As most of you know, my better half is serving a long deployment in Iraq. Last week we hit the 6 month mark. I wish I could say that we're half way through...but we're not. *sigh*
God has been so good to us through this time. But it's still a hard, lonesome road. It's hard to be separated. It's hard to see what Chris is missing - and it's hard to know that the boys are missing their daddy.
I am sad that Chris and I are apart - but am more saddened that the boys and him are apart. Every time they learn something new -every time they do something cute - every time they need more than I can give - I wish I could share it with him. Sure I can pull out the camera or video camera and send him pictures and videos. "Hey honey, Will is pulling up like a pro - hey babe, listen how well Luke speaks..." And that's great - it's really really great (as I know those who have served in past wars didn't get that sort of availability to pictures and videos from home)... but it's sadly still not the same as actually being there to experience it.
As the father and husband he is, I know Chris's heart is broken. I know he longs to hold and know his children. His sacrifice is great - and I just wanted to say how very VERY proud I am of him. He doesn't want to be away - but he has to be - we have no control of it. He has provided an amazing service and sacrifice for this country...and also for our children. So I just wanted to say a big Thank You to the love of my life. Chris, we love you and miss you - and can't wait for you to come home!
And - just to prove that these deployments really do end - here's a little video of our last one. I look at this video and see God's faithfulness. It reminds me that though the road may be long...God is with us all along the way - and there is an end in sight! =)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Arrrrgggg!
Friday night was a very fun night for Luke! Matt, Michelle, Landon, Luke and I all went to the "Night of the Living Zoo" event here in town. The kids get in their costumes, and the zoo is transformed into a fun little maze of candy, animal exhibits and informational tables. Luke had a great time - I think he especially liked the spiders! eeeeeek!
Anyway, here are some pictures of his costume. He's a pirate this year! Will has been sick and was unable to go, but he'll get all dressed up when we attend the church's "trunk or treat" event.
We have been keeping extremely busy - hardly even enough time to sleep these days! I think I drink about 5 cups of coffee a-day...mmmmm....coffeee.....=)
More later!
Anyway, here are some pictures of his costume. He's a pirate this year! Will has been sick and was unable to go, but he'll get all dressed up when we attend the church's "trunk or treat" event.
We have been keeping extremely busy - hardly even enough time to sleep these days! I think I drink about 5 cups of coffee a-day...mmmmm....coffeee.....=)
More later!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Sesame Street Live!
Last night we went to a live Sesame Street show at the local Civic Center. Uncle Randy was introducing the show with his co-workers Mike and April. Michelle, Landon, Luke and I arrived early and the boys were eagerly anticipating the arrival of Elmo and his friends! The show didn't disappoint as both Landon and Luke had a blast! Here are some pictures of the evening:
The boys eagerly waiting for the show to begin...
Randy helping to introduce the show...
Michelle and Landon enjoying the show...
Bert and Ernie!!
Elmo and the crew!
Cookie Monster!
Luke was star struck through most of the show...this is what he looked like...
Here are the $8.00 balloons they were selling. Needless to say, the boys didn't go home with any...'tis a bit pricy for a balloon.
It was a fun night!
Alrighty, the boys are clambering for my attention so I must run!
The boys eagerly waiting for the show to begin...
Randy helping to introduce the show...
Michelle and Landon enjoying the show...
Bert and Ernie!!
Elmo and the crew!
Cookie Monster!
Luke was star struck through most of the show...this is what he looked like...
Here are the $8.00 balloons they were selling. Needless to say, the boys didn't go home with any...'tis a bit pricy for a balloon.
It was a fun night!
Alrighty, the boys are clambering for my attention so I must run!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Updates...finally! =)
Wow. We have been B.U.S.Y.
I don't even know where to begin. =)
Maybe I'll start with an update on the boys...
Luke: Luke is getting so tall! I don't know his exact measurement, but I do know that a lot of his pants are way to short! He's so skinny that it's hard to find pants that fit him in the waist AND the length.
His speech continues to develop. He talks in sentences -though sometimes his word order isn't quite right or his pronouns aren't in the right places. It's too cute though. He'll say things like, "How 'bout Guka hug you." When what he's really trying to say is that he wants Guka to hug HIM. He can clearly express what he wants and doesn't want..."Luke, no take a nap!" And his memory is quite amazing. He can name colors and is working on the alphabet and counting. He LOVES doing his flash cards and puzzles.
He is eating better - though he's still a pretty picky eater. One day he'll love something - and the next day hate it. And seriously, what kid doesn't like Mac and Cheese...oh, wait, that's my kid.
The other day as I was changing his diaper, he told me he wanted to use his little potty. I asked if he wanted to use the big potty (as I hadn't bought him a little potty here yet) and he said, "no, little potty." So I said we'd have to go buy one. Of course, he wanted to go right then...and it just so happened to be nap time. I told him he'd have to wait until after nap time. This than sparked one of his many tantrums so he laid on the floor howling, "Guka get little potty!" I picked him up, told him Guka was at work and that after his nap, we would go get him a little potty. He finally went to sleep. True to my word, after his nap we went to the store to get his potty. Guka had returned from work before our trip and Luke was uber excited that Guka would be accompanying us to get the potty.
We found the potty section and Luke was immediately drawn to a Winnie the Pooh potty...which just so happened to be the most expensive potty there...$20.00. I found one for 8 bucks and tried to convince him that that's the one he wanted. "Look Luke, there's a forggie on this one..." To which Luke says, "Winnie Pooh potty..." After a few more attempts at showing him the cheaper potties, I caved and got him the Winnie the Pooh potty thinking maybe if he really liked it, he would USE it. I also purchased him some CARS pull ups.
The next morning, he once again expressed interest in using his little potty. So off we went to the Winnie the Pooh potty. I told him he had to take off his sleeper. He complied. Then I told him we had to take off his diaper. So we did. Then I told him he had to sit down on the potty. He considered this for a moment then jumped in my arms saying, "hug you, hug you!" I asked him if he was scared and he said, "yeeeah." So I grabbed Will, who was speed crawling around Luke's room, and sat him on the potty to show Luke that it was ok to sit on the potty. After a few more attempts, I put a pull up and clothes on him and finally got him to sit on the potty...with all his clothes on of course. So - we've really made no progress. This was as far as he got when we were in Germany. At this point, I'm not going to push him. His potty is there for him to see and use if he wants. In a few months I may try an earnest round of potty training to see if we can get anywhere. Eeeek, I cringe just thinking about it! Maybe I'll wait until Chris is home on R&R....hmmmmm...that sounds like a good plan....=) Muhahahahahahah!
Speaking of potties...I have to share this story. We have a lot of crickets out here. Now that the temperature is dropping, the crickets are coming inside. One such unfortunate cricket found the wrath of MeMe in the tune of a paper towel as a final resting place. Luke was being held by Guka and did not witness the crickets death sentence, but knew there was a cricket in the kitchen...he just wasn't aware the cricket had kicked the bucket. So MeMe took the deceased cricket to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. Luke, hearing the flush responded, "Cricket go potty."
Will: Will is recovering from an icky cold. He's also working on 4 teeth. Poor guy! Other than that, he's doing well. He is such a mover. He crawls at a run pace. He squirms and wiggles like a greased pig. He grabs with a grip of steel. He screams with the lungs of a pipe organ. In other words, Will does nothing half-speed. He oozes sweetness and charm. He's also strong willed and very active. He has the cutest giggle - and his smile just melts your heart. He is such a sweetheart!
He loves the nursery at church and doesn't know a stranger. He'll go to anyone and be happy anywhere. He outgrew his carseat and I had to get him a bigger one. He's still not that fond of being strapped in - but at least he's a bit more comfortable.
He is still nursing...a lot. He isn't much of a fan of baby food. He LOVES wagon wheels and cheetos - and table food in general. I guess he just doesn't want to take the time with baby food. Though this provides its own unique challenges as he's not mastered the art of eating table food very well and has choked more times than I can even count. He's doing a bit better though.
He is chatting up a storm - mamamama, dadadada, babababa, uuuuuuuuuummmmmmm, bupbupbupbup, bahbahbahbah, ohhhhhhh, uhhhhhhh, uh uh uh uh (this is what Luke refers to as Will saying, uh oh...) Of course there is a large variety of happy screams, screeches, sighs and mumble jumble that is just too cute for words.
He loves to play with his toys - and really loves to play with Luke's toys. This can cause some tense moments for Luke, but generally he's ok with sharing.
He is doing good with 2-3 naps a day. Usually a 15-20 nap in the morning, an hour nap after lunch, and sometimes another 15-20 min nap before supper. I wish I could say he's sleeping through the night....but he's not even close. He still nurses anywhere between 3-6 times during the night. Yeah - I don't remember what a good night's sleep is!
This last weekend proved to be overwhelmingly busy. My household goods arrived at 7am on Friday. Most of it went into a storage unit, but I've been sorting lots of toy, clothes and baby boxes here. I have a million more trips to make back and forth to get more boxes and sort and take back sorted boxes to store. Eeeek! It is nice to have our things though...especially with fall here. I enjoy buying new clothes...but can't quite afford a whole new wardrobe. =)
I've been doing a lot of work on videos and my new job for the church. It'll take awhile for me to find the balance of work and being a stay-at-home mom at the same time. It can be a bit challenging at times. The balance will come...it just takes finding it.
Chris is doing ok. He hasn't been able to check blogs, myspace, facebook or even ESPN for quite some time now. He may get his own internet line eventually which would solve that problem - and then he may be able to post again. He stays busy at work, but misses home and his boys more than words can even express. Keep him in your prayers when you think of it. I know he'd appreciate any thoughts and prayers you can send his way.
Well, I better stop and post this now...the boys will be up in a few minutes and if I don't do it now...it'll be another day...or week before I get it up! =)
I hope you are all doing well!
Here are some pics:
September:
Labor Day: Luke LOVED the pool! Aunt Jamie was a fantastic swim teacher and Luke picked up on it right away. He could have stayed in the pool all day!
Luke and Will dancing with Guka!
What a sweetheart!
Luke playing in his sand box with his "big gump twuck." He loves this truck. He'll pick up all kinds of things in the yard with it.
Will having a blast on the swings...
Luke riding his Diego motorcycle from Daddy...
Will enjoying the great outdoors...
Will loves to watch tv. Here he crawled up on his jumperoo box and parked himself in front of the screen!
What a cutie!
October:
Finally, a bath picture of Will! For the longest time I bathed Will and Luke together. This meant Will was in and out without much time to play. Now I give them separate baths and Will LOVES to splash and play in the tub. He is hard to keep up with though...he tries to pull up on the faucet and crawls around pulling all the soap and shampoo bottles into the tub. Oh well, at least he loves baths...it could be worse!
Luke is very helpful. =) I was doing some work on my computer and turned to see him brushing Will's teeth! HOW FUNNY!
You can see his front teeth peeking out!
Teething is no fun...
Blowing rasberries...
Smile!
Luke chillin' on the couch in the morning...
Upside down boy!
Leaping off the step. This is what Luke calls, "jumpen' in da water."
Jumpa-jumpa-jumpa!
Here is a small portion of the stack of boxes that came home to be sorted from the storage shed on Friday...there's so many more that need sorted!
Guka breaking down boxes after my first round of sorting...
What my room looked like in the midst of the inside sorting...still so much to do!
Luke walking around in my boots - this was quite a trip to watch!
Another shot of those teeth!
Will's walker arrived with our shipment - here he's standing with it...he hasn't quite figured out how to walk with it yet though.
The wagon came as well. Luke and Will both LOVE going on wagon rides. Sometimes Luke wants to go when it's just not possible to go...and this is the forlorn sight you'll see out the window.
Well, Luke is now up, so I gotta run! More later!
I don't even know where to begin. =)
Maybe I'll start with an update on the boys...
Luke: Luke is getting so tall! I don't know his exact measurement, but I do know that a lot of his pants are way to short! He's so skinny that it's hard to find pants that fit him in the waist AND the length.
His speech continues to develop. He talks in sentences -though sometimes his word order isn't quite right or his pronouns aren't in the right places. It's too cute though. He'll say things like, "How 'bout Guka hug you." When what he's really trying to say is that he wants Guka to hug HIM. He can clearly express what he wants and doesn't want..."Luke, no take a nap!" And his memory is quite amazing. He can name colors and is working on the alphabet and counting. He LOVES doing his flash cards and puzzles.
He is eating better - though he's still a pretty picky eater. One day he'll love something - and the next day hate it. And seriously, what kid doesn't like Mac and Cheese...oh, wait, that's my kid.
The other day as I was changing his diaper, he told me he wanted to use his little potty. I asked if he wanted to use the big potty (as I hadn't bought him a little potty here yet) and he said, "no, little potty." So I said we'd have to go buy one. Of course, he wanted to go right then...and it just so happened to be nap time. I told him he'd have to wait until after nap time. This than sparked one of his many tantrums so he laid on the floor howling, "Guka get little potty!" I picked him up, told him Guka was at work and that after his nap, we would go get him a little potty. He finally went to sleep. True to my word, after his nap we went to the store to get his potty. Guka had returned from work before our trip and Luke was uber excited that Guka would be accompanying us to get the potty.
We found the potty section and Luke was immediately drawn to a Winnie the Pooh potty...which just so happened to be the most expensive potty there...$20.00. I found one for 8 bucks and tried to convince him that that's the one he wanted. "Look Luke, there's a forggie on this one..." To which Luke says, "Winnie Pooh potty..." After a few more attempts at showing him the cheaper potties, I caved and got him the Winnie the Pooh potty thinking maybe if he really liked it, he would USE it. I also purchased him some CARS pull ups.
The next morning, he once again expressed interest in using his little potty. So off we went to the Winnie the Pooh potty. I told him he had to take off his sleeper. He complied. Then I told him we had to take off his diaper. So we did. Then I told him he had to sit down on the potty. He considered this for a moment then jumped in my arms saying, "hug you, hug you!" I asked him if he was scared and he said, "yeeeah." So I grabbed Will, who was speed crawling around Luke's room, and sat him on the potty to show Luke that it was ok to sit on the potty. After a few more attempts, I put a pull up and clothes on him and finally got him to sit on the potty...with all his clothes on of course. So - we've really made no progress. This was as far as he got when we were in Germany. At this point, I'm not going to push him. His potty is there for him to see and use if he wants. In a few months I may try an earnest round of potty training to see if we can get anywhere. Eeeek, I cringe just thinking about it! Maybe I'll wait until Chris is home on R&R....hmmmmm...that sounds like a good plan....=) Muhahahahahahah!
Speaking of potties...I have to share this story. We have a lot of crickets out here. Now that the temperature is dropping, the crickets are coming inside. One such unfortunate cricket found the wrath of MeMe in the tune of a paper towel as a final resting place. Luke was being held by Guka and did not witness the crickets death sentence, but knew there was a cricket in the kitchen...he just wasn't aware the cricket had kicked the bucket. So MeMe took the deceased cricket to the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. Luke, hearing the flush responded, "Cricket go potty."
Will: Will is recovering from an icky cold. He's also working on 4 teeth. Poor guy! Other than that, he's doing well. He is such a mover. He crawls at a run pace. He squirms and wiggles like a greased pig. He grabs with a grip of steel. He screams with the lungs of a pipe organ. In other words, Will does nothing half-speed. He oozes sweetness and charm. He's also strong willed and very active. He has the cutest giggle - and his smile just melts your heart. He is such a sweetheart!
He loves the nursery at church and doesn't know a stranger. He'll go to anyone and be happy anywhere. He outgrew his carseat and I had to get him a bigger one. He's still not that fond of being strapped in - but at least he's a bit more comfortable.
He is still nursing...a lot. He isn't much of a fan of baby food. He LOVES wagon wheels and cheetos - and table food in general. I guess he just doesn't want to take the time with baby food. Though this provides its own unique challenges as he's not mastered the art of eating table food very well and has choked more times than I can even count. He's doing a bit better though.
He is chatting up a storm - mamamama, dadadada, babababa, uuuuuuuuuummmmmmm, bupbupbupbup, bahbahbahbah, ohhhhhhh, uhhhhhhh, uh uh uh uh (this is what Luke refers to as Will saying, uh oh...) Of course there is a large variety of happy screams, screeches, sighs and mumble jumble that is just too cute for words.
He loves to play with his toys - and really loves to play with Luke's toys. This can cause some tense moments for Luke, but generally he's ok with sharing.
He is doing good with 2-3 naps a day. Usually a 15-20 nap in the morning, an hour nap after lunch, and sometimes another 15-20 min nap before supper. I wish I could say he's sleeping through the night....but he's not even close. He still nurses anywhere between 3-6 times during the night. Yeah - I don't remember what a good night's sleep is!
This last weekend proved to be overwhelmingly busy. My household goods arrived at 7am on Friday. Most of it went into a storage unit, but I've been sorting lots of toy, clothes and baby boxes here. I have a million more trips to make back and forth to get more boxes and sort and take back sorted boxes to store. Eeeek! It is nice to have our things though...especially with fall here. I enjoy buying new clothes...but can't quite afford a whole new wardrobe. =)
I've been doing a lot of work on videos and my new job for the church. It'll take awhile for me to find the balance of work and being a stay-at-home mom at the same time. It can be a bit challenging at times. The balance will come...it just takes finding it.
Chris is doing ok. He hasn't been able to check blogs, myspace, facebook or even ESPN for quite some time now. He may get his own internet line eventually which would solve that problem - and then he may be able to post again. He stays busy at work, but misses home and his boys more than words can even express. Keep him in your prayers when you think of it. I know he'd appreciate any thoughts and prayers you can send his way.
Well, I better stop and post this now...the boys will be up in a few minutes and if I don't do it now...it'll be another day...or week before I get it up! =)
I hope you are all doing well!
Here are some pics:
September:
Labor Day: Luke LOVED the pool! Aunt Jamie was a fantastic swim teacher and Luke picked up on it right away. He could have stayed in the pool all day!
Luke and Will dancing with Guka!
What a sweetheart!
Luke playing in his sand box with his "big gump twuck." He loves this truck. He'll pick up all kinds of things in the yard with it.
Will having a blast on the swings...
Luke riding his Diego motorcycle from Daddy...
Will enjoying the great outdoors...
Will loves to watch tv. Here he crawled up on his jumperoo box and parked himself in front of the screen!
What a cutie!
October:
Finally, a bath picture of Will! For the longest time I bathed Will and Luke together. This meant Will was in and out without much time to play. Now I give them separate baths and Will LOVES to splash and play in the tub. He is hard to keep up with though...he tries to pull up on the faucet and crawls around pulling all the soap and shampoo bottles into the tub. Oh well, at least he loves baths...it could be worse!
Luke is very helpful. =) I was doing some work on my computer and turned to see him brushing Will's teeth! HOW FUNNY!
You can see his front teeth peeking out!
Teething is no fun...
Blowing rasberries...
Smile!
Luke chillin' on the couch in the morning...
Upside down boy!
Leaping off the step. This is what Luke calls, "jumpen' in da water."
Jumpa-jumpa-jumpa!
Here is a small portion of the stack of boxes that came home to be sorted from the storage shed on Friday...there's so many more that need sorted!
Guka breaking down boxes after my first round of sorting...
What my room looked like in the midst of the inside sorting...still so much to do!
Luke walking around in my boots - this was quite a trip to watch!
Another shot of those teeth!
Will's walker arrived with our shipment - here he's standing with it...he hasn't quite figured out how to walk with it yet though.
The wagon came as well. Luke and Will both LOVE going on wagon rides. Sometimes Luke wants to go when it's just not possible to go...and this is the forlorn sight you'll see out the window.
Well, Luke is now up, so I gotta run! More later!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
New Do!
It's done and gone! I tried to hold out for as long as possible...seeing if I could wait until Chris came home - since he prefers my hair long...but I just couldn't do it (sorry babe.) I just didn't have the time or patience to take care of my long hair and it was pulled back pretty much every second of every day. So - I went in today and got it all chopped off. It feels great! I love having a wash-n-wear style. Wahoooo! =)
Right before I drove to the salon: I should have gotten a pic with it down - since it's gotten pretty long...but it's too late now! =) Here it is pulled back like usual...
After:
Right before I drove to the salon: I should have gotten a pic with it down - since it's gotten pretty long...but it's too late now! =) Here it is pulled back like usual...
After:
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