Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Puzzle Box
So Max got me a puzzle box for part of my Mother's Day present. It was hand-crafted in Iraq, and it is BEAUTIFUL. I don't think anyone would be able to figure out how to get into this box. It's so intricate. I will be keeping some of my special possessions in there.
Precious!
How precious is she?! Her hair is getting so long. I can't believe how much my sweet baby girl has changed.
She is such a bookworm already! When she's not carrying around one of her stuffed animals, she's packing around a book! She looks like she knows what she's reading. It's seriously, so cute!
Oprah
I don't know about anyone else, but I have watched the Oprah show for as long as I can remember. I am SO sad to see her show go off the air. She's a very influential, strong, and inspiring woman! She has achieved many great things in her life, and I can only dream to achieve as much. I look up to her in so many ways. I watched her last show ever, and even shed a few tears! I will miss watching your show every afternoon, Oprah!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Dentists
Growing up, I had the WORST experiences with my dentist. He would tell me to raise my hand if I felt pain, and when I did, he would tell me to quit being a baby. He never really cared that I was in pain. He was a very old/grumpy man.
So you can now imagine how terrified I am of dentists! That dentist has ruined dentist visits for me. I am terrified! I tell people I would much rather have a baby, than go to a dentist.
Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I went to the dentist. (This is a completely different dentist!)I had a couple small cavities that needed filled. I told him how scared I would be a couple months before when he did the x-rays and was seeing what needed to be done. So he prescribed me a pill that would relax me when I came in for the fillings. I took it an hour before my appointment time. My sister had to take me to my appointment. On the way there, I remember telling her that I didn't feel any different. Well, by the time we got to the dentist, I was definitely feeling it! I felt so relaxed, tired, and just out of it! Then when we got in there, I started to feel giggly. I felt something like what being drunk would be like. My sister said she was so embarrassed because I was talking loudly and laughing. Then a prisoner walks in, and I really couldn't help but giggle. My sister, Rebecca, was hiding behind a magazine with Allie; shaking her head. Finally my name was called, and I go back. I lay in the chair and tell the assistant that I am just scared of needles. So she offered me some nitrous oxide as well. Well the combination of the 2 was making me even more loopy than I was! But I tell ya, I didn't care about the needles & drills in my mouth! I don't remember everything I had said, but I do remember the dentist and his assistant laughing the whole time.
Needless to say, the whole experience was pleasant for me. There was no fear and no pain! My new dentist is awesome!
So you can now imagine how terrified I am of dentists! That dentist has ruined dentist visits for me. I am terrified! I tell people I would much rather have a baby, than go to a dentist.
Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I went to the dentist. (This is a completely different dentist!)I had a couple small cavities that needed filled. I told him how scared I would be a couple months before when he did the x-rays and was seeing what needed to be done. So he prescribed me a pill that would relax me when I came in for the fillings. I took it an hour before my appointment time. My sister had to take me to my appointment. On the way there, I remember telling her that I didn't feel any different. Well, by the time we got to the dentist, I was definitely feeling it! I felt so relaxed, tired, and just out of it! Then when we got in there, I started to feel giggly. I felt something like what being drunk would be like. My sister said she was so embarrassed because I was talking loudly and laughing. Then a prisoner walks in, and I really couldn't help but giggle. My sister, Rebecca, was hiding behind a magazine with Allie; shaking her head. Finally my name was called, and I go back. I lay in the chair and tell the assistant that I am just scared of needles. So she offered me some nitrous oxide as well. Well the combination of the 2 was making me even more loopy than I was! But I tell ya, I didn't care about the needles & drills in my mouth! I don't remember everything I had said, but I do remember the dentist and his assistant laughing the whole time.
Needless to say, the whole experience was pleasant for me. There was no fear and no pain! My new dentist is awesome!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Anxious!
So in less than a month, I'll be starting my CNA class, and I am beyond excited. The day after my CNA class ends, I'll have my freshman orientation at LCSC. 3 days later will be my first day of college! Everything is starting to fall into place. I have found a daycare for Allie to go to that is less than $200 a month! (Which is GREAT compared to what I was gonna pay. The daycare at the college charges $425 a month. I am glad I shopped around!) Shortly after I start school, Max will be coming home! So I'll be very busy til he comes home. Thank goodness! It will make the time go by faster!!
As soon as he comes home....you better believe we are working toward baby #2! So excited for things to come!
As soon as he comes home....you better believe we are working toward baby #2! So excited for things to come!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
SO PROUD!
My sister has worked very hard for the last 4 years at getting her degree in Dental Hygiene. This last Friday, she graduated from college! I was beyond proud of her. It made my heart swell, and made me cry a little. I didn't think I would get that emotional, but her road to that point was bumpy at times. There were times she wanted to get out of the program because the cost was becoming so great(The cost of the Dental Hygiene program is VERY expensive). But she didn't. She stuck with it, and proved to everyone that told her she couldn't do it....that she could!
My sister has been one of my best friends since we were just babies. I am so grateful to have her in my life, and just SO darn proud of her and her accomplishments. I love you Rebecca!
My sister has been one of my best friends since we were just babies. I am so grateful to have her in my life, and just SO darn proud of her and her accomplishments. I love you Rebecca!
Amazing!
I think it is so amazing how much Allie looks like me when I was a baby! I've already made a post on here with a picture of me as a baby, but here are some more. More proof that she could be my clone!!
That's me in the high chair, and my sister next to me.
Going for a little ride.
I'm on the far left, then my brother, and my sister.
My sister and I have been best friends since we were babies!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Smarty Pants!
Allison is seriously so smart! Here are just a few examples:
1. When I ask her if she went potty, she reaches down and touches/grabs her diaper! I'm thinking since she knows that's where she potties, that potty training will be a little easier.
2. She shows me her muscles. I did not teach her this. She just did it one day. So now when I tell her to show me her muscles, she does.
3. Allie knows what she should not be getting into. So when I find her getting into those things, she looks at me and give me the biggest, cheesiest, cutest grin she can to try to distract me from the fact that she's being naughty. If she has something in her hands that she shouldn't, when she sees me walk up, she'll offer it to me. She's so funny!
1. When I ask her if she went potty, she reaches down and touches/grabs her diaper! I'm thinking since she knows that's where she potties, that potty training will be a little easier.
2. She shows me her muscles. I did not teach her this. She just did it one day. So now when I tell her to show me her muscles, she does.
3. Allie knows what she should not be getting into. So when I find her getting into those things, she looks at me and give me the biggest, cheesiest, cutest grin she can to try to distract me from the fact that she's being naughty. If she has something in her hands that she shouldn't, when she sees me walk up, she'll offer it to me. She's so funny!
Busy Little Bee
Allison is now a full blown walker! She walks everywhere, and sometimes tries to run. She can't quite run yet. She'll try to run, and as soon as she gets going fast, she'll fall down. She'll get right back up and try again.
Allie loves going to the park. Her favorite thing is the slide. She hates the swings-they scare her.
Isn't she the CUTEST?!
Allie loves going to the park. Her favorite thing is the slide. She hates the swings-they scare her.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Cherish Your Children
I have had this devastating story on my mind for the last week. I can't quit thinking about it, and the family that it happened to. Max and I went to school with one of the family members.
The Friday before Easter, the mother dropped her 16 month old daughter off at the babysitter's house. Little did she know, that would be the last time she would see her daughter alive. She remembered telling her husband as they left the babysitters that she hopes that they would watch her every second, because she was so fast.
A while later, she was told something that would change her life forever. She was told that her sweet little baby girl was missing.100's of people came to help look for Jayci. There were search helicopters, and divers. They didn't find her until the next morning. They found the sweet baby's body in the river. She had drowned. The family has such a huge faith in Christ, and they know that God took their daughter for a reason. They find peace in that. They still ache for their daughter, but know she is in a better place now.
Love your children. Hold them close tonight, because you never know when they can be taken from you. Memorize their faces and their laughs. Breathe in their scent and smooth your hand over their cheeks. You need their grace to realize your own. Try not to lose your temper with them. Tell them you love them as much as you can. Give them hugs as much as you can. Try not to be mad at them. Forgive them. Life is so precious.
The Friday before Easter, the mother dropped her 16 month old daughter off at the babysitter's house. Little did she know, that would be the last time she would see her daughter alive. She remembered telling her husband as they left the babysitters that she hopes that they would watch her every second, because she was so fast.
A while later, she was told something that would change her life forever. She was told that her sweet little baby girl was missing.100's of people came to help look for Jayci. There were search helicopters, and divers. They didn't find her until the next morning. They found the sweet baby's body in the river. She had drowned. The family has such a huge faith in Christ, and they know that God took their daughter for a reason. They find peace in that. They still ache for their daughter, but know she is in a better place now.
Love your children. Hold them close tonight, because you never know when they can be taken from you. Memorize their faces and their laughs. Breathe in their scent and smooth your hand over their cheeks. You need their grace to realize your own. Try not to lose your temper with them. Tell them you love them as much as you can. Give them hugs as much as you can. Try not to be mad at them. Forgive them. Life is so precious.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Things you shouldn't say to a military wife
I didn't write this, I found it online...just so everyone knows!
1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"
This one comes in at number one on the "duh" list for every military wife. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers in the backs of our minds -- but thanks, brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.
2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."
This is intended to be a compliment, but it's just a little annoying. Here's why: It's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cellphones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable; we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So, we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.
3. "At least he's not in Iraq."
This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.
4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas / anniversary / birthday / birth of a child / wedding / family reunion, etc.?"
Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.
5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"
Short answer: try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.
6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"
This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq because there is work that needs to be done.
7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."
Sure, we do learn coping skills, and it's true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.
8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."
This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three-week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12–15-month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an IED (improvised explosive device), your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12-month combat deployment to a business trip is like comparing a Ford Taurus with a Mercedes convertible.
9. "Wow, you must miss him."
This one also gets another big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not, and they're now divorced.
10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"
I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for nine years and at war in Iraq for seven years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day -- and on maps everywhere.
11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there."
Yes, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid, ignorant comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything -- he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.
12. "Don't you miss sex? I couldn't do it!"
Hmmm. Seriously ... military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.
13. "Well, in my opinion ..."
Stop right there. I didn't ask for your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a restaurant when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our butts off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are inviting them to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the president. Especially while we're trying to heat up our Lean Cuisine in the crappy office microwave.
Last but not least ...
14. "Oh, that's horrible ... I'm so sorry!"
He's doing his job and he's tough. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our military fights the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad and you stay safe.
1. "Aren't you afraid that he'll be killed?"
This one comes in at number one on the "duh" list for every military wife. Of course we're afraid. We're terrified. The thought always lingers in the backs of our minds -- but thanks, brilliant, you just brought it back to the front. Maybe next you can go ask someone with cancer if they're scared of dying.
2. "I don't know how you manage. I don't think I could do it."
This is intended to be a compliment, but it's just a little annoying. Here's why: It's not like all of us military wives have been dreaming since childhood of the day we'd get to be anxious single moms who carry cellphones with us to the bathroom and in the shower. We're not made of some mysterious matter that makes us more capable; we just got asked to take on a challenging job. So, we rose to the challenge and found the strength to make sacrifices.
3. "At least he's not in Iraq."
This is the number one most annoying comment for those whose husbands are in Afghanistan. What do they think is happening in Afghanistan? An international game of golf? Guys are fighting and dying over there.
4. "Do you think he'll get to come home for Christmas / anniversary / birthday / birth of a child / wedding / family reunion, etc.?"
Don't you watch the news? No! They don't get to come home for any of these things. Please don't ask again.
5. "What are you going to do to keep yourself busy while he's gone?"
Short answer: try to keep my sanity. Maybe there's a military wife out there who gets bored when her husband leaves, but I have yet to meet her. For the rest of us, those with and without children, we find ourselves having to be two people. That keeps us plenty busy. We do get lonely, but we don't get bored, and drinking massive amounts of wine always helps keep me busy.
6. "How much longer does he have until he can get out?"
This one is annoying to many of us whether our husbands are deployed or not. Many of our husbands aren't counting down the days until they "can" get out. Many of them keep signing back up again and again because they actually love what they do or they VOLUNTEER AGAIN and AGAIN to go back to Iraq because there is work that needs to be done.
7. "This deployment shouldn't be so bad, now that you're used to it."
Sure, we do learn coping skills, and it's true the more deployments you've gone through, the easier dealing with it becomes. And we figure out ways to make life go smoother while the guys are gone. But it never gets "easy" and the bullets and bombs don't skip over our guys just because they've been there before. The worry never goes away.
8. "My husband had to go to Europe for business once for three weeks. I totally know what you're going through."
This one is similar to number two. Do not equate your husband's three-week trip to London/Omaha/Tokyo/etc. with a 12–15-month or more deployment to a war zone. Aside from the obvious time difference, nobody shot at your husband or tried to blow him up with an IED (improvised explosive device), your husband could call home pretty much any time he wanted to, he flew comfortably on a commercial plane, slept between crisp white sheets and ate well, paying for everything with an expense account. There is no comparison. We do not feel bonded to you in the slightest because of this comment and, if anything, we probably resent you a bit for it. Comparing a 12-month combat deployment to a business trip is like comparing a Ford Taurus with a Mercedes convertible.
9. "Wow, you must miss him."
This one also gets another big "duh". Of course we miss our men. There are some wives who do not, and they're now divorced.
10. "Where is he exactly? Where is that?"
I don't expect non-military folks to be able to find Anbar Province on a map, but they should know by now that it's in Iraq. Likewise, know that Kabul and Kandahar are in Afghanistan. Know that Muqtada al Sadr is the insurgent leader of the Mahdi Army in Iraq and that Sadr City is his home area. Know that Iran is a major threat to our country and that it is located between Afghanistan and Iraq. Our country has been at war in Afghanistan for nine years and at war in Iraq for seven years. These basic facts are not secrets, they're on the news every night and in the papers every day -- and on maps everywhere.
11. "Well, he signed up for it, so it's his own fault whatever happens over there."
Yes, he did sign up. Each and every day he protects your right to make stupid, ignorant comments like that. He didn't sign up and ask to be hit by anything -- he signed up to protect his country. Oh, and by the way, he asked me to tell you that "You're welcome." He's still fighting for your freedom.
12. "Don't you miss sex? I couldn't do it!"
Hmmm. Seriously ... military spouses learn quickly that our relationships must be founded on something greater than sex. We learn to appreciate the important things, like simply hearing their voices, seeing their faces, being able to have dinner together every night. And the hard truth is, most relationships probably couldn't withstand 12 months of sex deprivation.
13. "Well, in my opinion ..."
Stop right there. I didn't ask for your personal political opinions. Hey, I love a heated political debate, but not in the grocery store, not in Jamba Juice, not at Nordstrom, not in a restaurant when I'm out with my girls trying to forget the war, and CERTAINLY NOT AT WORK. We tell co-workers about deployments so when we have to spend lunch hours running our butts off doing errands and taking care of the house, dog and kids, they have an understanding. We do not tell co-workers and colleagues because we are inviting them to ramble about politics or because we so eagerly want to hear how much they hate the president. Especially while we're trying to heat up our Lean Cuisine in the crappy office microwave.
Last but not least ...
14. "Oh, that's horrible ... I'm so sorry!"
He's doing his job and he's tough. Don't be sorry. Be appreciative and please take a moment out of your comfortable American lives to realize that our military fights the wars abroad so those wars stay abroad and you stay safe.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Better late than never!
It's been just over a month since Allie's birthday party, and I am JUST NOW getting to putting up some pictures of the special day. Enjoy!!
And the details....
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