game if mini golf he's ever seen. Our kids are more into playing fast than playing right. ;-)

Colten wanted his picture taken on this seat, but wanted Aiden next to him. But then, when Daddy sat next to him, he hid behind the bear and this is the picture we got. Colten is in the back; out of sight.

Then, Austin got his picture done.

And finally Colten decided to come out. Then he didn't want to get down! LOL

It was dinnertime, then back to the waterpark. I talked Colten into going to the little show they have and then story time before going to the room for bed. We were changing when Daddy came back with Austin. They dressed and then went back for more MagiQuest.

The littles were easy to get to sleep tonight! They are exhausted! I don't look forward to tomorrow afternoon when we have to leave, I see three very unhappy boys in our future!!! They love this place!!! And so do we!!!

It's been a good couple of days away with Brian. We all deserve it, but he does the most...and our kids deserved this bonding time with him. This afternoon, he offered to stay in the room with Aiden so I can be with the 2 others...I declined since this was about their time with him! I love him for offering, but that time is too important. Especially when we have just a handful of days left before he goes back.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Off On An Adventure

2011-07-10T20:46:00.001-05:00

We took off today on an adventure and just told the kids it was going to be fun. They had no clue we were going to The Great Wolf Lodge. Even if they would have known, they didn't know that the GWL had an indoor water park and all kinds of other attractions! All they knew was that they got to watch movies on the way to "the fun place."

When we got there, Daddy checked us in while I waited with the boys while a guy made balloon creations for the kids. Austin got a wolf and Colten picked a helicopter.

Then we walked around to the elevators and showed Austin what we were here for! This was his reaction to what he saw through the windows. He was shocked! LOL

For our first time in the water, I didn't take any pictures. I just wanted to enjoy these moments with our kids. They had a blast! We definitely have 3 water-loving-kids! Even Aiden was splashing and having a blast!

Around 4:15, I got our room "keys" (which is really just a microchipped wrist band) and we headed to our room to show the boys their "den." They even have their own TV!

We got dressed and went to eat dinner. By that time, Aiden was exhausted and Colten was ALL over the place! I thought for sure that dinner would be a nightmare! I even commented while Aiden was crying, Austin was wandering off and Colten was bolting off, that we were probably the most dysfunctional family there! LOL. Probably not, but it sure felt like it!

Our server was AWESOME and the food was good. The boys like the wolf ears they got, Brian enjoyed his beer and I am glad they sell this:

You can even walk around with it through the resort! Someone sure does understand what it's like to take kids out in public!!!

Right now, 2 kids are out with a possibility of it being all 3. Austin went with Daddy to the waterpark at bedtime and I got the younger 2 to bed. Austins d Brian got back and it's been a little harder to get Austin to sleep. I think he's down now though! Tomorrow will be a full day of more water fun with other things mixed in.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Prayers for Mom

2011-06-23T22:11:00.002-05:00

For a bit of time on Tuesday, I thought this photo would be one of the last ones taken of my mom.

My sister had called and was sobbing. I won't go into the details of that phone call, but for a split second, I thought she was already gone and the world stopped.

Fortunately, my Grandma went to check on Mom just in time and finally got a hold of someone to open her apartment and then get the ambulance from across the street (yes, Mom lives directly across the street from the ambulance...what a blessing on Tuesday!).

Right now, she is in the ICU and they are still unsure of what went wrong. Doctors can't agree and we are waiting on tests. She's able to speak now and is in stable condition, albeit still critical.

I am feeling helpless from a state away. I think I would still feel helpless there if I had gone. My duties and responsibilities as a mom has kept me from going back up there at this point. Her doctor said that she's going to continue to improve and that it wasn't critical for me to be there. I still feel stuck between a rock and a hard place though. My kids have already driven more than a 1000 miles in the last week. We still have almost 900 to go in the next couple of days. We have to be back for Brian to come home. But the worry that I feel for my mom is pulling me in another direction. Guilt for not being there is lingering...both by me personally and by an external source as well. I'm standing by my decision though.

I have faith that my mom is going to pull through this. She is STRONG. She is a fighter. She has already been through so much, and while it's all left it's mark on her, she survived. So, I know this is just going to be another mountain that she will overcome and plant her flag on top of.

I am constantly praying for her strength and improving health. I pray for her doctors to have the knowledge they need to figure this puzzle out and prevent it from happening again. I pray for my Grandma and my aunt as they are sure to be exhausted after the last few days. I pray for the future...that it be bright for our family and that we trust in God. He knows how this will all play out and I have to trust that He always does what is right for us.

I love you, Mom. I always will!

Where does time go?

2011-06-14T22:05:00.002-05:00

How did my baby get to be old enough to graduate Kindergarten? It seems like just yesterday that he was born!

Regardless of how I feel like time seemed to slip by at times, I am just SO proud of this kid! Looking over the last year, he has been through a TON. Moving, a new area and house, a lost cat, seizures that brought on EEGs and an MRI and ultimately the diagnoses of Epilepsy, a new baby brother, a Daddy deploying and more meds for ADHD (no, I haven't blogged about that as I am still trying to figure it all out).

Austin had persevered through all of it and even thrived and succeeded! There were times when he just didn't want to go to school, but he went anyway. He found the positives in the school year, even though he missed his Pre-School class where he got to play more. :-)

His teacher, Mrs. Bruner, was a bright spot. Austin liked her. He made her a flower out of paper the other day and said that when he goes to First Grade next year, he wants to go to Mrs. Bruner's class first and give her this flower and THEN go to First Grade. Yes, he will miss his Kindergarten teacher.

Austin liked PE and library and computer class. He liked going to "centers." He loved eating the cheese pizza for lunch as well as the corn dogs and chef salad. He loved recess as well, but was always bummed when they had to go to the "little playground" instead of the "big playground."

Austin was apparently very popular with everyone in the class, especially the little girls. On several occasions, he came home with "love notes." But it wasn't all one sided. He was sending them right back, especially to one little girl in particular.

Yes, I think he had his first crush this year. He has had girls as friends in the past. He has liked them pretty well. One even called him her boyfriend (We miss you Skylee!), but this year, he was seen playing with C's hair, holding hands, and we can't forget about those notes. :-) Yep, it was different than with other girls. They sat next to each other at the beginning of the year in class, but the teachers saw the connection pretty early on and moved them so it wasn't a distraction.

At the end of the year, Austin's class had their awards ceremony. Austin was awarded the "Best Friend to All" award. He really is friendly to everyone and we are so proud of that. While we want him to pick his friends wisely in the future, right now, I think he is doing what is best by being friends with everyone, even the class bully, and being a role model for the other kids to just be nice. :-) Plus, being friends with the bully (or at least nice to him) means that he isn't hitting you!

Austin has learned life lessons as well as the regular academic ones. His math is doing great and he's interested in learning more. He is reading a lot better (you know, since he wasn't reading at all before Kindergarten!) and can read simple books at home. He came home with something new everyday!

He's going to do GREAT in First Grade!

Here's a couple of pictures to compare what he looked like on the last day of school (top) vs the first day of school (bottom)!

Easter Baskets

2011-05-20T09:14:00.000-05:00

Easter is not all about the baskets, bunny, or candy. We do celebrate Easter for the real reason and are so thankful for the life that Jesus gave us by dying on the cross for our sins. We celebrate the fact that he rose again.

However, we also enjoy some of the more non-religious traditions as well! The Easter Bunny hiding eggs, bringing candy and filling Easter baskets is so much fun for the kids! This year, we laid out carrots for him and the boys thought that was just GREAT!

Each boy got a pair of fun socks, sunglasses, character plate and bowl, chocolate bunny, straw cup an bubbles. The two younger boys got a book while Austin got a magnetic monkey toy that I remember having as a child. The two older boys also got wooden whistles and Aiden got a baby bouncy toy. Then, they each got something that fit their personality: a Lego Star Wars toy for Austin, a Thomas train for Colten and a baby race car for Aiden. Add in the candy and the baskets were FULL!

I might have gone a little overboard, but it never looks like too much until I start assembling the baskets!

Colten was ALL over the candy. Having already been to an egg hunt, he knew that the eggs held candy for him to eat!

Aiden seemed to know that his basket was for him to get into! It was so funny to see him reaching for particular things!

Austin looked cool in his awesome shades.

Colten still puts his on upside down...but they have Mickey Mouse on them, so that's awesome in his little world!

And this was the first...and last....time that Aiden will wear his! He won't keep them on for anything. They immediately get ripped off as soon as I put them on him!

Austin went to work on his Lego toy pretty quickly and did a great job putting it together!

Aiden pulled everything out of his basket. Don't worry, I pulled the eggs that contained candy out of it so he wouldn't choke! :-)

It was a good morning filled with lots of laughter, smiles and fun. Just one person was missing...but we got to talk to him and show him what the Easter Bunny brought, so that made it a tiny bit better.

After a good breakfast, we went to church and each child had a good time in their respective classes/nurseries. I really missed the traditional songs we usually sing in church, but was glad that we were able to go! I think that since then, we have missed church each week because of illnesses! Hoping we can get back there soon!

Dying...Eggs, That Is!

2011-05-18T18:47:00.002-05:00

I'm playing catch up with posting our pictures from Easter. Life just gets crazy and I don't feel like downloading pictures from my camera or sorting through the hundreds of pictures I take of each "event." If you think that's bad...I have NO printed pictures of Aiden up anywhere in the house. I'm a bad mom...just say it! :-)

Anyway, we always dye Easter Eggs the day before Easter. Aunt Paula called us up that morning (maybe afternoon?) and asked if we had dyed our eggs yet. Since we hadn't, they decided to come over so the kids could dye them together. The boys were excited...they just LOVE their cousins!

We got the dye all ready and put it outside for the kids to do it out there. Less mess that way and it was such a nice evening! Colten is at that age where he's really into more of the holiday traditions. He loved dying the eggs!

Colten didn't have a nap that day, so he was pretty tired by this time! He did a great job though...he's getting so big!

Some of Colten's eggs.

Austin had his own way of dying the eggs and was pretty particular about how they were supposed to be.

Aiden even got to try it out with Uncle Matt's help. If you're wondering why Aunt Paula is rarely in any photos, it's because she can be a little camera shy and I know she is really picky about what photos she'll let me post. :-) Love ya, girl!

So happy!

Counting his eggs to make sure they're all there.

The kids had a blast and it was nice to hang out with the other Steele's in the area! We are truly blessed to be stationed at the same place as them for a second time!

8 Months

2011-05-16T15:10:00.002-05:00

No, you didn't miss the 7 month post...it didn't happen. Yep, I dropped the ball last month, but DID get his 8 month comparison picture done! I did get some 7 month pictures taken...just not the comparison picture. Oh well.

Anyway, here it is: Aiden at 8 months!

I found a new spot to take the pictures. In the "keeping room" downstairs. It's also called a hearth room in other regions of the country. There's some good morning light that comes in and I pulled the comforter and pillows downstairs to do these pictures.

Since it's downstairs, I have the added distractions of dogs, big brother and toys. Not really bad, especially when you see the look of joy on his face when Aiden sees his big brother! They love each other so much! Colten had come over and dropped this Thomas train on the blanket for Aiden to play with...Aiden was in the middle of his joyful screech when this picture was taken. :-)

Aiden is now scooting around a lot. You can't really tell by the pictures I chose for this post, but he was really making it hard to get pictures without blur! He kept rolling over and scooting towards me. He really wanted to play with that black thing that Mommy always has in front of her face...it must be fun if she's always playing with it!

Aiden has a few more teeth than last month. As of today, he has 8 with another coming in. He had 5 teeth pop through in 1 week and then the next week, another one popped through. It's been rough...let's just leave it at that.

This picture was a harder one. He's not too sure of the wood floors, or at least he wasn't when this was taken. You can't tell that by the picture though...but he used to not scoot out of the living room since it was surrounded by wood floors. Today, he made it all the way over to the foyer. Note to self: clean off baby gate and have it handy to put at the bottom of the stairs.

Aiden doesn't crawl regularly yet. He gets up on his hands and knees and then falls back down to scoot. Who knows what he's going to end up doing. Some kids do that and go straight to walking. We'll see in due time. All I have to say is that it's nice not having to chase him around yet. Colten was walking at this age...yes, WALKING!

This little boy is usually so laid back and easy going! Lately, he's been cranky and clingy. I know it's just a phase resulting from his teeth and maybe a little virus that he's picked up from somewhere (or someone???).

Aiden is also a little piggy. He's really interested in table foods and has had a few things like grilled cheese, quesadillas, mac n cheese and homemade soup, along with his Cheerios, Puffs, and Baby Mum Mums. When Aunt Paula watched him one day, he ate a whole container of baby food along with a whole grilled cheese sandwich. I don't know where he put it...but he also nursed after that!

Yep, we love this little boy. He has two older brothers to annoy and be bossed around by. His Daddy has gotten to see him scoot around the living room and hear him babble from half way around the world. His Mommy is so glad she has her 3 boys...life is good!

A Dog...or maybe a Horse???

2011-05-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

Aiden, I can completely see why you are a little confused about what exactly this animal is. I mean, Lucy looks like a dog, but she is big enough to be a horse.

Well, whatever she is, you're pretty happy to be riding on her!

All you need now is a saddle!

The Greatest Game...6 Year Old Style

2011-05-14T20:54:00.007-05:00

Today was Austin's first game of the season. We were running late, so he didn't get to warm up with the team. It was pretty hot and humid out there, so looking back, it was good because that was time I didn't have to have the little ones out in the heat.

Austin was really excited to start playing games. He loves his uniform...his favorite color is green. I also bought him new cleats today...nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh!

Colten is ALL about baseball this year! He SO wants to play this year...he'll have to wait until he's older though. Until then, he thinks watching is pretty cool too. I bought him a team shirt and he thinks he's part of the team. :-)

Austin's league does 3 pitches thrown by the coach (thrown over hand...do you know how hard it is to pitch to kids at this age when you're throwing over handed?), then if they don't hit off those pitches, they hit off the tee. The first inning, Austin's coach wasn't throwing to him very well. He hit 2 foul balls and a couple of strikes (his coach threw 4 pitches to him because of the bad pitches he was throwing). He ended up hitting off the tee pretty well. I can't stop giggling at the pictures of him hitting though. He looks like he's growling. So cute!

The second inning, he had a GREAT hit! While I liked seeing him do well, the smile on his face was way more important to me than the hit was. He really loves baseball. I think his Daddy is pretty proud of that.

We missed Daddy a lot today. We got to talk to him after the game though. It's just not the same without him. Next year, Austin will be in the age bracket that does only coach pitch...Daddy will be here, so it's going to be a great season all around!

Austin played 1st base today. His coach has him there a lot in practices. He's one of the few kids on his team that has played before (4, 5, and 6 year olds), so I think his coach likes having someone at 1st that has played before. It's good practice for him though...he needs to work on catching a little more. Most of the balls that were thrown to him at 1st were thrown way over his head, but there was a little girl who hit down the line straight at him and he got the ball and tagged the base for the 'out.' You know, if they played outs. :-)

I'm kind of glad they don't keep score at this age. I don't think I would know what the score is anyway. I'm sure I was a sight to see with Aiden in my arms, my big camera, my Flip video camera, and Colten running around me. :-) It worked out ok, though. At least Colten didn't throw a ball at anyone or run out onto the field today...I'm sure it will happen at some point during the season; maybe even more than once. Aiden was too hot and uncomfortable. He ended up with some heat rash...trying to figure out how to prevent that next time. Any suggestions?

PS. Do some of the pictures look slightly green after they were uploaded to Flickr to you? Not sure what that is about, but I'm too tired to try and fix them. If you noticed, just think of it as matching his uniform. If you didn't notice, just pretend like you didn't see this comment either!

Huntin'

2011-05-13T13:45:00.002-05:00

Our company had a Easter egg hunt event one day. Unfortunately, it was in the middle of the day, on the same exact day and the same exact time as Austin's egg hunt at school. I knew that Colten was at the age where he totally "gets" egg hunts now, so I really wanted to take him to one. I decided that we would head to the company event so he could have some Mommy time (even though Aiden was with us).

The event was bigger than I expected and you could tell a lot of work had gone into it. There was food, games, the egg hunt and lots of prizes. We had already eaten lunch, but Colten loves ~~cupcakes~~ the icing on top of cupcakes, so I let him have one.

Since the games were a little mature for him (egg toss, spoon on the egg, etc) we played at the nearby playground while waiting for the egg hunt to begin.

The skies were threatening to rain on us the whole time, and I really thought we were going to beat the rain. Colten was ready to find those eggs and was irritated that Mommy wouldn't let him go after them right away.

Finally, he got to go after them and that's when the rain started. Just big drops here and there.

Showing off his eggs.

Then, the sky opened up and we all rushed for cover. Good thing the event was held at a pavilion! I love this picture of Colten with hair wet from the rain. Aiden, luckily, was in the carseat and a nice Mom asked if I wanted to put his carseat in her Graco stroller. It worked out really well so that the shades to both of them kept him nice and dry!

Colten may not have won a "big" prize, but he was very happy with the candy that he realized was IN the eggs!

Ps. Don't you just LOVE the Hawaiian shirt on him??? I think he looks great in those bright colors!!! And the cupcake at the beginning totally matched his shirt! :-)

Wings Over Wayne Air Show...a month ago!

2011-05-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

So, basically a month ago, I heard of an airshow that was supposed to be on Saturday, but storms were predicted, so I didn't think it would be a good time to go. Then, I talked to my sister-in-law, Paula, and she said that they were going to it on Sunday. I had no idea it was 2 days long, so we planned on going on Sunday since the weather was supposed to be gorgeous.

Let's just say that Colten is in a MAJOR airplane kick right now! He has been in heaven since we moved here because we see a LOT of Air Force planes flying overhead. So, I knew this would be right up his alley.

Austin was really happy to see the acrobatic planes. I think that was his favorite part.

The Thunderbirds were there and we stayed to see them.

It was pretty cool.

But not as cool as seeing my boys having fun.

It was pretty hot there, directly under the sun. Austin decided to find shade wherever he could.

I have to say that if I knew how hard it would have been to actually GET to the air show from my house, I probably wouldn't have gone. It was really that bad! I'm glad I didn't know...we had a blast and the kids still talk about it.

An "event"

2011-05-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

Today was a rough day. This is just one part of it and I'm only explaining it here because it's too long to put into a status on Facebook and not everyone I know has a Facebook account.

Austin had an EEG today. We haven't had any seizures or anything that we know of, but we are checking to make sure he's not having seizure activity causing him to blank out and lose focus. We have always wondered if Austin was ADHD (just not as hyperactive as some kids). He has a lot of the signs of it, but we never wanted to do something drastic if he didn't need it. Basically, if he was having problems in school, that's when we would be worried. I think it's safe to say that it's affecting him in school (both by my observations and his teacher's) and it's causing him to not like school. A Kindergartener shouldn't dislike school. Even after 4 days of not going, he doesn't want to go tomorrow. That's not something I like to hear.

So, to rule out seizure activity causing the focus problems, an EEG was scheduled and then we will look into other things. Monday was the day, but since he was sick, it was moved to this afternoon.

After putting the leads on Austin, the first test they do is having him blow on a pinwheel for 3 minutes. It's really hard to do and the kids are exhausted by the time they are done. With a minute left or so, you could tell something wasn't right. Just looking at his face and his eyes, I knew something was off. He started making weird sounds and wouldn't respond to us. I can’t even describe his movements…just abnormal and he said the word four (or for?) a couple of times and some other sounds. He stopped for a moment, then started the same behavior. We finally got him to snap out of it (or else he snapped out of it on his own) and he started crying. He couldn’t tell us what was wrong, but he didn't want to continue. We talked him down a bit and he was able to do the rest of the EEG (this was at the very beginning). He said a couple of times that he didn't want to do it while we were sitting there, but I tried to distract him.

Later, when I was able to talk to him before we picked up Colten, I asked him why he was crying; if something had happened. We didn't tell him what happened and didn't talk about it too much (it was a tech that administered the EEG), so I didn't think he knew what had happened. He said that he went back. I didn't understand and then he said he went back to the first day of school. That he wasn't really there, but that he saw the first day of school. I'm guessing he wasn't aware of what was going on.

We'll find out what exactly it was next week. The tech said that it was either a seizure or not enough oxygen getting to the brain. Sort of like when you hyperventilate. Either way, I am glad it happened under a controlled environment. If it was a seizure, this showed us that we need to increase his meds to make sure he’s covered in as many situations as possible.

This is small potatoes compared to what some people are having to watch their children go through. I am thankful, everyday, that our children are all pretty healthy. We have the regular childhood illnesses to get through, but a hospital is not my children's home for weeks at a time. We are experts through real-life situations on anything in the medical world and we don't know all kinds of scary terms that require a conversation just to explain them. I'll happily take the problems we have to face. They may seem big sometimes and I can get stressed at times dealing with them, but I feel that I am pretty lucky when I look at the whole picture.

Uncertainty...Thoughts...Prayers

2011-05-02T09:14:00.003-05:00

I was writing my nightly e-mail to Brian when a close friend called and the first words out of her mouth was, "Osama Bin Laden is dead!"

I can honestly say that after the thought actually registered in my brain, my first feeling was not of celebration, but dread. I think my initial Facebook status mirrored that as I questioned what this breaking news would mean. What will our country face in the coming days?

My biggest question is, "What will our deployed military face? What will my HUSBAND and the rest of his unit face?" What kind of retaliation will happen. As a friend of mine said, Americans were SO angry to see the celebration in the street after September 11th. The images on TV today are showing similar celebrations going on. The anger that the terrorists are certainly feeling will most likely be bringing them storming to our front lines. To our front doors!

It's a relief to have one less terrorist in our world. However, there are many more willing to take his place and already have. With Bin Laden's death, we need to become more vigilant as a nation in these coming days. We got him, but he has many followers that are willing to do whatever it takes to hurt us.

The fight on terrorism is not over...our military's job is not over. Keep focusing on supporting our troops. We have the best military in the world and they did a great job with this mission, as they ALWAYS do, day in and day out. Bless our troops and bless our country.

I am so proud to be an American and so proud to be a military wife...not just on days when the mission is accomplished, but every other day as well. I love you, Brian! Stay safe...we pray for you and our military EVERY DAY!

On the Field

2011-04-20T08:14:00.006-05:00

I got an e-mail from our FRG and at the end, it had information on a Military Appreciation Day at NC State's baseball game. It also said that about 20 military kids could have a chance to run out on the field with the players to be recognized as a group. I immediately e-mailed the information required and then got a confirmation e-mail a couple of weeks later. Austin was so excited!The night before the game, I found out that this was supposed to be much bigger than just the kids running out and the military getting in for free. There was a helicopter on site for people to see, free lunch for Soldiers and their Families and free camo shirts given out as you walked into the game.

The game ball was brought in by paratroopers and the first pitch was thrown by Col. Martin Schweitzer of Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. There were several military groups honored and it was just an all-around great thing done for our military!

I think Austin was a little nervous when the kids all lined up before leaving us parents and going down on the field. He looked nervous, but said he wasn't. They lined up and walked around the field waving to everyone, then they stood in a line and waited for things to happen. The team went down the line, giving high fives and then one of the paratroopers did the same.

Finally, it was time to run out to the pre-selected spot for his group.

Waiting for the National Anthem to play. He even took off his hat. This was right before he put his hand over his heart...I think they prepped them to make sure they did it right (hat off, quiet and hand over heart). He did great!

He was right behind 2nd base and afterwards said that he saw that he was on the "big screen." Luckily, I took a picture of it as well. :-)

We had great seats since I upgraded by paying a few dollars. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the crowded seats in general seating with our 3 boys. It turned out to be a wise decision. We sat in our seats for a bit, but then Colten started getting antsy. I decided it was time to walk around and get something to eat. I went out and got the stroller, put Aiden in it and got the boys popcorn and ice cream. I decided that we should just stand behind the seats where the handicap spots were and asked if it was ok in one spot. The usher asked the older couple sitting in the seats if it was alright and they started talking to us and even offered Austin the seat next to them.

This spot worked GREAT and the boys watched the game so well from here. The couple was really nice, as was the usher, who talked to us quite a bit. I realized at some point that the older couple was the people the park was named after...they had given more than $3 million to help renovate. What wonderful people...seriously, they put up with my kids and seemed to enjoy it at that!

Colten with his ice cream! He did MUCH better in this spot!

We lasted until the 7th inning when a bee started flying around and freaking Austin out. Colten was starting to get a little rambunctious as well, so I said we'd go look at the helicopter and then go home. They really liked this part and were happy to be able to look at all the stuff in the helicopter!

A HUGE thanks to NC State Wolfpack Baseball team, the NC chapter of Operation: Military Kids, the NC State Army ROTC program, Curtis and Jaqueline Dail and anyone else who made this day possible! My boys had a blast and it was awesome to see them having a great day!

Gymnastics!

2011-04-08T20:43:00.004-05:00

Colten has been LOVING gymnastics! He's been going for about a month now and is always SO happy to get there. Brian has been asking about his class and so I had our friend, Dianne, take some pictures one day. (Thanks, Dianne!)

Doing a little stretching before class! It's so funny that I caught this on camera while checking the settings on the camera. He really looks like he's getting ready for class!

At the beginning of class, we walk (and tip toe, skate, gallop and run) in a circle to warm up. The same song is played every class and tells us what action to do. Colten usually has a lot of fun doing the different things.

I think we were "skating" at the point.

"Mom, why is she taking my pictures so much?"

After the warm-up, they stretch. They go over gymnastic terms like "tuck," "pike," and "stradle." His coach makes stretching really fun for the kids. Colten usually listens really well and does as much as he can during this time.

Here he is "going under the wave." Apparently, a shark was coming around and was going to get him!

During this particular class, she had the kids do 5 forward rolls. These are Colten's favorite!

Sometimes he can get over by himself, and other times I have to nudge his bottom over just a tad.

After warm-up and stretches, we usually do an obstacle course. The kids go down a slide, hop through some hoops, do some cartwheels, hop over and crawl under some bars, do some forward and backward rolls. It's set up differently every time and the kids seem to really like doing it.

Going under so nicely!

This particular day, Colten was in a mood. He didn't want to do what he was supposed to do. He started grabbing the hoola hoops and playing with them instead of hopping through them. Then he started picking up the orange bars that he was crawling under and hopping over and throwing them. Believe me, I have it on video!

After the obstacle course, we did the balance beams. We used hoola hoops to give the kids something to hold onto, but still be balanacing for himself a bit.

The coach had some bean bags on the beams for them to step/hop over for a challenge.

After beams, the group got to go to the foam pit. This is usually where we end up at the end of the class. Colten loves being able to just jump in there, climb back out, and then jump in again.

After the foam pit, the kids line up for stamps. They get one on the back of each hand and one on top of both feet. He is always so proud of those stamps!

Colten's favorite part about gymnastics are the bars/rings. He really enjoys swinging on the rings. He can hang on those forever and that's all he wants to do when we do the bar area. He also really liked the parachute one day...all the kids loved that! I like the gym that we go to, but I really miss places like Gymboree where there's more socialization between the kids.

For now, this gymnastics class is perfect for Colten. He's having a lot of fun and that's the most important thing!

9 Years

2011-04-06T00:38:00.001-05:00

Nine Years ago, I was married to the best man in the world. We had married just a year and 3 months after we met (ok, we had apparently met before we met, but seeing as how it was because some guy he knew was hounding me at work, I don't count that!).

Brian and I officially met in a short class during winter break at college. Our school called it J-Term and it was a 3 week course. We were taking a literature class and I walked in the first day and sat in front of him. I immediately pegged him as a baseball player. As an athletic trainer, I knew an athlete when I saw one. :-) The second day of class he came in after me and sat 2 seats behind me instead of sitting in the seat right behind me. Seeing as how I knew he was someone worth getting to know, I called him on it. :-) He joined our small group, we started going to lunch together, I started skipping track practice and the rest is history.

Brian was in ROTC and I knew what that meant. It didn't matter, though. In fact, I liked that he was going to be a "man in uniform." I think we both knew pretty quickly that this wasn't just a regular relationship. This was it. We met each others' parents, went on a Spring Break trip together, and then he took me to meet his brother and sister-in-law in Germany on a family vacation. Yeah, not just another girlfriend...I was in. :-)

September 11th happened and it shaped what our future was going to be like. The Army would be much different than what it was on September 10th.

Brian went to Officer Basic Course a few months after graduation. Luckily it was just 2 hours from the college I had yet to graduate from. I went down to visit him one night, expecting to go to a Christmas party and walked into his room to see Christmas lights, music playing, and roses. There was a stuffed reindeer that held a special ring on it's antlers and a wonderful man whose question was answered with a yes.

Our plan was to wait to get married until I had graduated college. His brother and his family would be stateside by then and they'd be able to attend.

When he was assigned to Fort Campbell, our plans changed. The unit he was assigned to was supposed to deploy to Afghanistan. We quickly set a date and started planning. At some point, we found out that the Army changed it's mind and sent a different unit. Relieved, we still moved on with the plans since you just never know when the Army is going to change its mind again. :-)

We were married in a small ceremony in my hometown and it was attended by a LOT of family and friends. It may not have been the most expensive or flashiest wedding and reception, but it was pretty and planned with love. Our family had a lot to do with it and I am forever grateful for all the work that was done to make our day special.

Now, 9 years, 7 houses, 3 deployments, 3 kids, a miscarriage, 2 dogs and a lost cat later, we are still going strong. We have had our ups and downs and sometimes it has been a lot of work. However, it is just WONDERFUL work and is totally worth it when I look over at my husband and my heart still skips a beat.

What were we thinking?
I know that we were thinking that the destination is totally worth the journey...bumps and all.

Letting Go

2011-03-31T09:35:00.002-05:00

So, I've decided to let go of my worry for Aiden's growth. I'm handing it over to God and seeing how that goes. He's GROWING, albeit a little slower than the other two, so I know he's doing ok. I know I'm providing enough as I can hear him swallowing and he is like Colten when it comes to length of time at the breast and when I think back, the frequency of nursing sessions as well.

I think parents always wonder if we are doing our job correctly. I was talking to a good friend yesterday about my worries with breastfeeding vs formula feeding. I have such mixed feelings. Our formula fed child is (and always has been) big for his age. As in 95 percentile for both height and weight. He was rarely sick (at least until he hit Kindergarten and even then, it's not as much as it could be). His only thing was that he had frequent ear infections. The two breastfed children are smaller for their age, both have skin issues and both seem to have pretty bad seasonal allergies already. I started to worry that maybe I made them that way. Was the fact that they were breastfed cause the skin and allergy issues? Were they supposed to be bigger and is the fact that they aren't because they were/are lacking in some nutrient that I'm not providing because of a deficiency in my diet (even though I take prenatal vitamins)?

It's funny because I had a lot of guilt over not breastfeeding Austin. That guilt came back when I started nursing Colten and Austin would ask if I fed him that way and why not. Now I started worrying over whether breastfeeding was doing the job or not and debated about supplementing.

Yesterday, while talking to my friend, I came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter. They are going to be the people they are meant to be. God knows what path He has chosen them to be on. Will they hit a growth spurt and be big like their brother? Maybe...or maybe not. Will they forever battle the Spring pollen or have to use Aquaphor on their faces all year long? I don't know. But, I'm done worrying about it. Here ya go, God. I know you'll take good care of those worries. I know you'll take care of our family if we give you the chance.

(Oh, and thanks Laura for listening to my ridiculousness sometimes! )

A Half Year!

2011-03-26T21:12:00.002-05:00

So, I'm a tad late. At least he's still 6 months old, right? :-) That, and since I was late, I can include his height and weight since his well baby was later as well!

Aiden is such a good baby! At least during the day! He naps well and is on a pretty good schedule. He does get a little messed up if we have to be out during his first nap, so I try not to do that.

Aiden still sleeps in our room with me. He isn't sleeping through the night and he was waking Colten up around 4am, who was hard to put back to sleep, so I just brought him back to our room. I hated doing that, but I didn't want TWO kids up at 4am, so it has been for the better! He HAD been sleeping through the night, but I think his night waking started out because we switched him to his room and that was different for him. Then, I think he went through a growth spurt since he was eating a LOT. Then he started teething!

Teething has been really hard on this little boy! He whimpers some nights and has a really hard time staying asleep those nights. Tylenol (and now Motrin) and Orajel have been our best friends on those nights. :-)

Aiden is sitting on his own pretty well now. He isn't crawling or pulling up or any of that crazy stuff that Colten and Austin were doing at this age! I am so thankful for that! Can you tell that he is our third? I am in no rush to have him mobile!

For the most part, Aiden is a pretty laid back baby, but when you make him mad, WATCH OUT! This kid has some lungs on him and he makes it known that he isn't happy! This usually happens around 10pm when he wakes up to eat before I go to bed. I have to change his diaper and he HATES it! He does this sometimes during the day as well and I've been on the phone with people during this and they always comment about how mad he sounds!

Aiden is finally eating solids a little better. He just had NO interest in them for a while and had some pretty bad tongue thrust and it made it really hard to feed him. Now, he opens his mouth for the next bite and eats pretty well. Because of his disinterest, he started on mostly sweeter foods and now I am going to go back and try green beans and peas. I tried peas the other day, but it was homemade and not as smooth as store bought so he didn't like the texture. We'll try store bought and see how he likes them that way. Other than that, he's had and liked Acorn Squash, Peaches and Apple. I'm going to add in avocado tomorrow since I tried it back when he wasn't wanting anything. It's such a good fruit with lots of good fat and essential vitamins that I really want him to eat it. He's eating his solids mostly at night with some solids in the mornings every once in a while (we just started that a week ago).

Aiden wears 6-9 month clothes at this point. He can wear a 12 month shirt since I don't mind them being long on him. I had to send back about 10 of our cloth diapers because of a defect, so I've had to use a lot more disposable diapers lately. He is in a size 2 in Luvs, but I think we'll be moving up to the 3s next time I need to buy them. Hopefully, we'll get our cloth diapers back from the manufacturer soon so I don't have to do that for a while!

Aiden likes toys to go straight into his mouth. He's working on that 3rd bottom tooth and I can see it, it's just taking it's sweet time pushing through!

At his 6 month well baby appointment, they measured him at 26 inches and 15 lbs and 10 oz. At each of his well baby appointments, the doctors have expressed a little bit of concern over his growth curve for his weight. It's been 3 different doctors. This last one has me a little worried because I wonder if it was the same doctor if it would be more of a concern because he/she would see him every time. He's breastfed, so I know his growth isn't going to be the same as a formula fed baby. However, I had always heard that a baby is supposed to double his/her weight by 6 months and he didn't. In fact, he's about a pound off of that. Is that something to be concerned over? I didn't have to worry about that with Colten...I think I remember him being about 20 lbs by now! He was a chunker and Aiden just isn't. So, I'm hoping he starts gaining some weight with the addition of these solids. If I feel like he isn't, then I guess we'll head back to the doctor and see if it's an issue and go from there. I guess I'm just glad he isn't LOSING weight! :-)

Potty Training

2011-03-23T19:51:00.002-05:00

Yep, it's that time again. We have a 2 year old and he is interested in the potty. He has gone quite a bit on his own and this started before he even turned 2. I had NOTHING to do with it. He just started wanting to sit there and suddenly things started happening! Great, right?

Weeeelllll, sure, if he would stay dry when putting something on him! He does great when he is naked. He goes to sit on the potty by himself and goes. He has even done this with #2 which was a HUGE surprise to me. However, when you put underwear on the kid, he thinks he can just go in them. I mean, 20 minutes after going on the potty he'll go in the underwear! I don't have pull ups, so it's not that. I use REAL underwear. Yes, we had LOTS of puddles on the floor and pee running down his legs.

Well, until he can figure this step out, I can at least prevent the pee running down his legs and the puddles on the floor.

These cloth trainers are AWESOME. They are from a company called Blueberry and they are a tad thicker than underwear since they have a waterproof layer hidden inside the fabric. They are easy to pull up and down and look just like underwear, which is good for Colten because that's what he wants to wear. It's also good because he FEELS wet instead of staying dry with our cloth diapers (they are made of micro-fleece so he doesn't really feel wet when he goes in them).

The good thing for Mommy is that I don't have to clean up puddles anymore! Sure, I have to wash the underwear, but that's nothing compared to scrubbing the carpet. I can put these on him when I really want him to try underwear on and not worry about the carpet. So, we are both happy!

They are a tad expensive, but with a credit at a cloth diaper store online, I got them for half off. Not bad! We have one other pair of cloth trainers and I like them, they just don't have the cool fabric choices and I think the elastic at the legs are a tad tight, but if we went up a size, the waist would be HUGE.

So, for now, potty training is for home only. We are out and about a lot because of speech and gymnastics, so it's not getting the attention that it needs. However, I think when he's ready, he'll get over that hurdle and just start staying dry in the underwear. I'm not pushing it, but am just encouraging it when we have time. It's a lot different than last time...a 2 year old is harder I think than a 3 1/2 year old! There's a lot more involved and with Colten not being as verbal, sometimes it's hard to know when he needs to go sit down on the potty.

It's pretty cute though and I know he's so proud of himself when he goes on the potty. We get so excited and he just beams from ear to ear. He's such a big boy now!

Steals and Deals

2011-03-20T21:59:00.002-05:00

While living in NW Arkansas, I was introduced to the wonderful world of consignment events. Basically, twice a year, there is a consignment sale where you can get GREAT deals on children's clothes, toys and gear. Not only that, but you can consign your own children's clothes, toys and gear to offset the amount that you spend buying new (to you) stuff. I was hooked.

While we do have 3 boys that can wear hand-me-downs, they are ROUGH on their clothes. Plus, Austin wore summer items year round, so there wasn't much left of those for Colten to wear. Then, along came Aiden...in the opposite season that the older boys were born in! So, while we have been able to pass down some things, there are other things that I have had to buy to get a son from one season to the other. Plus, Austin, being the oldest, is always needing new stuff because there isn't anyone handing stuff down to him. This gets EXPENSIVE!

When I learned we were moving to North Carolina, I think one of the first things I did was research to see if there were any consignment events in the area. Luckily, there was! I shopped only in back in the fall and got some great deals. This season, I consigned some things and got to shop earlier so I could get some GREAT deals!

First, the clothes:

Austin: He didn't get as much because at this age, things get worn longer because they aren't growing quite as fast. Plus, they are REALLY hard on their clothes, so it's harder to find good stuff that I think I want to pay for. Also, he's getting to the age where he wants to help pick out his own clothes, so I promised that he could pick out some shirts at Kohls at some point. He also got a Star Wars Lego shirt, but he was already wearing it when this picture was taken. I think he liked it, or something. :-)

Here's Colten's summer clothes: Colten has a few shirts already from Austin's old stuff. I was lucky to also get a couple of pairs of shoes for him since his sandals from last year are too small.

Aiden is going to be in 2 different sizes this summer, so he got a little bit more. He also got 3 pairs of shoes, one pair is for later in the summer/fall.

I also got this booster that Aiden is in. Isn't he so cute??? And so big!

I got a bath seat for Aiden as well. It's so much easier to put him in the bath tub now because he get upset about laying down to bathe, but he isn't balanced enough to sit really well on his own. My back was killing me to bathe him with his brothers since I was constantly holding him up. The bath seat isn't for me to just leave him, so don't worry about that. It's just better for him to play and better for my back so I don't have to lean over the tub as much! It attaches to the side of the tub, so it's also not going to tip over. :-) I like it and he LOVES it!

The last thing I bought was a double jogging stroller. It was the first thing I looked for. It had to have a front wheel that could turn. I plan on running in a neighborhood and there are lots of turns and I hate turning with a fixed wheel. So, there were two strollers and one had a fixed wheel and while I liked everything else about that stroller better, I had to pick the other one because it was the one with a rotating wheel. The boys love it and yes, I have already tested it out. I think it would have gone better if I was in better shape. :-) I guess that will come...just slowly.

While I didn't make as much as I spent, I also didn't have a lot to sell. We are 3rd time parents, so we don't have a bunch of baby gear that we could sell. We also didn't have as much spring/summer stuff we could sell that Aiden has grown out of. I'm expecting a better amount in the Fall...and this time, I think I'm going to weed out some toys!

Just Some Thoughts

2011-03-13T20:16:00.002-05:00

Just some random things I've been thinking about. I'm putting in some pictures of the boys when they got their new playground.

What is up with people thinking they can give non-baby food items to other people's babies? People, don't feed my baby junk...especially since you have NO idea if he's allergic to something. And let's not even talk about the choking hazard part of it all. Doritos are NOT for babies. Let's introduce him to the good foods first. He has his whole life to chow down on chips, do you really think he needs it at 6 months as well?

Of course, I've also heard other people having issues with this as well. It's not just me. Why is it that people want to see "how they react" and give them whatever they want? Does all common sense get thrown out the window when it comes to babies and new experiences?

Pink Eye is not fun. Especially when a two year old has it and just LOVES his little brother. However, we survived it. And Aiden never got it, so I'm pretty happy about that. Austin is back at school and we all got to go to a birthday party on Saturday, so that's a good thing. Now, giving a 2 year old eye drops 3-4 times a day is a different story. I'd rather not talk about that.

Do you think it's possible to just shovel out the contents of an entire house and start over? I feel like that's what I need to do at times. I feel like I am buried up to my ears in housework and organization that needs to be done. I just can't keep up with 3 boys, 2 dogs and a house all by myself. Spring is going to be bringing a yard that needs to be mowed too. Of course, I'm too cheap to hire someone to do a job that I am perfectly capable of doing myself. Especially when we have the size of yard that we have and I KNOW it will cost an arm and a leg to get it mowed for me. Yeah, way too cheap for that!

I LOVE our new playground. The boys have played on it everyday (when weather permits) and haven't tired of it yet. It's an awesome gift that we are so happy we were able to give them this year. We used to say that they probably would never have one this nice because we tend to move every 3-4 years. However, it's completely worth it. If we really wanted to, we could probably take it apart and move it with us. We'll have to see if we are up for that. :-)

The neighborhood kids all love it too. Good thing we have a tall fence and 2 dogs, otherwise I think I would look out there and see kids playing on it at all hours of the day. Most of the kids around here are afraid of our dogs though, so we don't have to worry about any of them coming in the yard without permission.

I'm hoping that by March 17, the politicians can come together and pass a bill that will keep the government operating temporarily. They have been basically arguing over budets since last Fall and if this bill doesn't pass, Brian and the rest of the military will be working without pay. Like my mother-in-law said..."they should stop being republicans and democrats and start being Americans." I'm praying that it gets resolved by the 17th, but definitely by April 1st. If it's hasn't been resolved, we will not be getting a paycheck. For us, we have a backup plan, but so many of our Soldiers and their families are literally living paycheck to paycheck and that is with the help of government programs like food stamps and WIC. Our military is already stressed as it is, let's not add no pay into this!

This happened before back in 1995, but the military was still payed back then. This time, the military is not exempt from it. Sure, once government funding is restored, we'll get backpay. That doesn't pay the bills that will be due on the 1st. I don't understand how they are letting this happen. I want to be grateful that my husband has a job and that he'll get paid (eventually) when there are so many others without jobs, but I don't see how these politicians can sleep at night knowing that our military could be putting their lives on the line FOR FREE. That they are being shot at, while their family tries to figure out how to keep the electricty on and the mortgage/rent paid when a paycheck wasn't issued. We'll see if this becomes a problem...and I pray that it won't. But it's still something that we have to plan for.

The unbelievable sights in Japan makes me sad. I tend to not watch the news...it's just a habit that I've had to have since Brian first deployed at the beginning of the Iraq war. I get a lot of the news online and this is no different. I watched a bit that first morning. I haven't been able to watch a whole lot because as it's a lot for me to handle...it's just too much for our kids. They are almost always in sight of the TV and so, it stays off. It doesn't completely prevent me from seeing what is happening and the devestation that just seems to keep on growing.

I can't imagine the feeling of losing my grip on my child in the water. I can't imagine not knowing how family is doing or the agony of wondering if they are dead or alive. I can't even blog about it much because my heart hurts for these people and I lose the words that I want to say. I pray for the people of Japan. That's the best thing I can do at this point.

Colten and Aiden are getting some shots tomorrow. I know they'll both be ok. I wish I could follow my alternate schedule of vaccines for Aiden. Since Brian is deployed, I knew there would be some days where I needed the kids to be in daycare. The military has Child Development Centers (CDCs) that have "hourly care." You reserve a block of time for your children and drop them off and pick them up at the end of that time. Basically, since military moves around a lot, it's hard to find good babysitters that can provide occasional childcare during the day. The CDCs require kids to be up to date on their vaccines. There is NO flexibility. I can't delay ANY of them at all. If I want to use the childcare, shots have to be given and they keep very careful track of that. It was a hard choice for me. I truly felt that the delayed schedule was really good for Colten and I really wanted that for Aiden. But, a healthy, happy mom means happy kids. If I was stressed all the time and didn't have a break, it would have affected everyone. I think it's an ok trade-off. I still hate that I had to make that decision though. And I am reminded of that everytime he has to go in and get a TON of shots.

For those wanting an update on the kids:

Austin is doing great in school. He seems to be well-liked by pretty much everyone. A couple of girls like him a little more than just friends and he is pretty embarrassed by that. He has been seizure free since being put on his medication back in September. We are very thankful for that! He has increased his dose lately because the neurologist doesn't want him to grow out of his dosage. We think that his medicine affects his moods a bit and we saw more outbursts and mood swings with the increase, but I am hoping it's evening out now that his body has had time to get used to it. The behavior really hasn't crossed into school, though, so we are happy about that. Austin is looking forward to baseball season and warmer weather so he can play outside with his friends more.

Colten is a character. He makes me laugh so much. He's an awesome big brother and hugs and kisses on Aiden daily. Colten started speech therapy recently and is doing EXCELLENT! He goes twice a week and loves his therapist. He's saying a TON more words now. Colten listens so much better than Austin did at this age. Sure, he has his 2 year old moments, but I think you can reason with him a little better. Colten also seperates from me really easily. I drop him off at church nursery or hourly care and he just says bye to me and walks right in. He is just SO social! He knows NO stranger and I think that if I wasn't watching, he would just go home with someone else! Colten has also started gymnastics recently and has so much fun with that!

Aiden is 6 months old now! I can hardly believe that! He is, thankfully, not as mobile as Colten was at this age. He sure does love to smile, though! Everyone always comments on his cheeks and he just smiles away at them. Yep, another kid who knows no stranger! Aiden isn't sleeping through the night, though. That is something I am working on though. He does nap very well and has gotten a TON better in the car. He used to just scream through the whole car ride and now he just sits there. Sometimes he cries, but it's not anything we can't handle! Aiden recently started solid foods, but isn't as good at eating. He still had a lot of tongue thrust and just didn't quite get it when it came to eating from a spoon. He's getting better though and he really likes his acorn squash! He's going to start on other foods this week and I'm hoping he gets easier to feed soon! Aiden hasn't started any sports, but he's looking forward to watching his brothers do theirs!

Ok, now I'm going to bed. Hope you enjoyed the pictures...even if you didn't read a word I wrote!

Myrtle Beach

2011-03-11T16:53:00.003-06:00

It took ALL weekend for Dianne and I to take the kids to the beach. We got to Myrtle Beach on Friday afternoon and about an hour and a half before we left on Sunday afternoon is when we finally had the time to take them. Kind of sad, huh!

In hindsight, we should have gotten up early on Saturday and taken the kids down to the beach for the sunrise. I was up for it and took the pictures in the previous post, but Colten wasn't up and Austin got up in the middle of the sunrise. He got to see it, but there wasn't anyway we were going to get down there in time.

We had planned on taking them down there on Saturday evening, but it looked like it was going to rain at any moment, so we took them to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner instead. We planned on getting up early for Sunday's sunrise. Fog messed those plans up, as it came in on Saturday night and only got thicker overnight. I got up and couldn't even SEE the ocean from our room.

Finally, after our last class and lunch that afternoon, we got the kids over to the beach! The middle of the day is NOT the best time to get pictures of people. There's almost always squinting and harsh shadows, but that was all we had to work with. I think the pictures turned out pretty good anyway and I KNOW my kid had a blast in the water. Austin was just disappointed that he couldn't get in fully because of the temperature.

He wasn't mad...that's the squinting I'm talking about coming into play here. He wasn't entirely sure of walking through the dry sand though...it was kind of hard for him.

This is what was left of the fog from the night before/that morning.

It was still being burned away by the sun...which was still REALLY bright!

My three boys. I had envisioned this picture a little differently, but things don't always work out exactly...especially when kids are involved!

Love this picture! We got some of the boys and I, but I will save those for another post! :-)

I took some of Dianne and her kids that turned out really cute. I posted them on Facebook, so I won't be redundant and post them here too. We had a fun weekend and the trip to the beach capped it off pretty well!

New Day

2011-03-05T19:19:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is a new day.

Each one of these means a day closer to being a whole family again. Yes, some days that's the thing that keeps me going!

Each sunrise means we get to start over. The day before is over. You get to work on your weaknesses becoming your strengths.

Didn't like how you acted yesterday? Today is the day to change that.

The days come and go, but we get to choose how they play out. I pray every night for God to give me patience and guidance for the next day. I know there are things that I do wrong as a parent and as a wife. I try and change that everyday. Some days I succeed and some days I fail...horribly!

But tomorrow is a new day...

No Regrets

2011-03-02T20:11:00.003-06:00

I went to Target on one of the days I had the kids in childcare for the day. The very last item I put into my cart was two bottles of bubbles. Crayola Colored Bubbles to be exact. I thought the boys would like them, but I was a bit skeptical that they'd be so colorful.

I got home with two of the kids, the third one got home shortly after and he is the one that found the colored bubbles. I wasn't prepared to let them play with them yet...I hadn't read the bottles (that ended up being FULL of warnings), but I figured if I let them out in the back with them, that nothing could be hurt.

When Colten first opened his bottle and pulled out the wand, I crossed my fingers and hoped that they truly were washable like the packaging had promised. I mean, it was like he was blowing bubbles with PAINT!

I was really worried about those white sleeves.

But, I just loved how colorful the bubbles were!!! And Colten loved it too! In Speech, he's working with his therapist using bubbles, so he was so happy to be playing with them in his own backyard!

Austin got green, of course!

He first started blowing them on the grass like his brother, but then started walking around and blowing them.

With big brother walking around blowing bubbles, little brother decided HE needed to walk around blowing bubbles as well! This included the deck area.

Remember, I didn't read those warning labels until after they started walking around. Then, I realized that they shouldn't be blowing those bubbles and letting them pop on the deck. All those dribbles and bubbles ended up staining the non-sealed wood...sorry Brian!

However, the look of joy on these boys faces took away any regrets that I may have had after finding out that the wood was now colored for good. In fact, I still have them sitting on the back of the sink in the kitchen, waiting for another nice day when the boys have played everything they possibly could and are now "bored."

At that time, I will send them out the front door to blow the staining colored bubbles in the cul-de-sac. :-)

I Heart Faces - Phone Pics

2011-02-21T19:17:00.003-06:00

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is Cell Phone pictures. I immediately thought of this picture of Aiden that I snapped outside the day of the Sugar Bowl. We were all in Razorback apparel and I just couldn't resist taking a picture of our littlest Razorback fan!

In the spirit of using cell phones for the picture, I am even uploading this message from my iPhone! I did have to edit the post a little since I didn't know how to grab the button for the post, but the picture was uploaded directly from my phone...hence the hugeness of it! ;-)

Head on over to I Heart Faces for more cell phone pics...I'm sure there will be some awesome ones!

One Month Down

2011-02-20T08:38:00.003-06:00

It's been a month since these pictures were taken.

Far from picture-perfect, but I'm ok with that!

Last kisses...looks as if Aiden is saying, "I don't like this good-bye stuff one bit!"

Reminds me of our last deployment when Austin was just a year old...he had Daddy's hat on while getting his picture taken as well. He's grown up so much! We are so lucky that it's been so long since we've had to do this again.

Naptime in Daddy's arms.

Checking out Daddy's weapon.

Saying goodbye during naptime is hard, but Colten did really well. He just looks exhausted at this point though!

Saying goodbye in public is hard. We've done it both ways...the first time was just a drop-off and the second time was a full out ceremony with the Soldiers in formation and everything. This was a little in between. It's not fun, but I feel that going to them gives us a little more understanding. My kids SEE Daddy leave from a place they don't normally see him leave from. It's not like he's going to work and will be back home that night. I feel that if it is at all possible to go to something like this, it's easier for them to see a difference between just going to work and actually being deployed. It's harder though...and a LOT more public. That's the trade-off. Some people have a different opinion, but this is what works for us.

It's been a month since we've said goodbye. It's a little easier to look at the pictures, but not much. Our kids are resilient, though. We've had rough days here and there. Austin wants to talk about him whenever he goes to bed, which is hard because he REALLY needs to go to bed, but I don't want to just dismiss his need to talk about it either. It's a balancing act. That is for sure!

This time around, for me, has been way more emotional than the other times. All I have to do is think of all that they are missing with their Daddy and all that he is missing with them and it gets me teary eyed. Of course I miss him, but I'm a big girl; it's the boys that get me everytime! Sure, I get stressed and when things would be a LOT easier with two people, the absence hits me hard. Nights and weekends are also hard since he's supposed to be home at those times.

Tonight, a friend was over and she said something about the boys' Daddy. Colten pointed to the door. We weren't entirely sure why, so I said, "bye, bye?" He shook his head yes, then I realized he meant Daddy went bye bye. I said, do you mean Daddy went bye bye? He shook his head yes again. He completely understands. Time isn't the same for him, but he knows his Daddy is gone. He loves talking to him on Skype and sleeps with his Daddy Doll every night. About 2/3 of the time, when I go in to check on him before I go to bed, that Daddy Doll is in his arms as he sleeps.

Overall, we are thriving. The boys are doing well and growing. Life keeps moving forward here in North Carolina as well as Iraq. Brian says the days are going by quickly for him (although they are pretty long days because of the hours they are working). We are counting down the days we get to have fun during R & R. Camping, baseball games, and all sorts of various activities are already being talked about. If I think of it as blocks of time, it doesn't seem so bad. March brings gymnastics, baseball signups and the first month of Speech Therapy. April brings Easter and baseball practices and games, May is the last full month of school and then June has us visiting family for a few weeks. Then, July brings Daddy home.

So, one month down...11 to go. We can do this...we ARE doing this.

Combined Party

2011-02-19T10:25:00.002-06:00

Since Austin and Colten's birthday are so close together (10 days; Colten was actually born on Austin's due date...sure wish he would have been born on HIS due date!), we figured we would do a combined party. Last year, Austin asked to do a combined party and this year he still thought it would be cool, so we went ahead and did it. I guess we'll stop doing them at the same time when one or both of them don't want to anymore.

The problem with having a birthday in the dead of winter is that you always have to have it indoors. You end up having a ton of kids at the house, or you pay money to have it somewhere else. The exception to that was when we lived in Hawaii and could have it outdoors...which was REALLY nice. :-)

I looked around at different places and it was either too expensive, too much stress with 3 kids and no husband (Chuck E Cheese) or the place had suspended their parties until Spring. Finally, I found a place that wasn't too expensive and was something that BOTH kids would have fun at. We booked their party at the Fascinate-U Children's Museum in Fayetteville, NC. It turned out to be a great location and all the kids had a blast!

The cakes...yes, we had two because I wanted each boy to have their own.

Colten playing with a friend, "delivering" newspapers.

Austin shopping...if only I could send him to the commissary for me so I woudn't have to do it!

They had all kinds of areas the kids could play in...not sure where the catchers mask was, but Austin thought it was pretty fun to wear.

Colten with his cake. Mickey Mouse is a big hit in our house right now (along with a few other characters from Disney).

Austin's cake featured Iron Man. He was really happy with it.

Time to eat and drink! The room was pretty much already decorated, but we added a few of our own touches. I liked how it all looked and I think the kids did too.

Give a kid some cake and they'll always be happy!

Opening presents went well. Austin invited a few friends from school, so he had a couple more gifts to open. Good thing Colten's 2 and doesn't notice stuff like that. :-) He had a great time and was so excited over everything...even the cards! He got a $20 bill and just had to go around and show everyone!

Checking out big brother's gift.

Yay! Mommy made it in some pictures! :-)

We all had a blast and I know the kids had fun. Daddy was very missed, but it was good to celebrate with him before he left. We still can't believe we have a 6 year old and a 2 year old! It will be fun to see what this next year brings!

5 Months

2011-02-09T21:12:00.002-06:00

5 Months is so much fun...big enough to babble, play a bit with toys, smile and laugh, but not quite big enough to get into things. It's perfect!

In just a couple of weeks, Aiden will be the same age that Colten was when he started pulling up and then cruising. I am thinking that Aiden won't be quite that mobile yet...and I am happy about that! I like the fact that when I lay him on a blanket, he's still pretty much on it, or at least only half-way off of it.

As far as size goes, Aiden isn't off the charts or anything. He's in 6-9 month clothes right now because the 3-6 month clothes was getting small, especially his pajamas. When he IS in a disposable, it's a size 2. His cloth diapers are going to need to be re-sized soon as well.

Here's the monthly comparison picture:

Aiden still doesn't enjoy tummy time as much as Colten and Austin did at this age. He gets pretty frustrated after just a little bit on his tummy. Of course, you can't tell by this picture!

Propping him up on the Boppy Pillow helps a bit, but he still starts grunting, then fussing, then screaming soon after he is put on it.

Aiden's favorite place to be is in his Mommy's arms, followed by the fun exersaucer that he has. He has also just started sitting in the doorway jumper while I am upstairs. Oh, and the car is becoming less of a problem with Aiden. He still cries some, especially at night when he can't see anything, but it is becoming less everyday. HUGE sigh of relief!

Aiden is doing much of the same things as he was last month. He is babbling quite a bit and loves his older brothers. He laughs at them and watches them as much as he can.

Aiden is such a smiley, laid back baby. He still isn't sleeping any better since being moved into his own room. It got so bad after Brian left, that I pulled him back into our room in the pack n play until he starts sleeping better. I wasn't enjoying walking back and forth between the bedrooms every hour and a half to two hours. Seriously, it was that bad. I hadn't even been up that often when he was brand new! It's moved back to about every 2-3 hours now, sometimes 4. I'm hoping that when he starts solid foods, it will get even better than that!

Speaking of solid foods, I had tried to give this little boy some cereal and he just was not getting it. He still has some major tongue thrust and was starting to get really angry when I tried feeding him. So, I am waiting another week or two before trying again. He just wasn't ready.

Aiden is going to be left with someone other than family for the first time on Valentine's Day. A friend and I are going to get pedicures and Colten and Aiden are both going to the Child Development Center on post for hourly care. I'm nervous. I know I shouldn't be, but I am. It has more to do with worrying about him taking a bottle than anything else. You just never know when he's going to refuse a bottle and then give them a hard time.

Aiden is so fun and makes us all smile. He's growing up and really enjoying the world around him.

Super Bowl Baby

2011-02-08T20:30:00.003-06:00

I was going to dig out several pictures from "way back when" Austin was first born. I decided against it though because it would have taken me all year to figure out what pictures I wanted to include in this post! I mean, I'm already late in making this post seeing as how it's almost 10pm on the 8th! I knew that if I started looking back at old picture discs, I would be lost forever in the memories! 6 Years is a LOT of pictures.

Austin is a BIG 6 years old now. He was born on Super Bowl Sunday back at Fort Campbell, KY and this year, the Super Bowl fell on his birthday again. It's always special to think about watching the game with our newborn. Well, watching as much of it as we could...the TV reception was horrible and I was exhausted!

Austin spent half of his life in Hawaii. The boy definitely looked the part of beach bum with his long blonde hair.

Here he is "posing" on the Big Island.

Austin was almost 4 years old when he became a big brother. He was excited to have a little brother and was always SO careful when holding Colten. In fact, when we came home, he didn't want to hold Colten for a few days because he "didn't want to drop and break him."

Of course, now, he's a big brother to TWO little rascals! Aiden came into this world and Austin was just as excited with this newest baby.

Austin makes me smile. I look back at these pictures and it is just so surreal to think that he was this little less than a year ago! He has always been pretty adventurous, but with a carefulness about him that makes him think a second before he jumps.

Austin is very athletic already. He has played 2 years of t-ball so far and is excited about his 3rd year. He listens so well to his coaches as well as his Dad when they are trying to show him how to do things out on the field. He is eager to learn and get better and just loves to play!

This summer, Austin was so proud to take his training wheels off his bike. He worked hard at trying to balance with uneven training wheels, then when the time came to go without them...well, I think you can see the excitement in the picture.

This year, Austin was also diagnosed with epilepsy. It was not an easy thing to hear about the first time (as he was spending the night with friends down the street), but it was even harder to watch the 2nd one he had and not be able to do a thing to help him. He has been so good about it all though and with the help of medication, has not had a seizure since!

Kindergarten was another milestone this year! I can't believe we have a kid in school! It's been nice to see him accel in something that he didn't want to have anything to do with just a few years ago! The boy refused to do anything that had to do with learning and picked up pretty quickly when you were trying to slip some learning into a game! He would just stop whatever he was doing and tell you he was done. He's learning so much now and doesn't seem to want to stop. Well, except when there's homework to do!

Just a couple of years ago, I don't think we would have been able to get him to walk down the aisle in a wedding. This year, however, he was excited to do it! We thought he looked so handsome and he did a SUPER job. Our little boy is growing up!

This year, he prepared for his Daddy's deployment for the 2nd time. The first time was tough. He wasn't sure what was going on, but had a really hard time with accepting Daddy back. Now, he knows exactly what's going on and is just SO close to his Daddy. This is going to be a long year for him. The year and a half that we had together as a family in Arkansas was key. I am just SO glad we had that time.

This little boy two years ago has just grown...

into a super, cool, awesome, and very, VERY loved big 6 year old!

Austin, your Daddy, Mommy and brothers love you so much! Keep up the awesome attitude and don't ever forget to be yourself!!! Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Pre-Birthday Party

2011-02-08T13:59:00.000-06:00

Since Brian would be gone before their birthdays, Austin decided that he wanted to celebrate before Daddy left. He wanted Uncle Matt, Aunt Paula and cousins, Nate and Anna to be there too.

I decorated the house with streamers, balloons and the traditional "Happy Birthday" banner. I made a cheesecake (because our boys go NUTS for cheesecake!) and put Toy Story edible pictures on it, and we bought gifts for the boys to open from Daddy and Mommy.

The boys liked their gifts, the decorations and the cake, but I think they enjoyed us all being together and playing even more!

Big Boy

2011-02-05T14:08:00.000-06:00

Colten has had some big changes go on here lately. First, we switched rooms around about a month ago. Now, he's the big brother in the room since he's sharing with Aiden (although, at the moment, Aiden decided he didn't want to sleep so much at night, so he's back in my room in the pack n play until he sleeps better).

Right before Daddy left, he started wanting to sit on the potty more and more. A couple of days before D-Day, he actually peed a couple of times in the potty. A few days later, he came up to me and motioned that he wanted to use the potty. I went and got it and he sat down and went to the bathroom. Since then, he's been using the potty while we are home and when he's been diaperless. It hasn't clicked yet that he isn't supposed to go in his diaper and even when we put underwear on him, he goes in those as well. I think of it as learning accidents though and just clean it up. He is usually in the process of getting to the potty, but just hasn't figured out the best timing when he has something on. So, he spends a lot of time diaperless...which is a boy's dream, right? :-) The other day, he did his "duty" on the potty as well. This whole potty business is all his doing and nothing that I have done at all. He is truly one of those kids that just decided that he wants to do it and does it. The one downside...he HATES it when I put diapers on him now. I am in the process of deciding what cloth trainers I want to buy and use for when we are out. Hopefully, he'll figure out that he can't "go" in his underwear soon! This whole 2 year old on the potty thing is completely different than a 3 1/2 year old! :-) Different, but good!

After Brian left, Colten also got a big boy bed! I had been looking online for a decently priced one for a while and finally found one. In fact, it wasnt' only decently-priced, but it was a race car bed as well!

Going to bed the first night...

Here he is sleeping in it the first night. It worked out really well. I do have a door knob cover on his door so he can't just come out whenever he wants before he goes to sleep. That helps on some nights when he really just doesn't want to go to bed or take a nap during the day.

It's kind of funny because he is a child that needs about 30 minutes to wind down. In his crib, he would talk to himself, cry, make noises, screech, etc until he was ready to sleep. It wouldn't matter what time I put him down, he would need this "wind down time." Now that he's in a toddler bed, he gets up and pulls all kinds of toys in his bed with him and plays with them for about 30 minutes and then falls asleep.

Every night before I go to bed, I go in there and pull all the toys out of his bed. It's always a surprise as to what toys he has pulled in there. Half of them are the "regulars" like Buzz Lightyear (we have two), the Woody and Buzz shake and go cars, and an electronic kids book. Sometimes, I feel like I'm pulling things out of a bottomless bag. I'm not quite sure how he falls asleep with all that junk in there, but he does!

Our boy just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He is such a funny little guy and is SO smart! Soon, he'll be going to Speech Therapy twice a week and once he starts talking, he is just never going to stop!

Monkey Joes With Daddy

2011-02-04T13:41:00.002-06:00

I'm still trying to catch up on my photos from before Brian deployed. Ok, ok, I am actually still behind on the photos from Christmas, but I will eventually get them up. It's so late though, that I might actually just back-date them and if you want to see the pictures, you'll have to just find them. :-)

Anyway, the day before Brian left, we kept Austin out of school so we could have a family day. We took the kids to Monkey Joes and ate out afterwards at Chili's. It was a good day...and I know the kids loved showing Daddy all the cool things at Monkey Joes.

Colten has no fear. Seriously, no fear. This was his second time at MJ's and both times he didn't hesitate for a second! He just runs around that place like he's so big and goes down all of the slides by himself (unless Big Brother wants to go down with him). He's not afraid of any of the slides at all. He only needs help to get onto a few of the inflatables...as he's a tad short and it's hard to pull yourself up in them when they are moving from other kids jumping on them.

Daddy went down a slide or two at the beginning with Colten. Adults aren't really allowed to jump in them, but they can assist the kids in there.

Austin was an AWESOME big brother this day. He helped Colten get up the ladders, slid down the slides with him at times, and just overall kept an eye on his little brother in case he needed any help. I don't think they argued or fought at all at MJ's.

Austin waiting for Colten...

Aiden hung out with me some of the time, but hung out with Daddy too. I love this picture.

The boys miss their Daddy. I see the evidence of that everyday. Even little Aiden can sense that he's missing. They're doing alright, though. Kids are so resilient and they know that their Daddy loves and misses them. Brian is so good at making sure they know that he loves them. He snuggles and kisses them and tells them all the time he loves them.

2 Years

2011-01-26T20:37:00.001-06:00

It seems just like yesterday....

Back then, you were stubborn, just like you are now. You refused to come out and meet us in a reasonable amount of time, so we had to force you out.

Throughout your first year, you did things when you decided to do them. You were on a mission…you had things to get into and you weren’t going to sit around and wait to do it later! You were pulling up on things and cruising before 6 months. You learned to walk at 8 months. Soon after, you were running. Mommy and Daddy’s world was rocked…and poor Austin didn’t have a chance. His toys were now fair game and you are a tough kid that can hold his own. You are a pesky little brother sometimes; throwing things and hitting and doing everything you can to bother Austin. You love him though and look up to him SO much! You’ll grow out of this stage soon and I just know that the 4 year gap between you two will not affect the close relationship I just know you two will have!

You are a very smart boy. You don’t talk much right now, but the gears are constantly going in that head of yours. When you hear something, you go and investigate what it is.

You may not be able to say your colors, letters and numbers, but I know you have a grasp on some of it just by watching you answer questions. When you DO learn to talk, people will finally see just how much you really know.

Right now you are all into the boy toys. Baby toys don’t really hold your interest as much as they do some kids. You have an older brother and his toys are SO much better than the baby toys! You love Buzz Lightyear and Lightning McQueen. You love to play with cars and trains.

You are all boy….probably the grubbiest boy I know. I don’t think I have ever seen a boy get so dirty, but you have the ability to get dirty even when there’s nothing to get dirty with! I don’t know how you do it, but you do!

You are a great big brother. You may be a tough kid, but you have a soft spot for your little brother, Aiden. You could hug and kiss on him all day long. You try to take him out of my arms to hold him and get ecstatic when I let you. You say “hi” to him in the cutest voice and it makes me smile when you run to see where he is when you’ve been asleep or if he’s been taking a nap. You’re a great big brother. I know I will enjoy seeing you and Aiden grow up so close together.

We look forward to seeing just how much more you are going to grow and learn and change over this next year. Colten, you are definitely your own person. Don’t ever change that. Be happy with who you are. God made you special, Colten. Your Daddy and I love you for that and know you are going to do great things!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Colten!!!

Personal Daddies!

2011-01-24T21:19:00.002-06:00

A package came on the Saturday before D-Day. It was a gift for each of the boys from Daddy.

Do you see how excited Austin was? And Colten was so surprised. He hugged on his as soon as Brian gave it to him. SO sweet!

So happy to be getting an updated Daddy Doll. Austin has had one since the first deployment he went through, but it was decided to give him a new one. The old one is our "back up" in case something happens to one of the new ones.

Aiden likes to hug on his and slobber all over it. It's funny because he looks right at Daddy's face and then puts it right up to his mouth like a kiss. It's probably just a coincidence, but I like the idea that he knows who his Daddy is even by just looking at a picture.

Colten was SO glad to be getting his own Daddy Doll. He has been trying to take Austin's for a while now and now he has his very own to hug on!

Showing off his new Daddy Doll. This one is much better because it actually has "Daddy Loves Austin" on it while the old one didn't have any words on it. It's also nice that no one is going to argue over whose is whose. :-)

Such a special moment...I am so glad they came before Brian left so that he was able to give them to the boys in person.

Daddy Dolls is such a wonderful company. When we tried to order these dolls, I was having problems with their order form. There was some sort of glitch, so I e-mailed their customer service. They were so nice and replied right back, then called me so quickly when I said that I would just place my order over the phone. When we found out the exact day Brian was leaving, we wondered if they would make it to our house in time for him to give the dolls to the boys. I e-mailed the same wonderful woman and she e-mailed me right back and said that she was happy to tell me that they had been shipped and that the package would get there soon since it usually only takes 3 or 4 days to get them. We ended up getting them that day.

I HIGHLY recommend this company for any military family. {Oh, and since I have that ad banner over on the right side, I think I'm supposed to say something about this being said all on my own and that I wasn't compensated in the least bit by DaddyDolls.com}

So, now our kids all have their personal Daddy to hug and love on while the real Daddy is away.

These days...

2011-01-23T21:05:00.004-06:00

It's been a few days since I've posted about Brian leaving. I'm sure there are some people wondering how we're doing...and basically, we are exactly how I thought we would be. It was a blessing that he deployed in the middle of the week so that we could get back to our regular routine of getting to school, etc.

I figured that Austin would have a meltdown this weekend, and he did. It was, of course, over something small at first and then just grew and grew. I have to say that it was one of those situations where it just stinks to be a parent! I had told him that if he didn't shape up, we wouldn't go out to eat and then had to follow through on that (even though I REALLY wanted pizza buffet). He got even more out of control and after a chance to calm down and refusing, he was sent to his room for the rest of the night (and even had to eat dinner up there). I'm hoping that it clicks in his head that Mommy means business. I'm sure it didn't though...that would just be too easy! :-)

Anyway, the weekends are going to be hard. Saturday and Sundays are the days that seem the longest since I have all 3 at home, Austin gets bored and Colten starts antagonizing him. We are at the point with Aiden that he really needs to nap in his own bed. He is taking a morning, afternoon and evening nap, so that makes it really hard to get out. Especially when things are all about 20-30 minutes away. I have to really figure this out soon because Saturday was pretty hard in the afternoon/evening!

We have been able to Skype with Brian twice now and that is such a blessing! Technology is just so awesome and is going to help this deployment go by a lot quicker! Brian has posted pictures of the area he is in already and I have to say that it looks like a pretty nice place. He was telling me about a pizza place they have there that bakes pizza in a wood fire oven and that they have fire pits outside for the Soldiers to have a place to relax, eat pizza and visit with their friends. There's a cigar club he's looking forward to joining (yes, he smokes cigars every now and then...that's all I'm going to say). The view from his office is pretty and the internet in his room is pretty good (although pretty pricey!).

So, I think we are all doing pretty well. Aiden is growing, Colten is more of a little boy than a baby and Austin is being a good big brother to both of them (you know, when he's not fighting with Colten). I am going to be adding a few activities here and there for each of us and seeing how we can stay busy without doing TOO much. Austin is looking forward to baseball season and is wanting to take some sort of martial arts class. I'm going to start Colten in gymnastics soon and Aiden is going to enjoy just going places with us. We have MOPS and play group and playdates with friends here and there as well.

R&R is going to be here before we know it. It's supposed to be sometime in July, so we are really looking forward to the summer!

I'll be posting some pictures of the days leading up to Brian deploying in the next couple of days. I want to document some of the things we did as a family. For now, I'll just post this picture of Brian with his boys and their Daddy Dolls that he gave them.

I'll be posting more of the Daddy Doll pictures tomorrow. Now, I am going to bed...and surprisingly, it is BEFORE midnight! Yay me!

And So It Begins...

2011-01-19T19:52:00.002-06:00

My heart hurts tonight. A little for myself, but so much more for Brian and our boys. Brian's deployment will have him missing so much over the next year. And our boys...they are really going to miss their Daddy.

Today was a hard day. It's one of those days when you wake up knowing that by the end of the day, you will have a headache and puffy eyes. We spent the morning in our pajamas, trying to get in extra snuggles, hugs and kisses. There just isn't ever enough time for that stuff. We were thankful, however, that we had the time this morning. Originally, Brian was going to need to be at the Battalion at 10:30am. They let him know a couple of days ago that it was at 2:30pm instead. 4 extra glorious hours. Those extra 4 hours were golden for us.

We were able to get Colten down for a nap so he wasn't a mess this afternoon. Brian did a few last minute things that needed to be done. You know, the really important things like calling the cell company, helping me move the trampoline and rotating our mattress and boxspring. We were about 5 minutes from leaving the house and he apologized for leaving with the house a mess. I love that man. I assured him that I would trade a clean house for quality family time anyday!

We ran to Wal-Mart really quick, then got McDonalds for a late lunch. Brian won't be getting any yummy McD's for a while, so it was fitting. We ate it in the parking lot at his Battalion Headquarters. While he went in for manifest and to draw his weapon (taking possession of his weapon), I took the kids to the library playground.

Everyone was meeting at the post theatre to see them off. Truthfully, it is the most depressing thing, but I just can't imagine missing those last couple of hours with him. It's a love/hate thing. We've done goodbyes both ways...with no fanfare and no meeting place. Just drop off at the company and say goodbye. And the other side of the coin...families everywhere, a "ceremony" so to speak, and drinks and snacks out for the hours of waiting. Both have their pros and cons. However, they both end in the same way...tearful goodbyes.

Anyway, the boys were excellent. Colten started getting a little antsy the longer we were there, but overall, he was excellent. LTG (Lieutenant General) Helmick spoke very briefly (love him for that!) and then we had just a bit more time before they called for final manifest. I was fine...really. Well, until our Battalion commanders wife (Jeanne) came and asked me how I was. Tears came and I got choked up. Yep, it just takes 4 words to get to me right now..."how are you doing?"

So, we say goodbye. It's a personal thing, so I'll just say that I love my husband and how he loves his family so much!

So, we had said goodbye before his name is called because when they are called they go out to the buses. We wanted to see what bus he got on so the boys and I could wave bye. Colten decides it's time to leave and heads on up the aisle. Silly boy! Jeanne grabs him before he can escape the building since a few people got in front of me before I could get to him. She picks him up and walks outside with me. I guess I either look like I'm about to lose it or people think I have my hands full with 3 boys...not only did (who I can only assume is) LTG Helmick's wife come up and talk to me, but LTG Helmick himself came up and talked to me. He asked me what deployment this was for us (3rd, each a year long or more) and we talked about how it never gets easier, no matter how many you go through.

It was a hard night, but I am happy to say that it's almost over. We got dinner on the way home and the boys did a great job getting ready for bed without complaint. We listened to Daddy read a book that he recorded (LOVE the Hallmark books) before he left and then put Colten to bed. Austin stayed up, helped me clean up the living room and then we snuggled until his bedtime. Aiden was just put down a bit ago and now it's time for me to head that way too.

I have some pictures on my camera, but I'm going to post them tomorrow or the next day.

This year is going to be challenging. I really have to stop thinking about how much growing up the boys are going to do because that just makes me tear up. We are going to make it though...and we are going to be ok. More than ok...we are going to thrive and grow and be a better family because of this. We will be more thankful for each other and will know what a gift it is to be together.

Tomorrow, we will be one day closer to seeing Brian again. And each day is better because of that fact. :-)

Army Friends

2011-01-13T12:33:00.002-06:00

They are different than civilian friends. They are usually people that you normally wouldn't have ever had the pleasure of knowing if it weren't for the Army. They come from different states, went to different schools, and root for different teams (Go Hogs!). However, the Army brings them into your life for a while (hopefully more than once!) and you bond quickly. We laugh together, cry together, and "wine" together. :-) When the time comes to PCS, you say goodbye and hope that the Army brings your families together again down the road. If not, you still stay in touch, send Christmas cards, and visit when you're in "the area" (you know, in the same state or even just the same region!).

The other day, I got the pleasure of taking family photos for our dear friends, The Fleshman's. John will be deploying with Brian this month and they haven't had the time to go and get photos done professionally, so I told them I'd help them out.

John and Jen are awesome people who would help out in anyway they could. This was the family that Austin was with when he had his first seizure. I am thankful it was them and not just any other neighbors that he happened to be with. Even before that night, I trusted them with my kids and it became apparent that my trust was in the right hands.

Their kids and our kids play together. Sometimes just like they were siblings...which means that they don't always get along EVERY time they are together, but they are always happy to see each other! :-)

I am thankful for the Army. It has given us true friends throughout the years to add to the civilian friends we already had. While the Army brought us together, it doesn't have to be the thing that keeps us together. Even after the Army, we know that there are just going to be people that we love so dearly that we'll keep in touch, visit with and always call our FRIENDS.

I Heart Faces - Smile!

2011-01-10T21:50:00.002-06:00

I know that it's been FOR.EV.ER since I entered a photo into the I Heart Faces contest, but I just couldn't resist entering this photo of Aiden. I also know that I just posted this photo yesterday in his 4 month post, but I saw what the contest category was after I had already put up his 4 month post and I was just too ~~lazy~~ busy to redo that post without the picture.

Aiden is so quick to smile these days and I just loved taking his picture this month. The string of drool just adds character to the photo, right? :-)

Go on over to the I Heart Faces website (by clicking the link or the button below) to see other fabulous smiles!

4 Months

2011-01-09T22:01:00.003-06:00

Aiden is 4 months old today!!! A third of a year old! Wow, it is going by WAY too fast!

I took his photos today and I think I might have to go back and crop his other comparison photos in to match this month's photo. When we switched the rooms around (photos to come soon!), we put the full size bed and the bedding into Austin's room and the light just isn't as good in there (plus, the bed is underneat a loft bed, so it's even darker in there!). So, I had to pull the bedding and pillows into the little boys' room to keep up the monthly photo so that it wouldn't be messed up! So, the black headboard isn't in the picture anymore and then Aiden decided he wanted to keep trying to sit up on his own instead of chilling in the pillows, so I had to stay close so I could make sure he didn't faceplant into the floor. :-) Silly boy!

So, here's this month's comparison picture:

I had a really hard time narrowing down the other pictures this month. I just really like how these pictures turned out today!

Yes, the kid is a drooling machine!

A few things Aiden is up to:

*He's still in cloth diapers most of the time. We use disposable every now and then. I've been experimenting to see if he sleeps longer with the cloth or with the disposables. I haven't seen a big difference, so I think he'll stay in cloth.

*He is such a smiley baby! He is really easy to smile and is pretty quick to laugh as well. There are a few things that you can say that he thinks is silly and will smile and then laugh at. A lot of it is nonsense words...but the other night he was laughing at "Rub a dub dub, 3 men in a tub."

*This boy is rolling over both ways now. Sometimes it takes him a while to roll from his back to his belly and then other times he does it in the blink of an eye. I'm not sure which he likes better...but he would really rather be in someone's arms. :-)

*He was sleeping through the night. Then we went and messed it up by switching rooms. The past week has been rough on me since I was getting used to a full nights sleep! He's been getting up at least once in the middle of the night, sometimes twice. I'm hoping he goes back to sleeping a full night again soon!

*Aiden is now 13lbs 12 oz and 25 inches long.

*He is grabbing at things a lot now. When he sees something he likes, he goes for it. The big brothers are on borrowed time with their toys! :-)

*Aiden LOVES his exersaucer. Santa brought it for him and he is already spinning around and playing with the different toys. You know when he's done when he starts getting really cranky though!

(I love this picture, but am a little disappointed that it's a bit out of focus. Still love it, though!)

*This kid is a talker! He just babbles all the time and I don't remember his brothers being quite as vocal.

*He's still nursing like a champ and had his first bottle in 3 months last week. He stayed with his Uncle Matt and Aunt Paula the other night for his first time with someone other than Mommy. He did great and was even fed by his cousin Anna! I don't think we'll be starting solids this month as he hasn't shown any interest in them. We'll probably start them around 5-6 months old.

*Aiden still likes to be swaddled. I don't think he has to be swaddled in order to sleep, but he just seems happier and more content when he's swaddled. Plus, he just looks so darn cute when he's all wrapped up!

We love this boy so much! I just can't imagine our life without him! He can brighten the day no matter what is happening. His big brothers love him and it's so sweet to see them give him kisses and for him to laugh at them. This little boy has completed our family like I couldn't have even imagined! It's fun to watch him grow and show his personality more and more each day.

Papa Visits! (Catch Up from November!)

2011-01-06T19:55:00.002-06:00

At the end of November, Papa and Miss Lois came to visit us! We had a fun week, but unfortunately, it was just one of those weeks where I didn't pick up the camera a lot. Hence, not a lot of photos. I think I took a picture or two on my camera of the night we played Kinect. It was a lot of fun and I think XBox may have some new customers soon! :-)

Papa loves history and the military stuff. So, we went to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum one of the days they were here. It was a great museum and had some older veterans there visiting as well that we talked to. It's always special to be able to talk with them and hear them remember the past.

We spent quite a bit of time walking around and reading about the exhibits. Colten started getting cranky near the end since it was his naptime, but he really did great during the visit.

Papa let the boys pick out their Christmas gifts while visiting. He took them shopping at different times so he could focus on them individually. I really thought Colten would be easy, but I think he took longer than Austin did because he just doesn't make decisions very well! He wants it all! Austin ended up getting some Beyblades that he has been begging us for, so he was a happy boy!

{as a side note: he had gotten a hovercraft-type thing made by Air Hogs. We ended up taking it back because it would only work for 3-4 minutes before it had to be charged again. I called the company and they said this is how it was supposed to work. Seriously? They're going to make a kid wait for 30-40 minutes for a toy to charge up just so they can play with it for 3-4 minutes? Ridiculous!}

The boys playing with the new toys.

Happy with the new toy!

Playing with Papa.

Picture time!!! People always grumble when I do this, but if it wasn't done, we wouldn't have the pictures later! :-)

I couldn't decide which picture to put in because I love both of them. Colten really is a silly little boy. He makes me laugh on a daily basis, mulitple times a day!

We were happy to have visitors. The boys always have some much fun and it's nice to visit with them after the kids go to bed.

Wooooo Pig Sooie!!!

2011-01-04T19:39:00.002-06:00

Let's go Razorbacks!!!

Our family is ready for the Sugar Bowl tonight!!! On a side note...not a bad family picture for deciding to do it just moments before taking it! :-) Brian went up and got the tripod and I set up while he got the kids wrangled.

Hope the Razorbacks bring it tonight!!!

2011...

2011-01-01T17:26:00.005-06:00

With today starting a new year, I think about what this next year will bring us. My first thought is that it won't be a very good one. I just want to get this year over with and see 2012 with our family back together again. Brian's leaving in just a couple of weeks and I just want to go to bed and wake up and it all be done.

But the very next thought is about all of the good things that will happen this year. The three best boys in the world will be growing before my eyes, providing endless entertainment (and yes, work as well!). I can't just fast forward a whole year of their life because of a deployment. I want to experience the little moments with them that I know will happen. I know that I'll look back and miss the days of them being little and if I had the ability to fast forward through the bad stuff, I'd miss the good stuff as well.

So, I'm torn. I want the year to go by fast so we can put this deployment behind us, yet I don't want to rush our boys to grow up. I know for a fact that I want the next couple of weeks to go by SLOW and whatever 2 weeks we get to see Brian for R&R to go by SLOW. It won't though...those are the times that will just fly by. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Normally, I try to change a thing or two for the new year. Resolutions or whatever you want to call them are sort of made in my head, but they aren't as concrete as some people make them. This year, this is what I want: I want to be a good mom and a good wife and get through this deployment in one piece. I want to yell less and hug more. I don't want to sweat the small stuff (although, I know that at times I will). I am going to try and accept help when I need it and not let pride take over as I try to do it by myself (this is a big one for me). I want our kids to know that they have two parents that love them to the moon and back and that no matter how far apart we are, our hearts are always together.

I think survival is key this year. There are things that I know won't get done. I'm not going to try and do a picture on the blog everyday like some people in the blog world. A friend of mine is giving up McDonald's for a year...nope, not a chance. I'm not going to make sure the house is immaculate, because who am I kidding? There are days now when it's not presentable! :-) My main focus is to get my family through this next year and try and enjoy it as much as we can even while missing a HUGE piece of our family...a HUGE piece of our hearts. That's my resolution...

A Look Back at 2010

2011-01-01T14:35:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year Everyone! I know I'm behind with not posting Christmas pictures and I also haven't posted pictures of the boys with their Papa who visited at the end of November/beginning of December. I'll get to them...I really will.

Right now, I wanted to take a look back at some pictures in 2010.

This time last year, we were doing this:

We were traveling on New Years Day to go to Memphis to visit family and to go to the Liberty Bowl to watch the Razorbacks play. It was a great start to the New Year and we had so much fun. This year, we are doing things a little differently, but that's for another post (later today, probably).

So, here's the rest of the year, as seen in pictures:

January:

February:

March:

April

May

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

Merry Christmas

2010-12-28T19:23:00.003-06:00

I have a ton of pictures to post, but my house is in upheaval with lots of toys and some switching around that we are doing, so I haven't been able to do much with the pictures.

Brian's family was in town for the last week, so I didn't spend a lot of time on the computer since we always seemed to be on the go or having fun with them. Rest assured that I took pictures though!

I didn't want to just leave the blog to the way side (anymore than I already have the past week), so I wanted to post our Christmas card that we sent out to some people. It was a last minute thing and I even have a couple of the cards still sitting on our counter that hasn't been sent out yet. Sorry to those who will be getting yours late. LOL

We didn't have birth announcements made for Aiden's birth, so this was kind of his debut to the world. Poor third child! :-)

Hope you had a great Christmas and that your New Year is awesome as well!

Smile!

2010-12-19T11:52:00.002-06:00

This little boy makes me smile so much!

Especially lately.

When he flashes this grin,

and his whole body smiles with him, I smile too!

Rudolph, Frosty, Jingle Bells

2010-12-17T22:25:00.003-06:00

They were all sung about at Austin's school on Wednesday. We got to go to the Kindergarten, 1st Grade and Pre-School Sing-a-long and it was a great show!

Austin has been singing the songs at home quite a bit. The one thing he didn't like was that his nose got painted red. He said it felt weird. I only have a couple of pictures of just him and it was after the show.

The rest have other kids in them and I didn't want to post pictures of other people's kids without permission, so I included one picture with everyone else blurred out.

They all did great though and we are so proud of Austin! Before he started pre-school last year, singing was WAY out of his comfort zone for some reason. Now, he has two holiday shows under his belt and it doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as it used to be. We look forward to many more shows over the years!!!

Tubes and Adenoids

2010-12-10T13:44:00.002-06:00

One was put in and the other was taken out of our dear, sweet middle son. Yesterday, at an hour MUCH too early, Brian took Colten in for an ENT doctor to insert tubes in his ears and then remove his adenoids. Yes, I said that Brian took him. Yes, it killed me not to be there with my baby, but that's the nature of the beast when you have a child that needs to get ready for school and the appointment is much too early to have him go to someone else's house. Plus, the hospital has these policies that say only one parent can be with them in certain areas, so it really was ridiculous to have both of us there just so one can sit in the waiting room the whole time.

Anyway, they said he did great. I ended up getting down there just as it was time for him to come home, so I took him from Brian so he could go to work and I brought our sleepy child home to recover. They had given him some morphine before releasing him, so they said he would probably be pretty sleepy most of the day. The doctor had told me before that it would probably be the next day that he'd be back to normal. I didn't really believe him though...I know my kids.

Let's just say that one minute he was like this:

And the next he was being silly like this:

He went from laying on the couch and being out of it to running all over the house like a crazy child (aka - a normal day in the Steele household).

Today, you can't even tell that he had surgery yesterday. Well, except for the medicine he has to take twice a day and the ear drops we have to put in his ears 3 times a day. Yeah, not fun. For any of us.

So, now we are hoping he will be able to hear normally after this and will start talking. The lack of vocabulary is what started all this anyway...he still only has a few words mixed in with his caveman grunts. We'll be getting a referral for speech therapy so that maybe he can catch up soon. That will probably start sometime in February since his follow up appointment isn't until the end of January. I'm sure it will take care of a lot of frustration he has when we have no idea what he wants!

3 Months

2010-12-09T14:03:00.002-06:00

3 Months...a quarter of a year old! I can't believe how fast time is going and how big Aiden is getting! Boy, you need to slow down!

Here's the monthly comparison picture. You can see the progression on the side bar to the right!

Aiden, you are starting to show your personality a bit more nowadays. Here's what you are up to lately!

*You are still nursing every 2-3 hours during the day, but are sleeping really long stretches at night.

*The last few days you have slept at least 7 hours in a row at night, which makes Mommy very happy.

*You are grabbing for things now.

*You started rolling over from belly to back just a few days ago (at 11 weeks).

*You smile a lot when someone talks to you. Your whole face lights up and sometimes you just can't help but let out a little squeal of delight.

*You watch TV no matter how much Mommy tries not to let you. You will crane your neck as much as you can to get a glimpse of that magic box.

*You like the swing and the rocking chair, but prefer to be held.

*You still like to be swaddled...all the time. You are our snugglie baby and like to be warm and cozy. You have a favorite blanket now to be swaddled in and it just happens to be the same blanket that both your brothers liked as well.

*You wear 3-6 month clothes right now, but will need 6-9 month clothes before the winter is over!

You are so much fun right now and I know this is just the beginning!

Day 30 - The Last One

2010-11-30T22:02:00.001-06:00

Today is the end of the month. November has just flown by and that's not what I wanted it to do. I really hope we can slow down December some and just enjoy the company of those we love.

Today, I am thankful for a few things. First, I am thankful that our friend, John, is ok. He and 13 others were injured today during a jump (out of an airplane for those of you not familiar with that term). They are all in for some rough days, I'm sure, but they're ok for the most part.

John is just the greatest guy and we love him and his family so much! I am not the most eloquent writer, and even less of one with things like this, so I'll just leave it at that.

I am also thankful today for my brother-in-law, Matt. He was promoted to CW4 today and it was a wonderful ceremony!!! I know the whole family is proud of him. In his wife, Paula's, words, "You're a kick ass pilot!" Congrats, Matt!!!

Healthy - Day 29

2010-11-29T21:10:00.001-06:00

I am so thankful for a healthy family! The Stomach Bug of 2010 had affected every single person of our family, even little Aiden. However, I am happy to say that we haven't seen any symptoms of the bug since early last week when I had to take Aiden to the ER because he had thrown up so much. The picture above is of him in his gown while we waited there.

So, here's to hoping the rest of 2010 is illness-free and that 2011 is too!

Day 28 - iPhone Apps

2010-11-28T22:07:00.001-06:00

Today I am thankful for the kid-friendly apps on my new(ish) iPhone. I can't even tell you how many times it has helped divert Colten's attention or helped beat the boredom that always goes with doctor appointments, grocery store trips and other places that parents dread taking their kids to.

A couple of the apps have no educational value whatsoever, but those are still fun and keeps the kids laughing. The apps I really like are the apps that teach something or review things the kids already know.

One more thing that I am thankful for is the Otter Box that protects my iPhone when the kids have their grubby, destructive little hands on it! I know that they are able to play and that my phone will still be relatively safe.

Day 27 - Visitors

2010-11-28T00:40:00.001-06:00

Today will be short and sweet since it's after 1am and we are just going to bed after a few hours of X-Box Kinect.

I'm thankful for some visitors that just came in tonight. My Dad and Lois are here to see us and I know the next week will be fun.

Goodnight since it's already morning! :-)

Day 26 - The Day After

2010-11-26T20:48:00.002-06:00

The day after Thanksgiving has its own traditions that go along with it. Going out at crazy hours to get the best deal, watching football all day, eating lots of yummy leftovers, decorating for the holidays. I'm sure that other families have other traditions, but these are just a few of the major ones.

I'm thankful for our family's traditions. The football games are on all day, leftovers are pulled out multiple times, and all the Christmas boxes are pulled down. Our house starts getting dressed for the holidays inside and out. Well, as long as we are actually home on this day. Some years we are in Arkansas or Missouri and in that case, we decorate as soon as we get home.

Brian wasn't able to start putting lights on the house because of rain, but I think he has plans to do it tomorrow. Well, at least until the Razorback game is on. :-) He usually gets them done as soon as he can. While we were looking at houses, one of the things he thought about for each house was what it would look like with lights on it. He's been planning and figuring out what he's going to do since moving in. He is a Clark Griswold at heart...he really is. However, he's also pretty money conscious, so the electric bill that would have to be paid after the holidays always keeps him in check. :-)

So, I'm thankful for having my family home today and going through the decorations with the boys. We put up one tree this evening and it was so fun to see them figure out the best place for each ornament. I can't wait until we get the live tree tomorrow so we can go through all the "family ornaments" since it's so much fun to remember who gave them to us and when we got them.

Day 25 - Day of Thanks

2010-11-25T21:43:00.003-06:00

Today is the designated day to be thankful. I'm really glad that someone in the blogworld had decided to try and get people to write "thankful" posts for each day of this month because there is just too much to be thankful for and it needs to be spread out so we can really think about the big and little things that we may take for granted the rest of the year.

Today, we had Brian's brother and his family over for dinner. Paula, my sister-in-law, and I were each responsible for certain dishes on the menu. I think she had the harder dishes and for that I am thankful! :-) I don't think we would have been eating very well if the lists were swapped. For one, I don't have the recipe for the famous cornbread dressing. Not only did the dressing get made from scratch, the rolls were made from scratch as well. Yeah, it would have been Sister Schubert rolls if I were in charge of that! Of course, Sister Schubert is pretty awesome, so I don't think anyone would have complained. The homemade rolls were just better...they always are! I DID make the mac n cheese from scratch and not from the box. Are ya proud? I figured you would be! Anyway, I'm thankful for Paula and her awesome cooking abilities.

I also have to say that I'm very thankful that Aiden hadn't gotten sick since last night. I have never witnessed a 2 month old getting sick like that before and I hope I never have to again! He was in a great mood for most of the day and even tolerated some time to himself in the swing so that I could get my part of the meal fixed.

I'm thankful that the cousins get to see each other so much now that we are stationed at the same place again. I grew up with a lot of cousins around and I am so happy that my boys get to experience the wonderful relationship that cousins can have.

I'm thankful for Brian's help throughout the day. Actually, I think we all pitched in pretty well to get the food on the table and the kitchen cleaned up afterwards! Brian really is a wonderful husband though.

I'm also thankful for being able to talk to some of my family today since we didn't travel to see anyone. While it is really nice not to have to plan where to go and what time we have to be there, we really miss seeing those we love.

Finally, I am thankful for the prospect of being able to sleep in tomorrow. No, I am not Black Friday shopping. We don't really see anything that we want to get anyone that is worth the craziness and lack of sleep to get it. There are definitely things that I see that I would want, but we are supposed to be shopping for other people, not ourselves right now. SO, while all you nutso people are out freezing your butt off, waiting in line, and putting yourselves at risk of being trampled, I will be warm and snug in my bed....until at least 9am! :-)

{Yes, I realize I didn't make a post for the 23rd. I went to bed a little worried about our little boy who had started throwing up that night. I completely forgot to post something because of that. Oh well...at least I'm not quitting!}

Day 24 - Health

2010-11-24T21:22:00.002-06:00

Today wasn't exactly a healthy day for our family. Actually, the last week has been the complete opposite of healthy for us! However, today I am thankful for the health that we DO have. A stomach bug is nothing compared to what some families are dealing with right now and I was reminded of that today on the way home from the Pediatric ER.

Last night, Aiden came down with the stomach bug that we have all had. I was really hoping he wouldn't get it, but he did. There's not much else I could have done to prevent it, but I still feel bad that he's dealing with it.

This morning, I found that he had thrown up in the middle of the night at some point, then he threw up 3 more times before I could get the kids ready and out the door to get him to see a doctor. The military clinic on post was completely full so the advice nurse instructed me to take him to the ER because of his age.

5 hours, blood work, a catheter, an x-ray, and an hour of IV fluids later and we were walking out the door of the hospital with instructions to return if he got worse. On my way to Paula's house to get the older kids, the radio station that the radio was tuned to was raising money for research on pediatric tumors. It made me think of all the families out there that will be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital with their sick kids. The families that will still be there spending Christmas in the hospital as well.

So, while I do feel so very sorry for my sweet Aiden, I am thankful that it is only the stomach bug. I'm thankful that we won't be spending our holidays in the hospital worried about what is going to happen next. I have 3 wonderfully healthy kids (you know, when they're not sick with the stomach bug) and I thank God for that every night.

4 out of 5 - Day 22

2010-11-22T21:00:00.004-06:00

Today, I am thankful that Brian is feeling better than he did this morning. He was victim #4 of the stomach bug that has been plaguing our house since last Wednesday.

I am still hoping that Aiden never catches it. I don't know if I can handle seeing a 2 month old throw up. I hope that since I am breastfeeding him, that he got the antibodies from me and won't end up sick. It seems to be working so far, but I'm still kind of holding my breath.

I am also thankful for my brother Jimmy. It's his birthday today. He's 21 years old today! He got married last month and he and his new wife, Eryn, are expecting their first baby in June. They are also looking forward to being a military family starting next August (when he goes to basic for the Navy and no, he has no idea why it's so far off from now). Lots of changes for them! Happy Birthday, Jimmy! Hope you had a great day!

Lunch and a Movie - Day 21

2010-11-21T22:14:00.003-06:00

Today I am thankful for some girl time with a friend.

Brian had arranged for Heather to get me out of the house yesterday for the party he had planned. When the party was canceled because of the stomach bug, those plans were canceled as well.

Since I was feeling a lot better, Brian said I should call Heather up and see if she wanted to go today.

I still took Aiden with me, but it was just so nice to go out and have adult conversation. Lunch at Olive Garden and seeing the new Harry Potter movie was just a bonus.

I had a great time with a great friend and Brian had everything under control at home. I didn't even have to cook dinner! It's almost as if my birthday was two days this year instead of just one!

Birthday Plans - Day 20

2010-11-20T18:50:00.002-06:00

Today, I am thankful for my husband, Brian. I am always thankful for him, but today I am even moreso. This week hasn't been the easiest. Austin was sick for 2 days, then Friday morning I woke up early (way too early) with the same stomach bug that he had. That afternoon, Colten woke up from his nap with the same bug.

Not only had Brian stayed home that day to help with Colten (actually take Colten out of the house so I could get some rest and some errands could be done), he also picked up the downstairs before I got up that morning so I wouldn't feel the need to do anything while feeling bad. I guess he didn't realize that I was feeling so bad that I didn't care one bit what the house looked like, but it was nice to see the kitchen cleaned and the living room floor picked up.

After Colten got sick, I was finally told that he also had big plans for my birthday. However, with Colten getting sick, those plans probably needed to be canceled. My wonderful husband had planned a surprise party for my 30th birthday. Friends had been invited, a plan to get me out of the house was already in the works, and North Carolina BBQ had been ordered as well.

I love that he planned all this and I know it would have been so much fun! One little bug messed up those plans, but today turned out pretty good anyway. I woke up feeling much better, in fact, I woke up starving. A trip to Waffle House for breakfast, a stroll through Wal-Mart toy department with the boys (for Christmas ideas, not a thing was bought), some NC BBQ that Brian went and got anyway, and an ice cream cake for dessert. A day with my family. What more could a girl want? Brian made sure that this day was special despite the canceled plans.

Tomorrow, while not my birthday, I will still get to go out to lunch and a movie with a friend. Brian is staying home with 2 of the kids while I bring the little one with me (he hasn't had a lot of time on the bottle and I really don't want to leave Brian with a baby who won't eat). I look forward to the afternoon out and being able to have some adult time with another girl! :-)

So, thank you, Brian. For everything you have done this weekend (and every other day as well!). You are an awesome husband!

Over - Day 19

2010-11-19T21:42:00.001-06:00

I'm keeping this short since I don't feel all that great. I am thankful that this day will be over soon. My day started at 3 am when I started getting sick. Apparently, Austin passed his wonderful stomach bug onto me.

Oh, but wait. It gets better. Colten woke up from his nap getting sick in his bed. Nasty!

So I'm glad I am going to bed and am hopeful that tomorrow will be better. Goodnight!

Getting Better on Day 18

2010-11-18T20:47:00.003-06:00

Today, I am thankful that Austin is feeling better. He went to bed last night not feeling so hot. He got sick again right before going to bed and ended up sleeping with me in my bed while Brian slept in the guest room.

We don't normally let our kids sleep in our bed. It's too small and no one ends up getting much sleep. However, Austin sleeps in a bunkbed and it's hard for him to get down to get sick in the bathroom. I didn't want to get up in the middle of the night to clean up another mess in the bed like the last time he had a stomach bug. Since sharing a room with Colten, Austin seems to not like sleeping in a room alone. Brian and I thought that this sleeping arrangement was just a lot easier than fighting with Austin over where he was sleeping.

Anyway, this morning, Austin seemed much better. He didn't look as sick, his fever was down and he said his stomach didn't feel as bad. He even asked for some toast for breakfast. I knew it was feeling a lot better when a friend of mine brought over some cupcakes and cheesecake and he asked for one of the cupcakes. :-) Over the course of the day, he started to milk it for all it's worth though. He'd ask me to take his dishes to the sick for him in a pitiful whine like he was starting to feel bad again. When I would ask him if he was feeling any better, he would say, "well.....just a tiny bit," in a way that I KNEW he didn't want to own up to feeling better and not get anymore special treatment. They learn way too early!

Tomorrow, it's back to school for Austin. He can't miss much more since he's already on 8 days missed now. I'm just glad that he'd pretty much done with the stomach bug and I'm praying no one else gets it. Especially me!

Day 17 - Check, check, check

2010-11-17T19:20:00.003-06:00

Today, I am thankful for actually getting a few things done on my to-do list. Yep, it's a small victory day for the blog, but with a sick Kindergartener, a {crazy} toddler and a {needy} 2 month old in the house, I'm looking at the bright side of things!

Austin came into our room sometime last night because he had alien dreams again. Just a bit later he was in the bathroom getting sick. Fortunately for me, Brian took care of it both times he had to get up. I had already gotten up to take our umbrella down from the patio table (we were getting a storm with some pretty gusty winds) and then got up again at 4:30 to feed Aiden. I don't think any of us got good sleep.

So, at home he stayed and my plan to get some things accomplished today was over. However, I did get some of my checklist done. Basically, all of my phone calls were taken care of and I actually saved us $25 a month by doing a couple of the calls. Once Brian got home, I also got the boys room picked up since I couldn't take it any longer. I wasn't going to make the sick boy clean his room today, and it took me all of 5 minutes to get it done. I need to go through a few more toys, but that will definitely have to wait until he's back in school.

Austin is out of school again tomorrow since he's now running a fever and has gotten sick a couple more times. Why he gets the stomach bug and not just the run of the mill cold, I have no clue. I'm just hoping he wakes up feeling better tomorrow so that he can go back to school on Friday.

Day 16

2010-11-17T08:21:00.002-06:00

So, I'm cheating a bit and writing this the next morning because I ended up falling asleep and not posting. I knew what I wanted to write about though...does that counteract the late post? I think so.

Today, I am thankful for a clean kitchen. I'm thankful for my kitchen being cleaned by my wonderful husband! Even the couple of dishes that had to be handwashed are clean and sitting in the dish rack drying. Sure, he could have dried them, but we don't do that in our house unless the dish rack is completely full. :-) We figure why do the work if it will get done just fine by leaving them out overnight?

It always look so nice to have counters that are not full of dishes and clutter. Brian even went through some of the papers, mail, magazines, etc that was on the counter. What's even better is that in the morning, things go much smoother when the kitchen is clean. Sort of like when you come home from vacation and the house is already cleaned because you did the work before you left.

So, I'm thankful and appreciative of the work that Brian did and that it's one less thing I have to do in the morning!

(especially since Austin is home this morning after getting sick overnight)

Middle Son

2010-11-15T22:14:00.003-06:00

Today I am thankful for our adorable middle son, Colten. At not quite two years old, he is in a stage that either has you pulling your hair out or laughing at the latest stunt he has done.

This kid is the most rough and rumble that a boy can be. He has been know to headbutt his older brother and bring him to tears while Colten just laughs. He has no clue that it hurts and just thinks it's another way to wrestle.

He just absolutely loves his brothers though. It melts my heart when he runs to hug Austin after school or when he kisses Aiden on the head. He loves to kiss and hug and will stop whatever he is doing sometimes to come over and show his love for you.

Today, we went to Wal-Mart and he was so good. He tried on a coat since he outgrew last years size and you'd have thought it was a toy the way he was smiling. As we passed a display of hats and mittens, he saw a Lightening McQueen hat. I showed him the Buzz hat, but there was something about the McQueen hat that caught his attention. I think you already know that Mommy couldn't resist and we came home with that hat. :-). He needed it anyway since it definitely covers his ears. If he likes it enough to wear it when it's cold, then that's enough for me!

So, today I am thankful for Colten and the time I get to spend at home with him (and Aiden, of course). He brings so much joy and laughter to this family and we thank God everyday for Colten Tyler.

Major Steele

2010-11-15T08:06:00.003-06:00

I'm going to brag about my husband today. He recently was promoted to Major and I really wanted to post these pictures sooner, but then he left for {almost} 2 weeks and I never had time to upload them all and post them. I'm doing it now, though, because I am so proud of him!

Brian had his promotion at the Iron Mike statue that's near where he works. We had a reception afterwards for people to come and have drinks and some food.

Here's COL Gamble talking about how Brian is such an awesome Officer. :-)

While the orders are being read. Apparently, my kids don't know what "attention" means. Yes, we let Colten run free during this ceremony. Doing that meant that we didn't have to worry about a screaming child...which is worse than a kid who's walking around aimlessly.

Brian really wanted Austin to be there so that he can help "pin him." The old BDUs used to have your rank pinned on, but the new ACUs have velcro, but "velcro him" sounds weird, doesn't it? Austin was really proud to do it and he did so well! Here he is taking off the old CPT rank. MAJ Land gave Austin a rank from his personal stash to give to Brian.

They had him throw it down on the ground and here he is putting on the new MAJ rank. He even hit his Daddy just like he was supposed to. (side story, when Brian told him that he could hit him, Austin said, "I can't do THAT!!!" If only he remembered the no hitting rules all the time!)

I did the honors of pinning the beret. I won't even say how long it took me to get the old rank off...let's just say it felt like it took forever!

The brand new Major.

And I had to throw in this picture of COL Gamble holding Aiden. So cute.

Again, I am so proud of my husband and all that he has done for our military! He's a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, grandson, nephew, uncle, friend, AND now MAJOR of the US Army.

We love you, Brian!

Day 14 - All Night

2010-11-14T21:55:00.002-06:00

{Day 14}

Today I am thankful for a FULL night of sleep! I actually felt human waking up this morning. Aiden went to sleep around 10pm, I woke him up to feed him at 11 and then he slept until 6:30 this morning. It really makes a difference when I'm not up feeding him at 2, 3, or 4am.

So, tonight, please sleep all night again. Ok, sweet boy? I thank you in advance.

PS. I'm also thankful for the ability to write this on bed on my phone so that it could be done and then I can roll over and go to sleep! You know, just in case Aiden doesn't feel the need to sleep as much tonight. :-)

Edited to add: Thanks to Jill for letting me know how to post to my blog from my phone.

Medication - Day 13

2010-11-13T21:49:00.002-06:00

Tonight, I am thankful for Trileptal, Austin's medication. Brian and Austin are spending the night at Matt and Paula's house and I know Austin is up later tonight than normal. Without this medication, we would be VERY nervous about a seizure happening and he probably wouldn't have been allowed to sleep over there. The seizures seem to happen late at night as he's falling asleep and since the first two have happened, we have tried to keep him on an earlier schedule as far as bedtimes go. We've had a few nights where his medication has been tested and thankfully, no seizures. Brian and I still worry, but we trust his medication enough to not let the worry get in the way completely. We really want him to be a kid and have sleep overs and stay up late every now and then.

Our biggest problem with his medication is a side effect that is fairly common with seizure meds...moodiness. The kid is having a hard time with this side affect and it seems to only be getting worse. He can lose it at the smallest things right now and I feel like we are getting a glimpse of the teenage years. Yes, that's how moody he's been. Today, he bawled over having to put on socks before going outside. Yes, lost it over socks. He gets a pretty bad attitude at times as well. It doesn't ever seem to matter about time of day or well rested vs. tired. Of course, it does get worse if he's tired, but we have problems even when he's well rested.

The good thing is that he's only acting like this at home and is holding it together at school. If it comes to the point where he can't hold it together at school, we'll start looking into changing things up. We don't want him to start getting into trouble at school and then hate school because he's always getting into trouble.

It's also good that his seizures have stayed away at a very low dosage. We are hoping that things even out and that Trileptal is the only medication we have to try out. Even with the moodiness, I am SO thankful to have something that is working. If for anything, so he can be a normal kid and not have to worry about what might happen if he stays up a couple of hours too late. Well, other than being a little more tired the next morning!

2 Months Young

2010-11-13T12:44:00.002-06:00

Oh Aiden...you are two months old now. Well, you are a few days older, but I am just now getting around to taking and posting your photos. You and your brothers just keep me so busy!

Right now, you are usually a pretty serious kid.

But when you want to smile,

You really smile! Which, always makes Mommy and Daddy smile.

It's sort of contagious like that, isn't it?

At 2 months, you are obviously smiling. This makes us happy since now you are interacting with us. You also are fine with tummy time now, but only if you're in a good mood. You have fallen asleep twice during tummy time and those have been great naps. Mommy is just too scared to let you sleep on your tummy any other time.

You have moved up into 3-6 month clothes. Some of this is because you were trying to push your feet through your 0-3 month sleepers and the onsies definitely didn't fit you anymore and some of it is because cloth diapers are just a tad bulkier than disposables and you need the extra room.

You still love to be swaddled and warm. However, you aren't as affected by the cold as you were before. You don't scream through your baths anymore and I can have you in a sleeper without a blanket for a little bit before you want to be wrapped up again. I'm very thankful for the big swaddling blankets that we received before you were born. They are getting used all the time!

You don't seem to have any interest in rolling over...thank goodness! When you are on the floor during tummy time, you do scoot a bit, but I am hopeful that you will not be as mobile as soon as your bigger brother, Colten, was. Maybe you'll give Mommy a little bit of a break?

You are still happiest in someone's arms. However, you will sit in your swing for a bit and even fall asleep in it sometimes. We are needing to change the batteries for it though, so sometimes it won't swing you for long. You also like sitting in your bouncer/rocker for a bit. There are toys hanging over the seat and you are starting to hit at them. Good thing Colten has bent the toy bar so that you can reach them! :-)

It's so much fun to watch you grow...but please don't grow up too fast!

Quality Time - Day 12

2010-11-12T21:26:00.002-06:00

{Day 12}

Today I am thankful for quality time. Brian was able to go and have lunch with Austin at his school. We definitely wanted him to do this before the deployment and today just seemed like a great day to do it. I'm glad they were able to have that quality time together without the interruption of little brothers or mom. Brian was telling me all about eating with Austin and two other boys who are Austin's friends. It's pretty funny to hear about the conversations about girls chasing them, pulling their pins (a discipline thing their teacher does) and all the things boys talk about.

On a side note, it was really funny this morning at how embarrassed Austin was about not having his lunch with him. I told him that we didn't have enough time to pack his lunch and that Iwould do it after he got on the bus and then I'd bring it to school for him. He kept saying that I couldn't do that and that it was different when he had forgotten it. He also kept offering to help me make his lunch so that I'd have enough time. He was really worried that he wasn't going to be bringing his lunch with him. Apparently, as it got closer to lunchtime, he got even more worried that I hadn't dropped off his lunch yet. I'm sure he was pretty stressed and then seeing his Daddy made it all worth it.

Today, I also got to have quality time with Brian, even with the two littles tagging along. :-) We went out to Toys R Us to get some ideas for Christmas for the boys. It was nice to walk around the store with him and see him really put thought into gifts for his kids. I'm glad he's getting to do it this year, since he might not next year.

As we were pulling through the gate to get onto post, the gate guard actually said that he loved seeing the quality time...especially with the deployments gearing up again. I don't know how he knew, or if he just took a guess, but this is precious time we are on here. I'm sure I've said it before, but every second counts at this point. Quality time is always huge, but when you know you won't see a loved one for a year, it's even more important!

The Military - Day 11

2010-11-11T23:11:00.000-06:00

{Day 11}

{I'm postdating this for yesterday since I was spending a little time with my very own veteran who came home early from Virginia. I did start writing it last night as he put our children to bed, but didn't finish the very end until this morning.}

Today being Veteran's Day, I am thankful for the members of our military, past and present. Being part of a military family, I see the sacrifice of our military members first hand. I see them leaving their families for days, weeks, months and sometimes even years at a time. Our own family will be starting our 3rd year long deployment in January sometime.

While the deployments are hard (to say the least) on all of us, I am so proud of my husband, my brother-in-law, my father-in-law and the rest of our military, both past and present. In Brian's words, "I do it because I have to, I do it because I want to and I do it because I was born to." He doesn't like leaving his family, but he knows this is what he was meant to do.

I also want to thank the family members of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. My heart breaks for those who have had to see the dreaded "green suiters" come up the sidewalk to their house. Those Gold Star Families are in my heart and prayers, especially on days like today.

So, while today is Veterans Day and it's a special day to thank all those who serve and have served in the past, please don't forget them on the other 364 days of the year. Their job doesn't stop...even today.

Surprise on Day 10

2010-11-10T20:50:00.002-06:00

{Day 10}

Today I am thankful for the surprise that Brian had in store for us! He got to come home today instead of on Friday!

The class Brian was in is supposed to be a 2 week course, however, there just happens to be a holiday weekend during the 2nd week and they were supposed to go to class on Wednesday to take the test, then be off on Thursday, then go in on Friday to pick up their certificates and take a class survey. This is all fine and dandy for those who are living at Fort Lee (the majority of the class). However, for Brian, that means he is stuck in Virginia for 2 extra days just to go to class for, at most, 15 minutes. Not cool in my eyes, but I understood the reasoning once Brian explained it to me.

I had to go to Wal-Mart after Austin got home from school to pick up some things. We were pulling into the driveway when Brian called. I talked to him for a minute or two and then asked if I could call him back after I get the kids and bags in the house. He said to give the phone to Austin instead and as Austin was talking to him, in pulls Brian!

Apparently, they weren't for sure that they were going to be able to release them early, but it did work out that they were able to in the end. Brian thought it would be fun to surprise us and we just loved it!

Now, Brian being Brian, that wasn't the only surprise he had in store. Oh no...he had gone and bought something as well. I guess the promotion to Major gives him this impression that we have a lot more money now or something since he has been on a bit of a spending spree lately!

So, he walks in and puts a box on the table that contained a new xBox (since ours/his keeps shutting off in the middle of playing) and Kinect. Yep, he couldn't help it. It just sounded too cool and he just had to have it.

I do have to admit that it's pretty cool. He and Austin were playing with it before bedtime and after we put the kids to bed, I got to play around with it a bit as well. It's really cool and just amazing how it works.

New toy or not, I'm just glad to have my husband back for the weekend. No, he's not going anywhere after the weekend, but he might as well be! He'll be starting back on long hours next week since his unit is still helping with training. I am just thankful that it's only another week and that at least he'll be here in the evenings to chat with and spend time with. I missed my husband!

2 Months - Day 9

2010-11-09T21:46:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for Aiden. He turned two months old today! Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and other times it seems like he's just always been apart of our family.

Aiden is just a bit more of a needy baby than the other two were. Either that, or my memory has failed me, which could be more of a possibility! He tends to be happiest wrapped tight in a blanket in your arms. He'll sleep for a bit in his swing or sometimes in his rocker/bouncer, but he sleeps the best (during the day anyway) in Mommy's arms. This isn't the case at night, thank goodness! At night, I can put him in his crib and he'll sleep 4-5 hours for the first stretch, sometimes longer. It helps that his crib is pushed up to our bed and is more of a sidecar type sleeping area, but it's still his own space and he's happy in there.

Aiden is wearing 3-6 month clothes...I have officially put up the 0-3 month stuff. When he wears them, he's in a size 1 disposable diaper. He is usually in cloth though and those I have adjusted just a tiny bit as he's grown a bit.

Our big two month old is definitely more alert now and is smiling a bit and making sounds. He's not very talkative, but he will when he wants and that's just fine with me! Aiden is getting more and more used to tummy time, but hasn't rolled over or anything yet (thank goodness!). He's got very good neck strength and is starting to bat at toys that hang over his his rocker/bouncer chair. Oh, and he's attached to a pacifier instead of his thumb. So far. There are times when he is trying to look for his thumb and sometimes when he actually gets it in his mouth. We'll see what he ends up doing as he gets older.

Aiden had his 2 month appointment today. I don't have exact measurements right now since the doctor we saw didn't have the best personality and we had a rough time in the office. I was just happy to get out of there! I'll see if I can get some unofficial measurements tomorrow and post them. He is about 11 pounds, so that shows how much he's grown!!

I'll have to post his 2 month comparison picture tomorrow when I'm not falling asleep at the computer! :-)

Day 8 - Time

2010-11-08T21:25:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for 2 more months. It's 2 more months that we have with Brian. It doesn't seem like a lot, but we get to have the holidays with him this year and that's pretty big in my eyes.

What has brought on this thankfulness? Why would I be thankful for this today? I went to a "Deployment Fair" that was put on by our Battalion. Basically, it's an open house for Soldiers and their spouses to fill out contact info paperwork and visit with the different agencies that provide services for them during the deployment (and during other times as well).

The military has really learned that families do better when they are prepared. When there is literature on all aspects of a deployment, families can prepare for all kinds of expected and unexpected situations that may arise when their servicemember is deployed. There are things for preparing the kids, financial stuff, emergency stuff, and even reunion. It's important to know where to go, who to talk to and what to do when things happen and these deployment fairs are a great way to find that information out.

This will be our 3rd year long deployment. While a lot of information is the same, some has changed and there are programs that are out there to help make the deployment as smooth as possible. Families also do better when these programs are taken advantage of. Things like family activities and free childcare help keep families going through the deployment and lessens the worry that a Soldier may have about leaving their family.

While it was important I check this information out again, it really brought the reality of Brian leaving again to the forefront. I could sit here and sulk about there only being 2 months left. However, it's 2 months that I get to make the most of. 2 more months of spending time as a family (you know, when he gets back home this weekend) and 2 more months preparing our children for the inevitable. It will probably go by way too fast, but we'll fill these 2 months with fun and family time.

Me Time - Day 7

2010-11-07T18:55:00.002-06:00

{Day 7}

I love my kids. I really, really do. But there are sometimes when I just need to get away and be me instead of just Mommy.

Today I got the chance to go out with two friends to a craft fair. Now, it wasn't totally kid-free since I took Aiden with me, but it was as close as it's going to get for a while. Plus, he slept the entire ride down there, the entire time in the fair AND pretty much the entire ride home. Can't get any better than that!

I just have to say that craft fairs like the one today totally inspire me to go out and do all kinds of projects...yeah, with all that spare time I have. :-) I walk from booth to booth thinking to myself, "I could totally do that myself for WAY cheaper." Then I never do. Must be why that person is making the money and I'm the one shopping.

Today, I got just a few things; mostly food items as gifts and a bottle of wine for our family during the holidays. It was nice to just wander around without being begged for toys or telling a certain boy to sit back down despite him being tightly buckled into the cart just 5 seconds ago. Seriously, the only "mom" things I did was nurse Aiden before we left and change a diaper. We drove back home, chatting about things women chat about and then it was back to reality as we pulled into the neighborhood.

So today, I am thankful for stress free shopping and some girl time with friends.

Relaxing - Day 6

2010-11-06T20:58:00.002-05:00

{Day 6}

Today I am thankful for relaxing Saturdays like today. It was rainy and dreary and just a perfect day to stay inside and just hang out. That's exactly what I did today. I got a few things done here and there, but nothing major. The kids had fun and I tried to not even worry about the hours that the TV was on today. I think we needed it though. Nothing on the agenda, nothing to rush to.

Brian did get out of the house today. We needed dog food (Abby and Koa, happily, had cat food for dinner and breakfast since we were out) and biscuits (since we were going to have breakfast for dinner tonight). Brian came into the room I was working in (trying to get the 0-3 month clothes packed up...sniff, sniff) and said he was going to Food Lion and asked if I needed anything else. As he was walking out of the room, he added that he was also going to visit the Verizon and AT&T stores.

We are terrible reception at our house and in the area surrounding our house. I drop calls right and left and sometimes can't even get enough signal to make a call. It's the reason we have to have a home phone and long distance to go with that phone service. We've been contemplating switching from Verizon to AT&T for some time now, but I guess Brian thought it was time to do more than contemplate.

We had decided not to do anything today. He called to let me know what he had found out from both companies. I said something about maybe getting them as our Christmas gifts to each other and doing it in December. He responded with something along the lines of "why not today?" I assumed he had already done it, but he was out in his car, just waiting for the green light. He came home with two iPhones tonight...and all the accessories that are needed for them.

Merry Christmas to us...in November!

Togetherness - Day 5

2010-11-05T23:26:00.001-05:00

{Day 5}

Today I am thankful that Brian was able to drive back from Virginia a little earlier than he originally thought. We were able to have family movie night tonight instead of tomorrow night, complete with Toy Story 3 and pizza. The boys were surprised when he walked in the door before dinner since I had told them that it would probably be after they were supposed to be in bed that he would be home.

I won't lie. The last week has been a challenge, but not too terribly bad. I think the one thing I am gonna have to readjust for the long deployment is the time that I get to bed. I won't be able to function for too long, going to bed at midnight or later and then getting up to feed Aiden and then again to get Austin ready for school. Even if I don't have to feed Aiden, it's still not enough sleep for me to be the best mom I can be. I get cranky when I don't get sleep and that's not a good thing to be when there's 3 kids hanging on you. :-)

This weekend is just going to be a weekend for us to relax and be together. We have no plans for Saturday, but I am going to get out with just Aiden and two friends and go to a craft fair. I feel I deserve a little me time. Plus, it will give Brian some time with Austin while I am gone and while Colten is down for his nap.

Staying Warm

2010-11-04T22:38:00.000-05:00

{Day 4}

There are some days when the littlest things brighten your day. Today, after my last appointment at the off-post OB that I saw for Aiden, I went to Old Navy. I was looking for a fleece jacket for Colten since he needs something a little warmer than the jacket that he has, but I didn't want something too bulky for his carseat. They didn't have their performance fleece jackets in yet (hello...it's November, why not???), but all the outerwear they did have was on sale.

I found this wool blend coat and just loved it. I like that it looks really nice but is still functional with the hood. It's not too bulky like the coat I have, so I'll be warm, but still be able to move and have my diaper bag on my shoulder without it falling off. Very important stuff, you know!

I also splurged and got a red scarf to go with it. I had a couple of scarves at home, but they're looking a little worn and there's just something about a really great, long, red scarf.

So, today I am thankful for finding a great coat and actually buying it for myself! I know, nothing profound or special, but something that brightened my day and there are just days when you need that!

Eating on Day 3

2010-11-03T21:50:00.003-05:00

{Day 3}

Today I am thankful for dinner with a friend. I don't think people realize the importance of adult interaction for a stay at home mom. Having two children crying, whining, needing diaper changes, making messes as soon as you get done cleaning up the previous mess, wanting to eat all.the.time and basically pulling you in all directions is just a blast all day long, but adults need other adults. Even if it's just to talk about our kids!

Laura invited us to dinner tonight and I always jump at the chance to go over there. Laura is an excellent cook and an even better baker. I told Brian that I probably shouldn't eat over there too often because she always has dessert and between that and her yummy dinner, I am eating WAY too many calories.

Between our two families, we have 5 kids all under the age of 5. Things can get pretty loud over there, but the conversation we get to have in between correcting the kids or getting them something to drink or play with is a welcome respite to the "kid-talk" I listen to the rest of the time.

So, thanks Laura for the dinner tonight. More important, thanks for being my friend.