The Crow Family

Know What I Love...

2012-01-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Know what I love????

I love watching Jack playing with Gunner. He loves to "teach" him new tricks...Gunner loves it too because he gets treats.

I love watching Madeline play with Gunner. He is so much patience with her. She thinks he is her personal baby doll...just look at the way she carries him. Gunner lets her and he just has this look of "how much longer do I have to deal with her?"

I love Gunner's new collar and leash. J brought them home for Gunner...of course hunting orange right?

I love warm afternoons in January...its seriously in the 70s here. We are having so much fun in the backyard swinging, playing with the pup, playing basketball ....

and of course a little family game of tag football :) I also love that J is home with us so he can do these things...gah he has missed out on so much. We have lots of family time to catch up on. :)

I love when Jack smiles and he is missing his 2 front teeth...of how cute is that???

I love that I am able to stay at home with the kids so that I can go on field trips with them. Madi's school recently went to the museum...we had so much fun!

I love my husband for so many reasons...I love that he understands how important it is to me to lead a bible study so he volunteers to not only keep our children, but also children of other ladies in the study.

I love riding with my windows down in this great weather we are having.

I love that I got a card in the mail today from a friend I have not heard from in a while...there is just something about hand written letters ;)

I love that we are taking the kids to Disney soon. :)

I love that my mom is moving closer to us.

I love getting a milkshake after a tough zumba class...yes I did that...yes it was good...yes I know I defeated the purpose of the workout

I love hearing the sound of the garage door open at the end of the work day.

I love when J walks in the door he goes straight to the puppy and starts talking this baby talk stuff to him...he cracks me up.

So what are some things you are loving right now???

I Have An Announcement

2012-01-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

I have a special announcement I would like to share ....

It is something very exciting...

Our family is growing...

We have a new addition....

I would like to introduce you to GUNNER!!!

Gunner is our new puppy!! How cute is he???

The kids have been asking us for a while for a puppy...I finally caved. :)

My sweet friend, Wendy, has a precious dog that had a litter of puppies they were giving away so we decided to bring one home. We are not sure what kind of puppy Gunner is. We know that his mommy is an English pointer, but his daddy was a "visitor" lol
It took the kids a little while to settle on a name. Madeline came up with ice cream and spotty. Jack wanted a "hunting" name...so we put it all together and named him Gunner Spotty Crow.

So...what did you think the big announcement was going to be????

2012-01-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

I am linking up to Kelly's Korner - Show Us Your Life Military Families.
Kelly hosts weekly link ups with varying topics. I have participated in a few of the linky parties and I enjoy looking at new blogs :) I love this idea of getting to discover other military wives who blog.

So, for those who are new to this blog, I will give you a little run down of the Crow family.

We are a family of 4 - hence the name Just 4 Crow's

I am Jessica - a 30 something stay at home mommy who never stays at home (hehe) I am passionate about my Lord and I am passionate about supporting military wives. I love zumba, scrapbooking, and blogging. I am trying to learn to enjoy running...I love food so I need to love running ;) I am married to my high school sweetheart, Jason. We celebrated 10 yrs of marriage this past summer. Of course, thanks to the Army we celebrated apart (like we have so many other anniversaries) Jason has been in the Army reserves for 10 years. He has completed 3 deployments. 2 times for OIF (Iraq and Kuwait) and most recently for OEF (Afghanistan) I am proud of my soldier and the job he does.
Here we are:

We have 2 children - Jack and Madeline

Jack is our oldest. He is shy and quiet until it comes to Alabama football. He loves sports - all sports. He is currently playing basketball and getting ready for baseball. There is not a season that goes by that Jack is not playing a sport. Jack is wise beyond his years and has the kindest heart of any child I know. When Jack grows up he wants to be a soldier just like his daddy.
Here is Jack:

Madeline is our youngest. She is a ball of energy. She never quits. She is our princess. Madeline has never let anything stand in her way and has amazing determination. Madeline enjoys helping mommy do everything. She is a great helper. Madeline enjoys dance and tumbling and is in her second year of classes. Madeline says when she grows up she is going to drive the ice cream truck while wearing a pink princess dress...did I mention she is our little comedian???
Here is Madeline:

And here we all are together on the day our soldier returned home from deployment #3:

thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

I Am So Proud

2012-01-11T19:33:00.000-08:00

I am one proud mommy.

Today was Awards Day at Jack's school. J and I knew Jack was going to get a certificate, but we did not know he was going to get an award!

All the children in 1st grade were presented a certificate. After the certificates were presented, the Principal announced that some students had been selected to receive the Principal's Award. To our surprise, Jack's name was called for the Principal's Award! YAY! Like I said, I am one proud mommy. I already know my Jack is a great young man, but it sure is nice to see it recognized by his school. :)

Here are some pictures:

Jack receiving a certificate from the principal:

Getting the Principal's Award pinned on:

So proud of this young man:

Madeline, daddy,and Jack:

Madeline, me and Jack (of course the kids are looking right at the camera and I am the one looking off, ha!)

Do you see?

2012-01-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

Do you see someone's name in the picture below???

That would be my hero's name! Jason Crow!

A local tv station is doing a segment the month of January were they honor soldiers returning from deployment. The soldier's rank and name run across the bottom of the screen during the entire newscast. My friend let me know this morning that Jason's name was on so I had to stop packing lunches and making breakfasts and getting kids ready for school to watch for Jason's name to scroll across the screen again. I waited with iphone camera in hand ready to take the picture...and it came across again yay! J got to see it and I snapped the picture. He must think I am silly, but I can not help but be proud of my soldier for completing his 3rd deployment! :)

I love to see local businesses and people supporting our troops!
Have a great day everyone!

New Year...new goals

2012-01-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

Well...here we are...4 days into 2012.

Over the last few days I have spent some time reflecting over 2011. What a year it was. Of course the biggest event for us was the end of our 3rd deployment. There were other events that took place in 2011 as well...some good, some hard, some challenging. Each event though, I believe, was an opportunity for me to grow and learn. As I said, I have been thinking about each of those things and I am working on a year in review post (I will have it up soon)

As I was reflecting over 2011, I came up with my goals for 2012. I know many people do not believe in making resolutions or goals, but for me personally I see nothing wrong with putting out there what I want to do and what better way to keep myself accountable than to put it on here. :)

Here are my goals for 2012:

1. Spiritual - I am starting another bible study in my home in a couple weeks. I really enjoyed leading studies last year and plan to continue with leading studies this year. I have enjoyed how challenging it was for me. I have loved the relationships that I formed through the studies. I have enjoyed watching other women grow and have a closer relationship with Christ. I have loved the "jewels" I have learned from God's precious word and look forward to digging even deeper and learning so much more. I want to my desires to be His, I want Him to direct my path - not me...I want Him to be my leader - all the time. Ultimately, I want to bring honor to His name in everything I do.

2. Church - part of growing spiritually for me is to get involved in church again. Many of you know that my family is visiting churches. We are praying for God to lead us where He wants our family. I am praying that we find the church that we can all grow and serve in. There are a lot of great churches in our area and we know that the right one is out there for us.

3. Exercise - I love to exercise. I love to go to zumba. I have decided to step up my exercising a little more this year. So far so good..yay! I start my mornings off with a 2 mile run/walk on the treadmill. Then I finish it off with an hour zumba class. I feel great. J says I am going to start weight training with him...we will see. He and I do not make good work out partners...he is tough! Of course I know tough is what I need. :)

4. Weight loss - yuck - I lost 34 pounds in 2011! Yay me! BUT then Jason came home...I did not exercise like I was...we ate a lot...I gained 10 pounds...yuck! but I know I can and I will get it off again! I got back on the health train with the new year and I know I will reach my goal this year and be done with it...done. I look forward to getting to that point where I can say I have reached my goal. I plan to keep the blog updated on my weight loss. Accountability right?

5. Blog - I did not keep it updated last year like I wanted to. So often I wanted to share, but there was just not enough time or enough of me to keep it updated like I wanted to. I am hoping to do a better job with the blog this year.

6. Take a class - I got a wonderful new camera for Christmas. I have no idea how to use it other than point and click. I know it can do soooo much more. I want to learn how to. I want to take a photography class. My friend Shannon and I plan to do this. No, I am not trying to become a photographer. I just want to know how to use my camera and take great pictures of my family. :)

7. My mom gave me a life book, called The Story of A Lifetime, for Christmas. Its basically a huge leather bound journal with pre-printed statements and questions at the beginning of each entry and I can fill it out. I think it is wonderful and I look forward to filling it out. Maybe one day my children (and grandchildren) will enjoy reading it. My goal is to start filling it in.

8. Supporting military wives - I have a special place in my heart for military spouses. I want to serve them and encourage them. My time, for now, as an FRG co-leader is over because J is moving on to a new unit so I will not be able to serve in that capacity, but I look forward to meeting the spouses at his new unit. I still plan to check in on the old unit though - how can I not, we were there for 10 years. Many of the ladies in my bible study are also military spouses so I will be able to remain connected with them in that way.
My heart is with Wives of Faith and I have meet so many fantastic ladies. At Wives of Faith the passion is to connect, encourage and support the Military Wife. That is my passion too! That is why I love serving Wives of Faith as the MemberCare Director. I am also looking forward to the Tour of Duty Live! event coming up in May. This is an event you do not want to miss especially if you are in the midst of a deployment or preparing for one soon.

Well, there are my goals for 2012. Now, help me stay accountable :)
Do you make goals or resolutions?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!! Wishing everyone a year of happiness and health. I can not wait to see what God has in store for us in this wonderful new year!

A picture with my hot new years date :)

Our Christmas Day

2011-12-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Day started VERY early (630am) after going to bed just a few hours before (no exaggerating) ahhh but isn't that what it is all about it?

So on with the pictures...the many pictures...

Starting the morning off by checking out what Santa left in the stockings.
Jack got a wrestling man:

Madeline with her stocking:

On Christmas Eve, Jack lost a tooth. He was so excited to get visited by Santa and the Tooth Fairy! Talk about lucky huh? Well....in all his mischievousness, Dan the Elf took Jack's tooth fairy money and left Jack a note telling Jack to come find him. hehe Jack found Dan in the stockings with the his money.

Madeline's presents a bike and gifts wrapped in Dora paper per her request ;)

Jack's presents: a baksetball goal and his presents wrapped in transformers paper:

Santa left the kids a gift they could both enjoy...a trampoline! We have all really enjoyed this toy!

Jack got a wrestling ring:

Madeline got a tea cart:

Me and my little christmas sweeties:

J and his 2 favorite people:

Daddy got a new part for his bike:

And an apple tv:

Mommy got a new camera! YAY!!! I am so excited to try out this new baby! To be honest, I am a little overwhelmed by all the "stuff" on it, lol. I am going to take a photography class though so I can be better accustomed to it.

I also got some hot new boots! My hubby did such a GREAT job picking these out all on his own!

My precious mom made Madi and I matching scarfs!

Mom also gave our family the xbox! We have had SOOOOO much fun with this game!

I made a big ol breakfast complete with french toast casserole, grits and sausage casserole, doughnut holes, fruit with dip, pigs in a blanket, brownies made to look like Santa hats (thank you pinterest) and sausage links. It was a lot of food but o so good. Can we say diet went out the window???

I set up the dining room table for us. My mom, my brother, and our friend Justin all joined us. My in-laws came after church for snacks (we had lots of snacks too)

Jason got both of the kids a special gift from him.

J got Jack a bb gun...who can guess how many times I have heard "you'll shoot your eye out kid!" ...way too many times

J teaching Jack about the gun:

J got Madi a doll that she can play with her hair and put make up on...does she not look fantastic???

In the evening we ventured over to my in-laws for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner of steaks and all the fixings. It was perfect and the kids were still in their pj's...does not get much better than that huh?

Jack was so tired he did not even realize we were opening presents:

Madeline helped Granna pass out gifts: (mommy and daddy got a great new video camera! yay!)

and Pops...well Pops was having a little fun with the dress up hair that Uncle Zach gave Madeline. (= lol
hope you don't mind me sharing this Pops.

We had a truly wonderful Christmas...I felt so blessed having my whole family together. The huge void I felt last year, I did not feel this year. It was perfect in every way.

Our Christmas - Visiting Family

2011-12-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

We have had a really busy but really great Christmas! I don't even know where to begin to describe how thankful I am this year to have my husband and my brother home. I felt so complete this year...much, much different than last year.

We were able to travel to visit my grandmothers and spend time with our family in TN. I am so glad we were able to go and enjoy a wonderful Christmas with all of them.
I wanted to share some pictures of our Christmas visiting family.

First up we had Christmas with my Mamaw Carmela. My uncle and his wife hosted at their house. We always have so much fun there and eat way too much! (yea..I have blown the diet big time!)
Here is Jack...can you tell how excited he was to open presents? ;)

Madeline waiting patiently to open her presents:

Jack was so excited to get the nerf set! He and cousin Michael had A LOT of fun with this!

Madeline loves American Girl Dolls. She got another Marie Grace and the party dress she has been asking for! She has not let these dolls out of her sight.

This is my Mamaw Carmela. Jason brought our grandmothers back a beautiful silk scarf each from Afghanistan. They were special treats!

Next stop was Christmas at Mamaw Beth's house. This was our 2nd Christmas since my grand-daddy passed. He was missed a lot...a few tears were shed, but we are all so grateful to know he is no longer suffering and we will be with him one day and be able to worship our King together on His birthday.

Here is a picture of the grandkids. Technically I am a grandchild and should be in this picture...don't you think I would look a little out a place as a 30 something year old in this picture??? ha!

Madeline was excited to open some more presents. She got some more great things!

Jack was ready to see what he got too.

My little sweeties:

Jack and Mamaw Beth:

Jason and Mamaw Beth. She loved her scarf.

I love my Mamaw Beth! She is a precious woman and who has influenced my life so much.

Next stop was Christmas with my dad and his family.

The kids got to help make breakfast. Pancakes and waffles, yum!

My brothers Kevin, Chase, and the kiddos:

Jack checking out his gifts:

Madeline excited for a new cinderella carriage:

My dad and me:

The kids with granddaddy:

My brother Kevin, me, and my brother Chase:

J, Jack, and me....wasn't it so sweet of J to get dressed up for the occasion??? sheesshhh...I am just glad he came out of the woods for a little while, lol ;)

That was all the stops we made before Christmas. Next post I will share Christmas day - complete with Santa, my mom and my in-laws.

Oh and I know it is a little late, but here is our Christmas card that we sent out this year:

I do hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

No More Setback - An Update

2011-12-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had our follow up appointment for Jack with the eye dr. You may remember a few months ago Jack had an eye appt. and we were told of a minor setback with his vision/amblyopia - you can read the post HERE. Over the last 3 months, we have been patching Jack's eye again daily for 2 hours in the hopes of strengthening Jack's eye muscle in his "lazy" eye and restoring the vision in that eye as well. I have noticed that Jack's eye had been improving and so I was excited to get to the doctor and see just how much improvement would be made.

I am happy to report that the eye patching has been successful!!! YAY!!! Jack's vision was better yesterday than it has ever been! EVER!! Not only was God faithful to restore the vision, He improved it!!! Improved it!! Oh how can we not praise Him for this!?! Even the doctor was sharing in our excitement. He gave Jack like 4 high-5's! He said it was the best news he had all day. :) The doctor asked Jack if he had been playing video games and told Jack that he could tell it was working. ;)

So game plan now is cut down patching from 2 hours per day to just 1 hour for the next 2 months. Then go for 2 months with no patching after which we will return to doctor to see how vision is doing. Our hope (and prayer) is that the vision will continue to improve or stay the same. We do not want to loose any. So, we will be praying for continued healing of Jack's eye and no more setbacks. Goodness, I am so excited for this great news and so thankful that God is so good to not only restore Jack's vision, but to improve it!

After our appointment, we took the kids to the zoo to see the Christmas lights. It was pretty and they had a lot of fun. Their favorite part was the train ride. We are really enjoying this Christmas season. Below are some pictures of our trip to the zoo: (I had to use my iphone because of course the batteries were dead in the camera)

Christmas Tour of Our Home

2011-12-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the Crow family blog!!! So glad you could stop by for a Christmas tour of our home!

I am linking up to Kelly's Korner: Show Us Your Life - Christmas Tour of Homes There are some beautiful decorations that you really must check out. :)

So, let's begin....

The front entry way:

As you walk in the front door, I hung some ornaments to separate the living room and the dining room:

Side table in the living room:

Dining room decor:

Christmas tree #1 in the living room:

topper of tree #1:

another view of tree #1:

Mantle in the living room: (I hung a curtain rod from the stocking holders - an idea I saw on pinterest - my new addiction)

another view of mantle:

Christmas tree #2 in my daughter's bedroom: (she loves anything that glitters and sparkles, she actually said that her tree needed more sparkle, lol, yes she is most def. my child)

Christmas tree #3 in my son's bedroom - he loves sports, especially Alabama football (even though I have tried to persuade him to be an Auburn fan like me, lol)

Christmas tree #4: Gone with the Wind tree in our bedroom. For as long as my husband and I have been together, he has given me a Gone with the Wind ornament almost every year

Tree #5 - Family tree - this is the tree in our basement. Santa delivers to this tree. This tree is ever changing. Most years, it holds ornaments that J and I had has children along with ornaments we have collected since being married. On the years that J is deployed, I make this tree a patriotic tree. I was so glad to be able to decorate this tree this year, as I normally would :)

Tree #6 - Kids Tree - this tree is in the kids playroom. We allowed the kids to decorate the tree all by themselves. And they did. We had no help in it at all. This tree is full of ornaments that they have made at school along with ornaments they like.

Another view of Tree #6 - close up of the topper...the kids decorated with jump ropes and costume jewelry at the top. I can not help but smile.

Did I mention I love pinterest??? It is so full of neat fun things! I saw on there an idea to put ribbon on the front of your cabinets and pin Christmas cards on there to display. So, I copied it. Instead of securing the cards with clothes pins, I just use tape. It is holding up great and I love how it makes the kitchen so festive too.

Another view of the cabinets:

and one last tree...Christmas Tree #7 has traveled many great distances. Last year while J was in Afghanistan, his parents sent him this tree for his room. It was so sweet to see (in pictures) this little tree set up in his room with the gifts wrapped up under neath all ready for him to open on Christmas morning all while we watched via skype. We are surprised to see that this little tree made it back all in one piece and I wanted to set it up in our house just as a reminder of how blessed we are that Jesus has been so merciful to us to return our soldier home (for the 3rd time) and how faithful He is to give us this time together.

I hope that everyone remembers the reason for this season! Merry Christmas from our family to you!

Getting Crafty

2011-12-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend I decided to do a little crafting. A few weeks ago, J and I went to an annual arts and crafts festival in our area. I had seen some frames that I loved, but was not willing to pay the amount they were asking, especially knowing it was something easily re-created. So while shopping with a friend she and I got to talking about the frames because she had seen them too and we bought the supplies to make the frames ourselves.
I am not much of a bow maker so I enlisted my mom's help because she is my expert bow maker ;)

The project was easier than I thought it would be and took seriously no time at all...I think we made 5 frames in less than 30 minutes...super easy and quick project.
I took a picture with my phone and uploaded it to pinterest (my new addiction) and got so many re-pins from it that I thought I would share it here on the blog.

Here is a picture of the 5 completed frames (we would have made more, but I did not have anymore frames or accents):

Some supplies you will need:

-Ribbon ~ I recommend thick, wired ribbon. It is easy to work with and holds it's form. There is a lot of ribbon to choose from. I got ribbon that could be used year round. You could also go with a holiday theme if you like.
-Floral Wire ~ once the bow is made use the floral wire to secure it together
-Glue gun and glue sticks ~ to secure the bow to the frame
- Frame ~ use whatever size you would like-I suggest 5x7 or even 8x10. I did a 4x6 size and it was almost too small (I like a bigger bow so we had to scale back on the size of the bow for the 4x6 size. You could also just glue a cute felt flower or stone to a smaller frame without a bow - I think I may do that next)
-Decorative pins/stones ~ to be placed in the center of the bow. I found mine at a local craft store in the bow making section (I like the ones with pins or clips on the back because it secures it to the bow)
-Scissors ~ to cut the ribbon

One of the blank frames I purchased:

My mom showing off one of her completed bows:

Bows glued to the frames before I secured the decorative pins to the center. The hardest part was deciding which pin to put in the center.

One of the completed frames: (I decided to keep this one for myself)

I tried to get a variety of frames and pins to see how they would do. I like how each one turned out. The following frames are going to be Christmas gifts:

The frame that I decided to keep for myself, I placed the 4 generations picture we had made for my grandmother's birthday.

I am linking up this post to the Sundae Scoop Link Party

So, that is my crafting. Let me know if any of you precious readers make one of these frames.

Some Elf Antics

2011-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

My friend, ShaRhonda at The 4 Crow's, is having a link up party for Elf on a Shelf until Christmas Eve. So, I am linking up to her blog today and sharing some of the silly-ness our elf, Dan, has been getting into.

Dan found the kid's camera and went around the house taking pictures.

We found Dan hanging out in Jack's tree.

Dan needed to do some reading.

Dan got a little hungry one night and got into the gum drops.

Doing some climbing...

close up of Dan climbing

Dan decided to hang out in the chandelier

Dan wrote a letter to the kids telling them to have a great day (how sweet of him, lol)

Dan got into a wrestling match with John Cena...Looks like Dan used some of his elf magic and managed to get Cena in a headlock.

The other wrestlers caught wind of what Dan did to John Cena and tied Dan up to the Charlie Brown tree...something tells me that Dan will not mess with anymore wrestlers, lol

Dan also got into some silly-ness last year. Here are some of those pictures:
Dan wrapped himself in the kids countdown chain:

Dan tried to brush his teeth:

Dan toilet papered the kids bathroom:

Dan traveled with us during Christmas. While we stayed the night at my grandmother's house, Dan got into her undergarments drawer and hung them from the tree.

Head over to ShaRhonda's blog and see some more elf mischievousness. I will share more of Dan the elf's antics between now and Christmas (something tells me he has much more in the works, lol)

Family Pictures

2011-12-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we had some family pictures taken by a sweet friend of the family who has been taking our family pictures for over 3 years now. She is a very talented young lady and we are certainly going to miss her when she leaves for college.
I wanted to share a few of the pictures she took for us. Some of the pictures she took will be making an appearance on our Christmas card this year :)

Here are the pictures:

2011-12-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, my mom, Madeline and I traveled to my grandmother's to spend the weekend with her and honor her on her 75th birthday. (Jack had basketball try-outs so he and J were not able to go with us)

For my grandmother's birthday our family celebrated all weekend. My aunt and uncle cooked a big meal on Friday evening and we all gathered at their house to eat and hang out by the fire pit. It was so good to all spend time together and even my mamaw Beth joined us and I loved spending time with her. The next morning we all got ready for a day full of fun. We surprised my grandmother with a limo which arrived at her house. The limo took us to a photographers studio where we had family pictures made. (We had group pictures, pictures of my grandmother with her children, pictures of my grandmother with her grandchildren, we also did a generational picture of my grandmother, my mom, me and Madeline - 4 generations, and a picture of my grandmother by herself so she could send it to her family in Italy) The pictures turned out so good! From there we loaded back into the limo and took a little tour of the downtown area and then headed to a lovely restaurant where we all stuffed ourselves till we hurt, lol. Luckily we were able to load back into the limo and let the driver take us back to my grandmothers house ;) We all had so much fun and I know my grandmother loved having her family with her to celebrate her big day. Madeline's favorite part was riding in the limo-of course it was, she is a princess hehe ;)

Below are some pictures I took of our adventures:

Me and Madeline waiting on the limo to arrive to take us to our pictures:

another picture of me and my little princess:

My mom (meme) and Madeline:

My aunt Maura and me:

Madeline, Meme, and my cousin Michael getting into the limo:

My cousin J.Cole and my grandmother:

My grandmother, Madeline, and Meme ready for the ride in the limo:

Just me:

Toasting (with Mt. Dew):

My precious grandmother and me:

Our Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! The weather was perfect, the food was fabulous, and having everyone together was priceless!

It was so nice to finally spend a holiday with my family being complete...really makes you appreciate time together. :)

For Thanksgiving we had the blessing of 2 meals...we started out at lunch at my in-laws house. We had a huge spread and got to spend time with Jason's family. It was a great time and we ate way too much. For dinner we journeyed over to my brother's house where my mom was along with my brother's roommate and his family. We ate way too much there too...by the end of the day I was thankful for elastic ;)

Below are some pictures of our Thanksgiving:

Madeline and Jason:

Jason and Jackson:

Me and Madeline:

Madeline modeling her thanksgiving outfit:

the kids playing a game of football with Uncle Zach:

my mother in laws cute tablescape complete with a thankful tree:

Jack writing on his leaf what he is thankful for. He wrote that he is thankful for God. :)

Madeline writing what she is thankful for - she "wrote" everything

Jason wrote he was thankful for being home with his family.

I wrote that I was thankful for no empty plates at the table this year...so thankful for that this year!
Family photo - Jason, his mom, his granddad and the kids:

Jason and his mom:

My in-laws:

*I regret that I forgot to take pictures at my brothers house :( I could kick myself for it.
This Thanksgiving season has been such a time of reflection for me. I am thankful for so much.

1.   I am thankful for salvation
2.   I am thankful that the blood of Jesus has covered all my sins and washed me clean
3.   Grace
4.   Mercy
5.   For my husband returning home safely
6.   For my brother returning home safely
7.   For the love my husband has for me
8.   For my family-for the love they have always shown, for their encouragement, for their support
9.   Health
10. Provision
11. I am thankful for friends - it is not an easy task to be a friend to someone who is going through a tough journey...I am so thankful for those friends who held me up- for their calls, notes, messages, texts, lunch dates, prayers and just time hanging out ...they made some really hard days easier and some good days great!
12. I am thankful for lessons learned...
13. I am thankful for Wives of Faith - it was such an encouragement to me during my journeys through deployments. I have loved being a part of this organization and watching God grow it.
14. I am thankful for the girls in my bible study. I have witnessed such growth in these special ladies. I am looking forward to our next study starting up very soon.
15. I am thankful for all those who helped me out while Jason was gone. Many days I found myself going in 200 different directions and without the help of running kids to activities, the meals delivered to us, and my family for keeping the kids overnight occasionally so I could rest..I know I could not have made it with out them.
16. I am thankful for blogging - it has allowed me to meet some great people and has given me opportunities I would not have otherwise had.

I am just thankful...thankful for so very much!

I hope that each one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Happy 5th Birthday Madeline!

2011-11-22T05:56:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that my baby girl is now 5 years old...it seems impossible to me that she can already be 5!
In 5 years this child has taught me so much...patience, humility, determination...just to name a few. She is always full of surprises..has been since the day she was born - she arrived 3 1/2 weeks early just in time to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital and has seriously been full of surprises since. She has earned many nicknames including Chunky Monkey and Madzilla...ahhh the toddler years, she wore the name Madzilla well (remember I said she taught me a lot about patience). She has taught me determination in 2 ways: there is NOTHING and I do mean nothing that she lets stand in her way...which can be a good thing-I think, but makes it challenging for mommy to train. She has also taught me about her determination in another way. When she was just 3 weeks old, she had RSV and was in the hospital in the NICU for nearly a week...as a mommy there is nothing like seeing your baby placed in an ambulance with a critical care team and rushed off to the hospital and there is nothing like seeing your infant hooked up to all these monitors that are constantly beeping...scary times but she was determined to get better and she did =)

So today in honor of her 5th birthday, I wanted to share some pictures of our sweet little girl over the past 5 years:

The day she was born:

About 3 months old...she had her daddy wrapped around her little finger instantly:

About 6 months old sitting with her big brother Jack:

About 8 months old, first trip to the beach:

She turned 1 on Thanksgiving day:

Her 1st birthday party:

For the longest, I did not think she would ever have hair....then she finally got some. Here she is at about 1 1/2 years:

Ahhh...determination....we hit the terrible 2's early...always an overachiever, lol:

About 20 months:

2nd birthday party:

2 years old:

2 1/2...getting her own little pedi:

3rd birthday party:

3 years old:

4th birthday party:

4 years old:

4 1/2 years old on a school field trip:

Our 5 year old:

and last night before she went to bed, she asked her daddy to paint her fingernails and toenails...of course he did as she requested...it was a precious site to see!

Happy Birthday to our precious, determined, full of energy, funny, fearless, little princess! I have loved watching you grow and learn over the last 5 years and can not wait to see more!!!

Madeline's 5th Birthday

2011-11-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we celebrated Madeline's 5th birthday. She wanted to invite a few friends for a pottery painting party, so that is what we did ;)

I still can not believe that my baby girl is going to turn 5 this week! wow...time is going way too fast!

As I was getting everything prepared and packed in the car to go to the party, I was reflecting on her birthday party's in previous years. It was hard for me not to tear up a little bit...I got to thinking about how thankful I am that her daddy is here this year for her birthday. How grateful I am that deployment ended when it did. So many people do not realize how much our soldiers miss out on. They miss so much: birth's and birthday's, anniversaries, holidays, first day of school, graduations, and so many milestones. I was thinking about Madeline's parties in the past and realized her daddy has only been able to be at every other birthday...He was here for 1st birthday, deployed for 2nd, home for 3rd, deployed for 4th, and fortunately home for 5th...so every other year...here's to hoping we can break this cycle before 6...

So, on a lighter note....
here are some pictures from Madeline's party:
the food table:

The polka dot cake made by my precious friend Wendy:

Madeline and Meme:

big brother Jack waiting to paint his airplane:

Madeline and Sadie:

Chase and Madeline (these 2 are so funny together!):

helping my birthday girl carry her paint:

Madeline chose to paint Cinderella:

working hard to paint her just right:

birthday girl giving mommy bunny ears...silly kid!:

blowing out her candle:

love this look of pure excitement!:

daddy got to be the photographer of the party so we got a picture when we got home ;) This little girl loves her daddy!:

Madeline really enjoyed her party, she loved getting to paint with her friends, and I loved how easy the party was...we will definitely be doing this again!

Look At Her Go!

2011-11-16T06:04:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of our sweet Madeline...she learned how to ride her bike this week without training wheels! I can not believe it...

I can not believe she will be 5 next week! Where has the time gone??? Seems like she should still be bouncy like crazy in her jumpy thing...not riding a bike without training wheels...sigh
Below are some pictures of her big ride:

Daddy helping her get started:

And she is off:

Look at her go:

She was so happy to be riding like a big girl!

Big brother Jack ran along side of Madeline to make sure she was ok:

Madeline and mommy:

Madeline and Daddy (this picture makes me smile):

Jack and Madeline:

ok, confession time

The pictures above are not from her first time riding without training wheels..she did that on Monday...these pictures were taken on Tuesday. See I took pictures on Monday with my camera phone, went to upload them, and my phone went ka-poot. Seriously, black screen with nothing but the apple sign....I tried everything. Charging-would not charge. Turning off-would not turn off. Restore-declined. Took it to the "professionals" they could not do it either. I seriously tried everything. Sooo....I got a much needed new phone! YAY! I had the original iphone. The original that came out over 2 yrs ago. Yes, that was my phone. Has been for over 2 yrs. So it was seriously time to upgrade. I now have the 4! yay! I am loving it...BUT...I lost everything! everything :( contacts, data, and pictures :(
So...we had to re-create the events of Monday. (I know nobody would ever know that if I had not shared, but ...I think it is kinda funny now so I wanted to share)

Well, I am off to play on my phone and try to contact my friends so I can get their info back in my phone...so friends, if your reading this, email me your info, please =)

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T05:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Thank you to all the brave men and women who have served and are serving our country. Thank you for risking your lives so that we may enjoy freedom here at home. Your sacrifices and commitment do not go unnoticed and are very much appreciated. I am honored to be the wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, and granddaugther to veterans.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

"Better than honor and glory, and history's iron pen,

Was the thought of duty done and the love of his fellow-men."

-Richard Watson Gilder

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. - Joseph Campbell

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. - G.K. Chesterton

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. -Elmer Davis

Please take time today to honor a Veteran...just a simple "thank you for your service" can mean so much.

Our Homecoming

2011-11-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

Finally, the Homecoming post!

I hate that it has taken me so long to get all these posts caught up...it has been very crazy around here with activities, school, sickness, and traveling...not to mention I took a little break from the computer to spend time with my family. So anyway...this is the last post in the welcome home series. Its Jason's big arrival to the house. We are so blessed with wonderful friends and family who took time off work and out of their very busy schedules to decorate the neighborhood and house or just be there when Jason arrived. I know so many others wanted to be there, but could not and we appreciate them as well.

A quick update before overloading y'all with pictures ;)
The last few weeks have been incredible. My life is feeling complete and we are slowly getting into a routine. The adjustment has been so much better this time! Such an answer to so many prayers...I can not thank my friends and family enough for their prayers on our behalf that this adjustment would be a smooth one. Adjustment is not an easy task, but when you feel the strength of so many prayers it sure is much easier. The kids have not shown any signs this time (which is such a HUGE difference from last deployment). I kid with Jason and say that his biggest problem is returning to SAFE driving techniques...wow...he has scared me a few times, but driving is coming back to him, lol.
We are trying to take things day by day and not plan too much. I find that this is best for us. J has many plans for himself...he is making his own honey do list...I promise it is not me! I encourage him to not try to get it all done in one day and he listens (sometimes)

Ok, so enough of the update...here are the pictures...I shared a small number in comparison to how many I actually took, hehe
As we drove up the road to our house we saw signs, flags, and bows lining the streets as well as our friends and family waving flags waiting on us to arrive:

Madeline took off to get in her daddy's arms:

My family! Complete!

Group shot with so of our friends and family who were waiting at our house:

Another group shot:

My dad, step mom, brother Chase, J, Jack, and Madi:

Our precious friends Kenny and Kelly with their daughter Claire and J:

My mom, J, Jack and Madi:

My awesome neighbor Jill and her daughter Jaley standing with J, Jack and Madi. I love this woman! She is the greatest neighbor and friend. I feel so blessed to have her in our life. I do not think I have ever met anyone so thoughtful and caring as she is. She and her husband have done so much for us this past year, I don't feel like I could ever repay them. If not for my father in law and Andy (Jill's husband) my yard would be a jungle. Not only did Jill clean my house while I was gone she also took care of all the decorating of the neighborhood for J's arrival and preparing our meal (actually meals she fed us quite a bit over the last 15 months) (if I could just convert them to be Auburn fans they would be perfect! hahaha!!! ) Anyway, Jill - you are the best! Thanks for all you have done and do for us!!!

Jason with his parents - better known as Pops and Granna - Jack and Madi

just my honey and me:

my sweet little family:

Madeline stealing a kiss from her daddy:

Jason and Kenny - these 2 have been best of friends since elementary school:

me with Jill and Jaley:

The following pictures are some of the signs, banners, and decorations that my friends put out for the arrival:

This is a banner I had a friend of mine make to hang on the front door. I love how it turned out! If your needing a banner, I encourage you to check out her etsy site HERE

ok, if you made it through this picture overloaded post you deserve a treat hehe...

Have a great day!

Surprise At School

2011-11-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

Before I share the pictures and video of Jason arriving at the house (all decorated up) I thought I would share the pictures and video of us surprising Jack at school.

The kids did not know that daddy was home. We wanted it to be a surprise to them. We had hoped all along that it would work out for us to surprise Jack while he was still at school. Luckily, it did work out. :)

I had arranged everything with Jackson's teacher beforehand so she along with our families were in on the secret. Our family met us at the school and also arranged for a tv crew to meet us there and film the whole event.

Jack was SO SURPRISED! It was perfect! None of us had a dry eye...not even the teachers who stood in the hallway to watch.

Below are the pictures of us at the school.
My brother Chase, my dad, me, Jason, and my mother in law:

Jack's teacher called him to the front of the room...he still has no idea what is going on:

IT'S DADDY!!!!!!

Jack, mommy and daddy:

My favorite site:

Jason and Jack being interviewed by the tv crew:

Video of the surprise. Be sure to pause the music player so you can hear the video:

Trick or Treat fun

2011-11-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Little late sharing our Halloween pictures, but here they are :)

Madeline enjoyed helping daddy carve pumpkins....and playing with the pieces:

Madeline and daddy carving pumpkins:

Daddy and Jackson carving pumpkins:

A couple of the pumpkins all lit up:

Madeline had a fall party at her school and got her face painted:

I made some ghosts out of nutter butter cookies to share with our friends:

The green lantern - a.k.a. Jackson and Rapunzel - a.k.a Madeline

The Boo Crew - we went over to some friends house and had yummy treats then the dad's took the kids on a trick or treating hay ride while the mom's stayed behind and passed out candy. The kids had so much fun!

Sneak Peek

2011-11-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had family photos taken this afternoon...below is a sneak peek ;)

The Cake Angel

2011-10-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

You know sometimes people come in to our life that are, to me, affirmations that God truly is in every single detail. I had the honor of meeting one of those special people while staying with my husband during his de-mob process.

Each morning after our husbands left the hotel, some of us wives would meet in the hotel for breakfast. It was a great time of meeting, fellowshipping, and enjoying a good breakfast before we started our days. As we sat at breakfast one morning we got to talking about how we wished we could make a cake or some cookies for the soldiers - you know just some good comfort food for them. So we asked the breakfast attendant if we could use the hotel's kitchen to bake (we have done this before when our husbands returned from deployment) The precious breakfast attendant, Ms. Berta, informed us that the hotel did not have a kitchen, just a microwave and a toaster oven...neither of which would work for what we had planned. Ms. Berta sat down at our table with us and inquired why we were in need of a kitchen. We shared with her that our husbands had just returned from a year plus long deployment to Afghanistan and we wanted to treat the entire unit to a special treat. At this point, Ms. Berta's face just lit up with excitement. She invited us to come to her home and do our baking there. She shared with us that she is known as the "Cookie angel" because she bakes cookies and takes it to the camp for troops who are about to mobilize. She shared that she has not been able to bake in a while and would love nothing more than to help us. Here we all complete strangers to her and she is inviting us to her home to bake...tears. So we all re-grouped and headed to the store to purchase the supplies we would need to bake a cake.

We renamed Ms. Berta the "cake angel" because she was just so precious to open her home to us so we could bake a cake. She was an absolutely precious lady. Meeting her was such an affirmation that my lines do fall in pleasant places...that God is certainly in all the details and places some really amazing people in our lives if we just stop for a moment to realize it. She made us feel right at home in her kitchen. She shared so much with us and prayed over us and the soldiers. Absolutely precious and I am so thankful we met her.

Wendy, Ms. Berta, and Kim:

Kim whipping up the icing.

Wendy leveling the cake.

Just me spreading the icing on the Hershey Bar Cake...this cake is sinfully delicious!

Gotta add some extra candy bar on top of the cake :)

After we finished making the cake, we headed over to the barricks to serve it to the soldiers.

Some of the guys enjoying the cake:

This is Justin, we found out it was his birthday....

So Wendy had to give him a special birthday treat ;)

The cake went fast...so fast I did not even get a slice...probably for the best, I made sure the scraps were cleaned up before we delievered the cake ;)

Almost caught up...next post will be homecoming and surprising the kids :)

Awards Dinner and Ceremony

2011-10-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the Welcome Home Dinner and Awards Ceremony for the unit my husband is in. As FRG Co-leader months of planning, phone calls, meetings, and fund-raising went into making this event worthy of our heroes. I think everything turned out really well and most people seemed to really enjoy themselves.
Below are a few pictures from the night:
My sweet husband and me (wearing the 4th dress I purchased, lol)

Another view of us...I forgot to get a picture of my shoes, but you can kinda see a little glimpse of them in this picture.

Just us having a great time at the dinner. We laughed a lot that night. Had some great entertainment at our table...that and my husband was keeping up with the Alabama and Auburn football games for us - both of our teams won that night, yea!

A view of the decorations. We were very pleased with how all this turned out. It is hard to plan an event from 5 hours away to be held at a building none of us had ever seen nor were the pictures of the room. We lucked out with renting the linens and the table runners were donated to us. Wendy and myself had all the vases and candle holders we used so that did not cost us anything (yay!) And the business we rented the china from upgraded our china at no additional cost. (we were renting plain white china, but they gave us white with gold rims...which made everything pop) Everything turned out exactly how we planned and I could not have been more pleased. We served Steak and shrimp for the meal and it was so good! I did not hear any complaints around me.

After the dinner and dessert was served, it was time for the awards to be presented. Almost every soldier that deployed with the unit received some type of recognition. (I REALLY missed my brother being there...) Each soldier was called up with their family and a little something was shared about their time in Afghanistan. After that, the soldier was given their award by the Colonel. Below is a picture of Jason and me while the Commander shared a little about what Jason did during the deployment.

I am so proud of my husband and will brag on him because I know that he would never brag on himself ;) He was awarded the Bronze Star medal and the NATO medal. Proud does not even begin to come close to the right word to use to describe, but for a lack of better words, I am VERY PROUD of my husband and the outstanding soldier he is...not only is he an outstanding soldier, but an outstanding father and husband as well. (we had a videographer and photographer at the dinner, so I can not wait to get back our videos and pictures from that)

One thing that really surprised me was the FRG officers were presented with a special gift from the unit. I was completely not expecting anything and did not know until the day of the event that we were getting something. It was very thoughtful and much appreciated. We were given a flag that was flown in Afghanistan on Sept. 11th. It was placed with a certificate in a beautiful frame. Very special. Very thoughtful. I have enjoyed my time as FRG Co-leader. It was very involved but allowed me to get to know people that I otherwise would not have met or been able to know on another level. I am thankful for that. I am a little sad that my husband is moving to another unit...with promotion that is what usually happens. He has been with this unit for nearly 10 years. So...looks like he will be "drilling" with another unit very soon. I hope they have a good FRG for me to get plugged in to and meet other wives. :)

So, that was all for the awards dinner...still working on getting the blog caught up. The past week has just been focused on family time and all of us getting adjusted. So far adjustment has been pretty good. We have not had the problems we did last time with the kids. For that I am so thankful. I have said it before...homecomings are wonderful, but there is a whole side to it that most people do not know about.
I have 2 more homecoming posts to share. A sweet one about the cake angel we met and then surprising the kids with Jason's arrival ;) yay!

The Arrival

2011-10-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that one week ago I was on my way to get my soldier! Last Thursday it was finally my turn. Our deployment was finally over and I could finally go get my man! Sorry for all the "finally's" but it has been a long 15 months and I am glad it is "finally" over, hehe

I along with 2 other army wives left out on a 5 hour drive around 6 in the morning. We meet up, got our maps and GPS's in sync then had a time of prayer for our travel and for our husbands. It was wonderful and of course, I cried. After we re-grouped, the caravan set off. I put a status update on my facebook letting people know the caravan was on the road and to not get in our way, lol. I loved all the comments I was getting. "Clear the roads people" and "Go get your man!" I loved reading all of them =) We had a smooth ride with no problems at all. We arrived around lunch time and went straight to the camp our unit was arriving to. We met up with the rear detachment. The FRG made goody bags for the soldiers and had the rear detachment place those bags on each one of the beds where the soldiers would be staying. Then we got the banners hung that we made for the unit. After that, the rear detachment took us all around to get the info we would be needing (such as times and places) so that I could contact the families and let them know the details. We finished up the business we needed to take care of on the camp and went to grab a late lunch and check in our hotel. By this time it was after 3. We decided to relax a little while then grab dinner because we were not expecting the arrival for another few hours....so at dinner our phones start going off...the unit is at the airport! WHAT! We knew at that point we had less than 2 hours to call the families, get ready, and drive the 20-30 minutes it took to get back to the camp. We did it though. We managed to get everyone notified of the time change. We managed to get ourselves all fixed up. And we managed to back to the camp with just a few minutes to spare. Oh if a camera would have been on us during that 2 hours it would have sure made for great laughs! lol
Because of the time crunch we were in, I did not get to take as many pictures as I would have liked, but I am sharing a few of the pictures below:

Banner hanging in front of the building the soldiers were staying. Love the scripture on it...

another banner:

one last banner welcoming the unit home:

I laugh every time I look at this picture of Wendy, myself and Kim. We all showed up looking like we planned to coordinate outfits. We seriously look like we could have Christmas card pics taken we coordinate so well ;) We did not plan it at all. None of us knew what we were wearing. We had all actually told each other complete opposite outfits than we wore....how funny is that???

Me and Kim:

Me and Wendy:

Me and Amy: Amy pulled off a big surprise! A "voice" convinced her to be there when the bus arrived and her husband did not know about it. yay! The look on his face was priceless when he saw his children running for him. I wish I would have gotten a picture but I was a little distracted ;) I sure am going to miss this lady and her funny mis-hap stories hehe

We decorated the building with signs for our soldiers too. It was a very last minute thought to do this. I mean very last minute...we were seriously applying glitter as we walked out the door...which is why mine looks like I did it blindfolded =)

The unit finally arrives!!! Off the bus and a quick formation:

I shared these next 2 photos on the previous post, but I thought I would share them again. I was so excited to have my man!!! Oh the excitement! Oh the nervousness! Oh the butterflies! The feeling you have when you see your husband for the first time after a long deployment is amazing. Its a feeling of complete relief, happiness, thankfulness, completeness, excitement, pride, love all rolled into one. For me its like your wedding day amplified by 20. There is just no other feeling in the world like it. I can still close my eyes and remember every little detail of watching the bus drive up the road and stop. Then waiting for what felt like an eternity for the doors of the bus to open. Then waiting some more because J was seriously one of the last ones to step off the bus (I thought I was going to have to get on the bus myself and go get him, lol) The feeling of that first hug. Seeing the excitement and tiredness in his eyes...as well as the look of relief that this deployment was over and he was back in the US safe and sound. Touching his face. His real in the flesh face and not some grainy skype image. Holding his hand. Hearing him say "I'm home, it's over" There is just nothing like it in the world.

Shortly after the picture was taken the unit had to leave. Sadly, they were placed on a 24 hour lock down and could not stay with us. So, as much as I hated to, I had to say good night and watch him walk away. :( It was sad, but I knew I could hang on 24 more hours. Plus, 3 of us wives shared a hotel that night and we were so silly. I am glad I had them. It made the night so much easier.

I will update tomorrow with more about my time "gettin my man"

I GOT MY MAN!

2011-10-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update real quick that I GOT MY MAN!!!

I have been on cloud nine the past couple days and do not see myself coming down for a while. The past couple of days have been really busy with FRG stuff as we prepare for the big awards dinner tonight. I am looking forward to this event.

I appreciate all the calls, messages, comments, emails, texts, etc. over the last couple days. If I have not responded to you, please understand...I will...eventually :)

A huge thank you to my precious friend Melissa for updating the blog for me Thursday. Melissa- honey, you had me in tears and laughing at the same time! (only you!) thanks so much!!

So here are a couple of pictures of my man and me taken right after he stepped off the bus. Bless his heart flying for 24 hours he was so tired. I am so glad he is home (well...almost home but at least on US soil) I am so grateful to the Lord that He brought my husband home to me and so thankful for the protection that He placed on my husband as well as the entire unit.

Here are the pictures:

Now I must go get ready for this dinner! More pictures to come of all the events over the last couple days and of course from tonight.

Operation: Retrieve My Soldier

2011-10-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

This is Melissa Duncan. Jessica asked me to update her blog to inform everyone that there is a caravan of army wives on a mission this morning to retrieve their soldiers. Anyone on the interstate between AL and MS, MOVE OVER, these women are in a hurry!!!

Lord,

We praise you and thank you for bringing these men home to their families safe and sound. We ask that you be with these ladies as they travel and keep them safe. We pray they adjust quickly to civilian life and ask that you be with their families as they adjust. Thank you Lord for ALL of our military and their families for their sacrifice. Thank you for their committment to risk their lives to keep us free - - -Amen.

We all share in Jessica's excitement. She is a woman of faith and I know of no stronger person than her. While I know this journey has been a long one, I believe God has taught her so many things and I know she will use this experience for His glory and honor...(I'm sure we will be reading it soon in a future blog)...Thank you for supporting her and being there for her. Thank you for praying with me that they have safe travels, speedy adjustments. Join me in praying that ALL of our military return home safely to their families.

Jessica, I love you girl!!! Be safe, and I know it's hard, but FOCUS ON THE ROAD!! LOL!!

Melissa

Getting Ready

2011-10-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

The days are winding down...YAY!

THE day is getting soooo close....YAY!!!

I had a very productive weekend...YAY!!

I got a lot done....YAY!!!

Only a few things left to do...YAY!!

(Ok, sorry for all the YAY's, but I am just one excited girl...so excited that sleep is no where on my radar, lol)

I am in full "get ready" mode. I am trying to have everything done so I am not stressing the last minute. (ok, who am I kidding, I will probably be stressing anyway...hehe)

My precious neighbor, Jill, came over yesterday and made me get my act together. After she folded all my laundry (and that was a task) she helped me go through my clothes and decide what was going in the suitcase. I would still be looking at my clothes contemplating what I wanted to bring. I am so glad to have that task done :)
I am a shoe girl. I buy shoes and then I buy outfits to match the shoes. I love shoes. My saying about shoes is that they are faithful. No matter how much weight you gain or loose, your shoes will always fit. ;) So...I have an entire suitcase of nothing but shoes. I have my new prizes in the box and I found another new pair while shopping this weekend for $7! Then I have a few more pairs in there for other outfits and of course the tennis shoes because I must continue exercising. I am afraid I may want to pack a couple more pairs. Jill said she did not have to sit on the suitcase to close it so we can possibly get a little more in there, lol.

Another step in the getting ready process was to get our toes "prettied up" So, yesterday I along with 3 other military wives went to get a pedicure. It was so relaxing and fun. I think we each took our turns squealing like high school girls, lol. I took a few pictures of us before my camera went kaput on me...of course it went out before I could get the after pictures taken. boo :( Here's to hoping it will work for homecoming stuff.

Here's Kim getting ready for her pedicure:

And Angela getting pampered:

then there's me getting my toes "prettied up"

The other lady with us, Wendy, did not want her picture taken...I will get her though...;)

Today, my Jack is on fall break so I am going to spend some special time with just him. (Madi's school is not on fall break) It is so rare for us to do that. I know he is sensing some things going on with me doing all this packing and preparing. The kids know daddy is coming home soon, but we have decided not to tell them how soon. They think that mommy has to go to a meeting for a few days. They don't care because they are staying with the grandparents so they are making big plans for that (I hope the grandparents are resting up, lol) I want to keep this as a surprise for them and our hope is that we will be able to surprise Jack at school. I get all excited just thinking about that, then I tear up thinking about how great of a surprise it will be for Jack to see his daddy. Oh, I hope it works out, but if it does not, it will still be great because the end result is daddy will be home.

I wanted to thank everyone for the sweet comments on my previous post. It is hard to understand reintegration if you have not ever been through it. So, I appreciate the precious comments, the encouragement, and the prayers. I am believing and trusting that we will be just fine. And I know that every obstacle, hurdle and roadblock we face, the Lord is faithful to see us and strengthen us through every bit of it.

Warning Label and A Surprise

2011-10-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

I shared in my previous post that right now I should come with a "warning label". I don't know what it is about deployment, but my emotions are all over the place. I seriously go from happy and laughing to tears. For no reason. Tears. Seems strange huh? But it is true. Sometimes its tears for the feeling of being extremely overwhelmed. Sometimes its tears of relief that soon I will have my husband home so I am not being everything to everyone all on my own. Sometimes its tears reflecting on how much I have learned about myself and others during this deployment. Sometimes I catch myself in tears and I laugh - I think "seriously Jess" (maybe I should not share this - I promise I may seem to not have it "all together" right now, but everyone is taken care of, lol)

My desire when I began blogging over 3 years ago was to be real. I always want my blog to be real. To be honest. To reflect me. To reflect the reality of deployment for me and my family. It may not be every one's reality, but it is ours. It's the realities of my struggles, my fears, and my worries. So with that said, I want to be honest about my emotions right now as deployment is winding down. Yes, I am beyond EXCITED that my husband is coming home. Yes, I am HAPPY. Yes, I am GIDDY like a school girl preparing for her first date. There is NOTHING like the feeling you get when you are about to see your husband for the first time after a long deployment. For me, there is no feeling quite like it....but with that said I am also nervous and worried. For those who may read this and are not a military family, you may have a hard time understanding those feelings. Most people watch the homecoming shows on tv and the videos all over the internet and see the happy tears and hugs and kisses, and while yes those are real emotions that really happen, what you don't see is the concerns. I don't think that would make for very good ratings...who wants to watch that??? I wouldn't, I don't want to live it for that matter, but it is my reality. Not everyone has the worries and apprehensions about homecoming, I am just sharing my feelings. This is our 3rd deployment. We are not newbies at this game. The 1st and 2nd deployments I did not have the worries and apprehensions. Our reintegration at 1st deployment was perfect. We picked up right where we left off. It was just the 2 of us, no kids, it was really easy. 2 kids later and deployment #2 happened. I was not concerned about reintegration at all. I was looking forward to getting back to our normal. Boy, was I shocked. Our reintegration was hard. The kids had a hard time. We had a hard time as individuals dealing with the effects of deployment. We had a hard time as a couple. (by hard time I just mean I was expecting too much of Jason and it felt like we were always aggravated with each other) It took a while. It took a lot of communication. It took me leaving the kids at home with daddy alone and forcing them to bond with him. It took a lot of prayers. It took a lot of tears. It took a lot of trust in the journey that God was placing us on. It took us realizing what was important and making a conscious effort to work through it all. We made decisions that people did not understand....and that is ok...we don't need anyone to understand because we knew we were doing what we had to do at the time for our family. And it worked. We were overcoming the emotions, the kids were bonding with daddy, everything was getting back to the way we wanted it to be. Then came the news of deployment #3. When I got the news of deployment #3 not only did my heartbreak at the thought of another year of my hubby gone (and all the concerns that goes with that) but my heart was also breaking at the thought of another reintegration like the one we just overcome. So fast forward to now...the reason for a lot of my tears is the thought of reintegration. It concerns me. I have really been praying about it lately. Of course I pray for a smooth transition for J, for the kids, for us, but I also pray that if it is God's will for it to be a struggle again, that He will be with us through it all. And I can rest in that peace. Rest in knowing that He is with us and He will, again, see us through every bump, hurdle, and roadblock. So why do I still worry over it? I am not sure why...I wish I knew. The worry does not consume me. It just crosses my mind every now and then and I can seriously feel a queasy feeling come over me at the thought of going through that again. So, I take a deep breath (like I seriously just did after I typed that sentence) and I say a little prayer...and I rest in the fact the He hears me and rest in the fact that He knows what is best for me. So for today, that is what I think God is trying to teach me through it all...even the things I do not think I am ready to learn, that He knows what is best for me, always.

Whew...I am not sure I have shared all that before...

SO on a lighter note...
I did shed some tears this afternoon...happy, surprised tears that is ;)
I got an amazing surprise today from my fabulous hubby. He sent me 2 dozen roses attached with the sweetest note! I am one lucky girl who feels incredibly blessed to have such an amazing, wonderful, fabulous, supportive, appreciative husband.

Yes, I have been grinning from ear to ear all afternoon...
Can you blame me???

My grin and I are off to pack...I have a big trip coming up :) yay!!

So what do you do??

2011-10-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when deployment is winding down???
You help a friend make welcome home signs!

This is me helping my friend, Kim, make signs for her hubby's homecoming (our husbands are in the same unit and will be coming home at the same time):

This is Kim. We have been through 3 deployments together. Though I would never wish deployment on anyone, its awesome having someone else going through a deployment who gets it. So thankful that God has allowed our paths to cross. Don't know what I would do without all the awesome friends(military and non-military) in my life...

Of course, Kim may not ever want me to help her with signs again. I had a little oopsie with the glitter glue. I may have shook it a little too hard and the cap may have busted off and into a huge glob on the poster...oops! I told her this poster better be front and center anyway, lol.

So what do you do when deployment is winding down?
You find the perfect dress for the Welcome Home Dinner and Ceremony ... or in my case you buy 4 dresses! Yes, I bought 4 dresses. I would feel ok in the dress...get it home...and change my mind. I am struggling with my self image. Who knew that loosing over 35 pounds would do this. I still see myself at my heaviest. Anyone else do this? Surely I am not the only one. I know I have frustrated my friends with the countless fashion shows and questions of "Are you sure my butt does not need a flashing caution light on it?" "Are you sure my tummy is not poking out?"
Anyway...I returned 3 dresses. Then set out once again to find the dress. I went alone this time. I tortured the poor girl in the store though. She probably had no idea what hit her. But I bought the dress I will wear. I can not return it. It was so deeply discounted that it had a no return no exchange policy. It is my dress. I would love to share a picture, but I am waiting until the Welcome Home Dinner and Ceremony to surprise my honey. I have never worn anything like this. I wonder what he will think??? :)

So what do you do when deployment is winding down???
Buy a pair of AWESOME shoes to go with the dress! I have loved these shoes since the moment I laid eyes on them! They are adorable and fun and sparkly and add that bit of color I need to go with my dress :) I can not wait to wear them!! Yes, I will be a foot taller than Jason, but I just could not resist these shoes.

So what do you do when deployment is winding down?
I am on a mad cleaning spree...like washing walls and baseboards, cleaning out drawers and closets. Up next...outside. I have most of my fall decor outside up. Gotta plant some flowers, get some pumpkins, and add some pine straw. Then I need to decorate inside. I usually already have this done, but with all the stuff going on lately I have not been able to get to it. We have been so busy. With activities, school, appointments, and as FRG Co-leader of my hubby unit, I have been busy planning the Welcome Home Dinner and Awards Ceremony...and that has seriously been a full time job that thankfully I have not done alone. It is going to be a grand event...one that this unit seriously has earned. I am looking forward to it and looking forward to seeing the soldiers and their families. yay! Our deployment is almost over!!!

So what do you do when deployment is winding down?
you count trash days...as in the number of trash days left until hubby is back on US soil...my tummy is turning flips thinking about that number!

So what do you do when deployment is winding down?
you have suitcases packed...I need to get on this. I need to figure out what I need to pack so that when I get the call, I will be ready to go! That's the downfall of being in the reserves...there is no base around us for the unit to de-mob at. Each time we have had to drive a good ways to "meet the buses" (as we call it)- oh mess, I just realized I need to pick out my "meet the bus" outfit...maybe this will be easier I have 3 to choose from, ha! Got to get on that.

As you can see, my mind is in a million places. Which is why the blog has been neglected. Which is why if I have not returned an email or phone call, please do not take it personally...I am just really busy right now and my mind is all over the place. I told my friend Melissa the other day I should come with a warning sign...proceed with caution. hehe...hopefully it is not that bad-ok who am I kidding. :)

I will try to update soon...there are some things I want to share. Some things I need to share. I know there are a lot of questions right now being asked about me...most are not being asked directly to me so I would just like to clarify and clear up anything that others may be wondering or assuming. No big deal...I just have not had the time to sit down and really share my heart. I will though...soon. :)

Until then, hope everyone is doing well and having a great weekend! I am off to play dress up in those 3 outfits and clean baseboards, lol...such a glamorous life I live huh??

Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Review of Season 9 Premiere

2011-09-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

It is time for the new season - Season 9 - of EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION!! (imagine me saying that with all of Ty's enthusiasm)

This season opens with a 2 hour season premiere on Sunday, September 25 at 7/6c on ABC. (watch the teaser trailer below)

Through this blog, I have connected with so many wonderful, inspiring, and amazing people. I have also been contacted with some really great opportunities that I would not have otherwise ever had the chance to be a part of. I do not always accept the offers, but sometimes the opportunities are just too great to pass up. Recently I was contacted with an offer to watch the season premiere of Extreme Makeover Home Edition before it airs on national tv. Me? Are you serious!? Yes, please! I love this show. I love the idea behind it. I love watching the houses come down and the new one (in all its grandeur) replacing it. I love watching the families reaction at the reveal. I cry. A lot. How can you not cry at this show? So, when offered this opportunity to watch I was all for it...but you know what solidified it for me...the episode will highlight a former Navy Officer, Barbara Marshall, who is fighting to end homelessness among female veterans. I knew there was no doubt I was going to watch....and I am so glad I did!

Here is a little bit about the show that I would like to share (without giving away too much)
The show opens with the decorating crew traveling to the White House! No, they are not "re-doing" the White House, hehe:

Instead, the crew of EMHE is stopping by to enlist the help of the First Lady herself.

The crew moves on to North Carolina to the site of the makeover where we are introduced to Barbara Marshall, her family and the women at the Steps n Stages Jubilee House. Ms. Marshall opened this house, along with her husband, as a transition home for homeless female veterans (single or with children) to offer them a place to stay, aid with job hunting, medical assistance, and transportation (just to name a few). Ms. Marshall's spirit and compassion for these women is so inspiring. What she is doing, empowering and helping these women, is undoubtedly not only making a difference for the women who come through her doors, but also for generations to come, as some of the women have children with them.

The house they live in is in need of many repairs and more space so that more women can be assisted...so in steps the crew of EMHE, Mrs. Obama, the build team, and volunteers from every branch of the service! That was so amazing to see all the support of every branch.

The family and residents of the house are sent off on a vacation and the work begins. I loved the way the house came down! I loved watching the new house go up. It is always amazing to me how much they accomplish in just a weeks time. The house is incredible and definitely just what Ms. Marshall needs to help women veterans get back into the game of life.

Mrs. Obama was very hands on in this episode. She seemed to truly care about these women who live at the Steps n Stages Jubilee House and genuinely wanted to help them. She said somethings in the episode that really stood out to me. "Everyone can do something" How true is that? Really, we can all do something! We might not can build a house, but we can do something. Know a family with a soldier deployed? Take them a meal. Mow the lawn. Provide an hour or two of childcare to give the parent at home a break. As a military wife of a soldier in the midst of his 3rd over year long deployment I can tell you we all need help no matter how together we may look.
Below is a picture of Mrs. Obama and Ty:

Of course I want to share one more picture with you. The picture of the family and residents as the crowd is cheering "MOVE THAT BUS" and their new home is revealed! This part has to be hands down one of my favorite parts. I find myself saying "MOVE THAT BUS" right along with them, hehe.

Let me encourage you to watch this episode. It is no doubt one of my favorite episodes. I promise you will be blessed by Ms. Marshall and her desire to make a difference. One last thing, some advice, have tissues on hand. :) I will watch it again, right along with you and I will have my tissues. So, watch it and let me know what you think!

*I received no monetary compensation for this review. This was just an opportunity for me to watch a show before it airs, and share on my blog what I thought of it.

A Minor Setback

2011-09-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

We've had a minor set-back at our house...

It is really nothing that major, just enough to be a little discouraging.

Jack had his annual eye exam a few weeks back. Yes, it was a few weeks ago and I am just now getting around to sharing...can we say busy life??? :) I was on facebook the other day and facebook reminded me what my status was 2 years ago (how sweet of facebook to have that feature) Anyway, the status stood out to me because it was about Jack's eye appointment. Here is the status:

"is so pleased with Jack's progress!!! In just 6 months the vision in Jack's eye... has gone from 20/400 (meaning he could only read the large E on the chart) to a 20/50 (could see about 4 lines now!) !!! Plus the patching for the amblyopia (lazy eye) went from wearing a patch over the good eye for 10 hours a day to NOW only wearing it 3 hours a day!!! PRAISES"

So fast forward 2 years to now:

Before this appointment I had been noticing that Jack was having trouble with his vision. If he was not wearing his glasses, I would catch him covering his left eye and only using the right eye to look at things. I had also noticed the left eye turning in much more often than it had been previously. (The turning in of his eye does not happen while he is wearing his glasses so that is a really good thing) For those who do not know, Jack has a condition known as amblyopia or "lazy eye". He was offically diagnosed with it in 2009 (finally) by the 3rd eye doctor we went to see. Yes, it took 3 doctor's...call it mommy intuition, but I knew there was something that was not right. And boy was I right, my child was nearly blind in the left eye by the time we got him to a doctor that knew what was going on. I am so glad we found the dr. we have and that he specializes in this condition. Jack has made wonderful progress through wearing an eye patch to strengthen his eye muscles and re-gaining vision in his eye. It amazes me what a simple task of patching an eye can do to improve this condition. When we first started the process in early 2009, Jack had to wear a patch over his right eye (the stronger eye) for 10 hours a day to force him to use the left eye therefore increasing the strength in the left eye. The patching process was very successful! So much so that in just a year and half, Jack was no longer wearing the eye patch. Now, he still had the condition, but it no longer required daily patching. Instead of seeing the eye doctor monthly (like we did to start with) we were on yearly visits so long as his eye did not turn in while he was wearing glasses. So fast forward a year...no problems with the eye turning in while wearing eye glasses, but I had noticed the other things (mentioned at the beginning of this post) so I was anticipating some set backs when we went to the doctor.

And sure enough...my intuition was spot on...again. As I sat in the room with Jack taking his eye exam I saw first hand just how "bad" it had gotten...Jack has lost some vision. :( I do not really know why. Guess it is just part of having amblyopia. I don't know. Now, it is nothing like it was on our first visit when he had 20/400 vision in the left eye. At our last appointment Jack had 20/40 vision in the left eye to now the vision is 20/60. I know, nothing like it was, but it is going in the wrong direction. Which means that the left eye is definetly not as strong as it was. bummer.

So...it is back to patching again for us. 2 hours per day, everyday. Patching the right eye (stronger eye) so that we can strengthen the left eye. The doctor was so funny about it. He told Jack that he gave him permission to play video games while he wore his patch. He told me, "how often do you have a doctor tell you to let your child play a video game?" I chuckled but I know that the idea behind it is to force him to use the eye. Now, no way am I letting him play video games for 2 hours just because he is wearing a patch. We tried to read with it on and do homework, but it was very difficult for him to do that, so we stick to games and just playing outside. Jack is great about wearing the patch. He rarely complains about it. Thank goodness. I can not imagine how annoying it must be. On those occassions when he complains about wearing the patch, I just remind him why is wearing it and that mommy wants to make sure the problem is corrected now so he does not have problems when he gets older. I have friends who they themselves or someone close to them has a lazy eye and they always express to me how they wish their condition would have been caught when they were younger because now it is too late.

Patching for 10 hours per day on a 4 year old was a task. We got through it though. Patching for 2 hours is nothing compared to 10 hours, but sometimes we have trouble finding 2 hours per day at home to wear the patch. Between soccer and dance class we stay on the go. I am sure some of you are thinking, just let him wear the patch out. We use to do that. But it never fails, everytime we have gone out in public with the patch on, we get some strange looks and on occassion some strange questions and comments. Most people just stare...which is so uncomfortable for Jack because he is a very shy child. We get the occassional "looks like someone has a boo-boo on their eye, did the cat scratch you?" to which I inform them about Jack's condition. A few times we have had people make comments like "bless his heart, that poor child" To which I like to inform them that he is fine, its just a lazy eye. But I am glad that these people ask instead of staring...the people who stare really bother Jack (and me to for that matter) I do not mind to answer questions, I just don't like the stares. So, because of all that, we prefer to be home when it is time to patch.

Jack is wearing the patch again. I have not noticed any improvement yet in the left eye. I have noticed a couple times that his right eye will turn in shortly after taking the patch off. I have noticed it 3 times. I know that does not seem like much, but this is new. The right eye has not ever done this. It has always just been the left eye turning in. So, I am keeping an eye on it. If it happens more, I will contacting the doctor's office just to make sure. If not, we will return for our follow-up visit in December.

So, like I said, minor setback...Jack will be fine. I am believing that God will improve it again this time just like He was faithful to do before. I sit here looking at Jack, with his patch on, and I think to myself how lucky we are to know about this condition. How lucky we are to get a grip on it now, so he is not faced with no vision in the left eye when he becomes an adult. I think about all that he can do...this condition does not slow him down at all...He is a straight A student, he stopped every ball that came into the goal during the soccer game this past weekend, he made all-stars in baseball...this condition definetly does not slow him down. He knows that God created him in His own image, exactly how He wanted Jack to be. And that is ALL that matters...not that he has a "lazy eye"...that does not define who Jack is, it is just how God created him. Part of the unique, special trait that God selected Jack to have....and He gave Jack (and his mommy) the determination to improve it. And we are believing it will improve. :) I will update again after our next follow up appointment.

Guess What I'm Doing???

2011-09-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

I am making "Welcome Home" signs! Yippeee!!

This very, very long 3rd deployment is almost over...I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...it is a dim light, but I see it :)
I am counting down by counting the number of trash days left in this deployment...we still have a few trash days left, but I wanted to get a start on the signs cause it usually gets pretty hectic around here as the deployment draws near the end (especially now that I am the FRG co-leader)

Give-a-way Time!

2011-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to offer a copy of the devotional "Faith Deployed...Again - More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives" by Jocelyn Green

Faith Deployed...Again is the sequel to the devotional Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives.

I really loved the encouragement and wisdom I read in Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, so when the author, Jocelyn Green, contacted me about reviewing the sequel, I was really excited.

This devotional is filled with the wisdom of over 25 Christian military wives-representing each branch of our armed forces. It is broken into 8 sections:
1. Basic Training: Guiding Principles for Military Living
2. Intimate Allies: Protecting Your Military Marriage
3. Tour of Duty: Overcoming Deployments and Other Separations
4. Soul Armor: Guarding Against Spiritual Attacks
5. Stationed in Christ: Dwelling in the Lord, Near and Far
6. In God's Service: Living for the Lord
7. Home Front Hope: Moving Forward in God's Strength
8. For Blue Star Moms: Trusting God with Your Service Member

A little about the author:
JOCELYN GREEN graduated from Taylor University with a B.A. in English and is a full-time freelance writer and editor. She is the author of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and co-author of Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq/Afghanistan (AMG Publishers, 2009). Jocelyn writes for a number of clients, including the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities and Indiana Wesleyan University, and contributes to Christianity Today, Campus Life's Ignite Your Faith, Today's Christian, ZIA Magazine, InSite, EFCA Today, Today's Pentecostal Evangel, and High-Definition Life: Student Edition. Jocelyn resides in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with her husband Rob and two children.

Just like Faith Deployed, I found Faith Deployed...Again to be focused on the unchanging character of God. I find it insightful, full of wisdom, encouraging, strengthening, and hopeful (just to name a few) I think that it is great that a free online study guide that goes along with the devotional can be found at Faithdeployed.com

I love that this devotional is not a "self-help" book. It encourages military spouses to honor God no matter how difficult our journey can become. This devotional prompts the reader to move past asking "why" and instead turn our focus to God - to His strength. To draw Him near to us always, not just during the tough times. As deployment #3 is winding down for me, it is easy to loose sight of His strength and try to "finish" this deployment on my own strength...so I am thankful for the reminders that are in this book.

I highly recommend this book to all military spouses and significant others, to military families, to churches who minister to military families, to everyone who wants a little insight into what life is like for military families.

For reviewing this book, I received 2 copies. Of course, I am keeping a copy for myself. :) But, I would like to offer one reader a chance to win a copy as well!

All you need to do to win a copy is....
Leave a comment with your email address

I know pretty easy right???

This will be open until 8pm CST on Sunday, Sept. 11. I will choose a winner, randomly, and notify the winner at that time.

so...comment away and good luck!

Madeline's 1st day of school

2011-09-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Madeline started K4 today!

She has been so excited about her first day of school. She has been bugging me EVERYDAY since Jack started to school about how much longer until her school starts. She was in such a great mood this morning. Woke up with no resistance and immediately got dressed for her big day. When we arrived at her school, she was a little shy and skiddish at first, but after a few minutes, she was her normal self. She has lots of friends with her this year that we already knew, and will be making more. I can not wait to watch her grow and learn over this school year.
Below are some pictures of our Madeline on her first day. (Madeline and 2 of her bestest friends wore the same custom dress to school today. Each girl had the same dress just a different color)

Madeline reports she had a fabulous day and looks forward to going back tomorrow. She told me all about the books she read and songs she sang. :) I love how excited she is about school!!!

My Weight Loss Journey

2011-08-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last August, I took a long look in the mirror and realized I did not like what I was seeing at all. I am sure we all have those moments right? But this was a moment that I seriously consider a life changing event for me. I stood there and looked at myself and knew that something had to change. Not only did I not like my reflection, I did not like that my joints were starting to ache, that my back started to hurt, that I could not keep up with 2 active children like I wanted to be able to do. I knew that something had to change...no, not something, everything! Everything had to change- my attitude, my diet, my lifestyle. I decided at that moment that I was going to get healthy and get active. I knew that it was going to take a big jump start for me and decided that I would do a physician monitored program. Now, let me say this...I know a lot of people have their opinions about these programs. That is fine, we are all entitled to those opinions. Because I have had heard so many people share their opinions about physician monitored programs, I only shared with a small handful of people that I was doing this type of program. Not because I was ashamed of it, but because I just did not want to listen to any ones opinion. Unless you have ever been considered obese or struggled with weight (and I don't mean 10 pounds) then it is hard to understand what it is like. So, I enrolled in the program in August of 2010. It was around the time that deployment #3 was starting and I had set myself a goal to loose 50 pounds in a year. I felt that 50 pounds was a healthy and reasonable amount to loose in a year.

The day I enrolled in the program I weighed:

208 pounds
height: 5'8"

(it took me a really long time to just type those numbers...my goodness, it seriously makes my heart speed up just sharing that)

That is not the heaviest I have ever been, but it is still way too much for me.
So below are 2 pictures of me taking in August 2010 at 208 pounds:

I did the physician monitored program for 4 months. It worked great! I dropped 25 pounds in 4 months. I was feeling better than I had in a really long time. I was fitting in clothes that I had not worn in years and I was getting rid of clothes because they were too big! That is such a great feeling!!

So December rolls around I was down 25 pounds. I was very pleased with my results and I was not having any problems at all. I was sticking to my allotted calories and doing really well. I decided that paying the weekly fees was just too much and decided to take a break from the program and prove to myself that I could do it on my own.

I know that many people quit weight loss programs and pack the pounds back on but I was determined that would not be the case for me. I knew what I had to do and knew that I could do it on my own. So, I did.

In January I changed up my workout a little bit-actually a lot. I was still monitoring my calories, but in addition to walking, I started going to zumba. And I LOVED it! I took my measurements in February and again in March...I had lost in one month a total of over 9 1/2 inches (I measured my arms, chest, waist, hips, and thighs) I was completely excited and it was just the jolt I needed to keep going. And so I have been a regular at zumba class since that time...well at least until ball season rolled around. Baseball got very very hectic in April and May then Jack made all stars so it was even more hectic over the summer. Because I could not attend zumba like I wanted to, I just decided to start running one day. (No, no one was chasing me, lol) I am not an avid runner. I don't do 5ks. I don't run everyday. On the days I could not make it to zumba, I would hop on the treadmill and stay on for 30 minutes and eventually built myself up to an hour. If I only ran 5 minutes of that hour, it was better than nothing. As I have kept doing it, my time spent running has gotten longer. I still enjoy zumba so much more, but I can't make it everyday so hoping on the treadmill gets my cardio in and I feel great after I do it.

So that brings us to July...just before J came home for R&R.

My new weight was 172! I had lost 36 pounds!!! (25 pounds on the physician program and 11 pounds all on my own)
Below are some pictures of me at my new weight:

Then my hubby came home for R&R...we went on vacation...school started back...J went back to the 'Stan...I was sad...I fell off the exercise wagon, lol. I gained 6 pounds in a month! crap! I did not like that at all! So I am back on the exercise routine...zumba when I can, running/walking, and watching the calories.

I have dropped 2 pounds.
Current weight: 176

will I make my goal of 150 before hubby gets home??? I highly doubt it. I am shooting for 170. I am trying to do this the healthy, realistic way. This time next year, I will be at my goal of 150...if not lower ;)

whew, now my nervousness can subside...I did not know that sharing my weight would do that to me, lol

So, what are your diet success stories or secrets???

Jack's 7th Birthday Party

2011-08-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we finally had Jack's 7th birthday party. He wanted a Capt. America theme at the skating rink so that is what we had. :)

Jack had a great time at his party, which is all that matters, BUT it is the first and LAST time I will ever have a party at the skating rink we used. The air conditioner was broke in that place and it was miserable. I heard several other parents complaining about it, but the staff at the skating rink did not seem to care too much. My problem was when the manager made some of the adult guests at our party pay $6 just to come into the party. These people were not skating, they just came to see Jack, but they were made to pay to enter the place. Then I was upset when the staff there would not give skates to one of the children who were invited to the party. NO excuse was given, they just would not give them a ticket to get skates (even though I had paid for these children to be able to skate and made it clear to the staff that if more than the allotted 10 children show up for the party, then I will pay the extra fee for them to skate-which I was told would be fine)So when I found out how the staff was treating our invited guests, I had a talk with them. The staff nor the manager made an apology. I did get the ticket for the child to skate, but no apology. I just found their behavior in poor taste and very unprofessional. So, I decided that was the last party we would have there. It was funny because I did not let Jack know any of this was going on, but when we left the party as we walked past the manager, Jack said "Mommy, that was fun but I don't want my party here again, I would rather go to the arcade" To which my friends little boy said "That's probably a good thing because I don't think your mom will let you have a party here again" haha! and the manager heard it all. Oh well, maybe it will cause them to change some things or do some things differently...maybe.

Anyways, below are some pictures of the party:
Jack blowing out his 7 candles ;)

I took Jack to the store and let him pick out his cake. This is the one he chose: (It was so hot in the place that the icing was starting to melt, yuck)

The birthday boy and his little sister:

Some of the children at the party:

Madeline skating:

Jack skating:

Me and my little birthday boy:

Presents:

Madeline and 2 of her best buddies, Chase and Sadie.

Still catching up...

2011-08-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to catch this blog up (lol)
This post is about week 2 of our R&R. Once we knew when J would get R&R, we decided to go to the beach. The beach is one of our favorite places to go and we knew the kids would love it too! We were fortunate to be able to stay a week. The weather was perfect and the food was out of this world wonderful. (yea, I blew the diet and gained a few pounds but it was so very worth it)
So below are the pictures from our week...it is a lot of pictures ;)
On our way to eat some yummy seafood:

J and Jackk:

J and Madeline being silly:

J and his parents. His parents were at the beach the same week we were there. They stayed just up the road from us so we got to see them while we were there.

No vacation to the beach is complete without getting buried in the sand:

Madeline with a shovel full of sand...to the face...ha

what a trooper daddy is:

Swimming in the ocean:

J and the kids:

Me and the kids:

Nothing better than a late afternoon nap on the beach under the umbrella:

While Jack napped, Madeline boogie boarded:

and built sand castles:

relaxing under the umbrella with my little man:

J and Jack:

J and Madeline:

photo taken by Madeline (she did not do too bad):

me and my little sweeties:

Ready to enjoy another great day at the beach:

3 of my most favorite people:

On our last day the gulf was filled with jelly fish! All 4 of us got stung. So the kids took it upon themselves to catch all the jelly fish. They caught a lot:

Are they not the cutest???

Me and my little crazy:

We took the kids to play Putt-Putt ( or carpet golf according to Jason) and to ride go-carts. They had a blast even though it was so blaming hot out there.
Jack lining up to putt:

Madeline playing the game her way:

Jason lining up to make the putt:

I scored the first and only hole in one! Yea me!!

Madeline was finally tall enough to drive the kiddie carts by herself:

Jack had so much fun!:

So that was our vacation. It was a great and relaxing time. Jason and I were even able to have a date night one night while we were there. It was so nice. It had been nearly a year since I had a date.

I will be back soon to update about the end of R&R and some other things that have been going on :)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm so Behind

2011-08-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am so behind in blogging...that is what a packed summer and a R&R will do to you :) I am determined to get caught up...one day (ha!)

It has now officially been a week since J returned to the "stan" It was a rough few days there in the beginning, but with God's grace, we made it and are almost in a new groove. I will share soon about what those first few days were like...just don't have the time this morning.

So, in an effort to be semi-caught up, I will share a few pictures of our first week of R&R:

Jason's friends had a shrimp boil for him one night. Several friends we had not seen in years were there. It was so good to see everybody and to see a smile on my hubby's face. Here is a picture of us from that night:

My brother also joined us at the shrimp boil. It was great having him there too!

We recently added a new deck and patio at our house (I say recent, it has been a year) Well, I finally got some furniture for it (how is that for waiting to find the right set at the right price???) J and the kids put it together one morning. The kids also got a table set for the deck and below is a picture of them helping daddy put it together.

We took a day and went swimming. That was a lot of fun. J was amazed at all the "tricks" the kids were doing.

My 3 favorite people in the world!

Of course, had to get daddy with the bunny ears:

Madeline mastered the back dive! This child has no fear at all.

Jack loves doing front flips and dives:

My birthday also happened while J was at home (yay, finally something he was here for to celebrate with me) We along with my mom and one of my best friends, Kim went to eat at our favorite Japanese restaurant. The kids loved it and I seriously ate way too much! But it made turning 33 fun :)

Kim and me out to dinner for my birthday.

So, I think those pictures catch us up on week one. Week 2 of R&R coming soon as well as my thoughts about the first few days after J returned to the "Stan" and my weight loss blog that I have been meaning to share.

Happy Birthday

2011-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

My little man Jackson turned 7 years old today!!! I can not believe he is already 7!!!
My sweet Jackson,
You are such a precious young man. You are so thoughtful - always checking on mommy and making sure she is ok. Whenever you have money, you always buy your sister a gift. You are so helpful with chores around the house. I love to listen to you read. I love to listen to you pray. I love your imagination. I love your passion for super heroes. I love the way you admire your daddy. I am so thankful that 7 years ago, God gave daddy and mommy His most precious gift - YOU - and He has entrusted us to raise you and train you in the way you should go. You amaze me everyday with your strength...I can not imagine all the emotions you deal with having daddy gone so much. Your smile melts me, as do your hugs. I am so glad your my son!

I love you Jackson,
Mommy

Below are some pictures taken throughout the day...

We are so blessed that Jason is here on R&R for Jackson's birthday! We decided to go ahead and give him his present so daddy could Jackson's reaction. A skateboard! yay! He was so shocked!

So happy to finally get a skateboard...I wonder how long till he is covered in boo-boos

For dinner, Jackson chose our favorite local mexican restaurant. He said he wanted to go there so he could wear the sombrero. :)

So happy!

quick little family photo:

Jackson and Meme

Group shot:

another group shot:

My favorite 3 people ever:

This picture melts. my. heart.:

and here we are: just 4 crows:

We are still soaking up our time with Jason. R&R is winding down, and I am not ready to send Jason back...but I know I have to. So for now, I am back to enjoying my family while we are still complete. ;)

1st Day of 1st grade!

2011-08-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

It is back to school time for us! I can not believe how quickly summer went. I also can not believe I have a 1st grader! wow!! Below our some pictures from his 1st day of 1st grade yesterday.
Jackson in his classroom ready to start the day:

Daddy and Jackson before we left the house for school. Jason is still home on R&R and I am so glad he did not miss Jackson's 1st day of school (he has missed enough already this past year) - (photo courtesy of Madeline):

Jackson and Madeline:

Jackson and me:

Jackson putting his book bag up:

Jackson had a great first day! He said it was the best ever :) I love all the excitement over the first day of school - the madness of car rider line not so much, but that will work itself out soon ;)

The homework has already begun - the teacher told us we would have homework, but I did not realize how much we would have. It's a lot of reading - good thing Jackson likes to read.

R&R Welcome Home

2011-08-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

We are currently in the midst of R&R! I have not gotten on the computer much at all because honestly we are just trying to soak up as much time as possible right now. (It's amazing how quickly time is going) I am very behind on blogging and on reading blogs, but I am sure everyone can understand :) I do plan to get caught up, but not until Jason returns to the 'stan.

I had a few extra minutes right now while J is having some one on one time with the kids so I wanted to share some pictures from our R&R Welcome Home.

The kids showing off their signs. My very sweet friend helped the kids make these signs. They got a lot of compliments on their signs.

The kids and I waiting on daddy to arrive at the airport:

The kids and Granna (my mother in law):

The kids with Pops and Granna (my in laws):

Madeline and Jackson waiting as patiently as possible behind the yellow line for daddy to come up the escalator:

Madeline pointing to show Jackson which direction daddy would be coming from:

As soon as I spotted Jason, the kids took off running! Jack got their first and you can see in the bottom of the picture that Madeline was running as fast as her little legs would take her to get to her daddy. At this point my heart is racing so fast and the butterflies in my stomach are indescribable. The moment you see your husband for the first time after many months apart is like no other. The excitement, the happiness, the relief of seeing them finally in person, the way their hug feels, their smell, the real life person - not a phone, to feel their kiss - not just see it over a weak skype signal...it is so amazing! Sorry, got off track - back to the picture of the kids running after daddy:

Jack jumps into Jason's arms and Madeline is almost there:

They both got daddy!!! As Jack and Madi wrapped their arms around daddy, the entire waiting area in the airport began clapping. The clapping lasted through the whole time we were all hugging Jason. It was so amazing to hear the clapping and people saying "welcome home" (great, I am crying again just thinking about it)

This picture melts my heart:

My 3 most favorite people in the world:

My little family:

Jason with his parents:

The Welcome Home crew:

After we left the airport, we stopped for lunch then headed home. Their was a small group waiting at the house to welcome Jason home:

As you know from the previous post, I surprised Jason with a motorcycle. When we pulled into the driveway, I gave him an envelope with the title and bill of sale to the bike and as he opened the envelope and read it, I opened the garage door:

Look at that happy face:

Checking out the new ride:

Fits perfectly!:

Looks so good on that bike!:

The kids posing with daddy's new addition:

So happy I was able to pull off the biggest surprise ever! But even more happy to have the love of my life at home!:

Well, I am back to spending time with my man. I will be back soon (=

SURPRISE!

2011-07-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

My precious hubby is home for R&R! YAY!!!!!!!! (So, can you see how big my grin is???) We are enjoying much needed family time right now, but I did want to share with you a video of us surprising him. Jason has been wanting a Harley for as long as I can remember so I bought him one and he had no idea about it! I managed to keep it a secret even though I wanted sooooo badly to tell him. I am so glad that I kept it though because it was the BEST surprise I have ever managed to pull off. yay! Below is the video of me revealing the surprise to him:

Why be Anonymous?

2011-07-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

After a couple years of blogging, I decided to make the comments on my blog be approved before they were published. For whatever reason I get a lot of spam comments wanting to be linked back to random websites...I obviously do not publish those. I have no need for the websites and I am sure my readers do not either. I occasionally get anonymous comments, but have not encountered any mean spirited ones...that is until yesterday.
I received an email notification that a comment on my blog was awaiting approval. I saw that it was anonymous. I figured it was another random link to a website...wrong. You can read below for the notification I received:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "We are in full "get the house ready for R&R" mode ...":
really? you call this a blog?

I don't get this.

Yes, Anonymous, I call this a blog. My blog. If you don't like it, don't read it. I don't need your approval. But next time, reveal yourself...don't hide behind anonymous.

Anywho...you can't get me down...wanna know why? because my soldier will be here in a matter of days :) yay!

2011-07-20T04:57:00.000-07:00

We are in full "get the house ready for R&R" mode around here!

R&R is getting so close and we are so excited!!! BUT before J comes home there are a few things that MUST be taken care of...one of those items is the kids playroom. Because the playroom is in the basement, I do not pay it that much attention. It is closed off from the rest of the house and most of the time no visitors ever see it. Therefore I have neglected it BIG TIME...wanna see:

So the kids and I waged war in the playroom. I shared the above picture on facebook and commented that if no one hears from me in a couple hours to send in a rescue squad...I was only partially kidding. I laugh now thinking that I actually believed it would only take a couple hours. Nope, try 2 days. The kids and I cleaned/organized/ and donated items in this playroom for 2 days. I was very grumpy doing it. BUT the end result is a nice clean/organized room...wanna see:

Glad to have this marked off the To-Do list! Whew!
Now, to keep it this way till J gets home for R&R.

Still so much to do...so I am off to tackle the remaining items on my list ...
haircut and color (for the first time since March) - CHECK
accessories for my dress - going today! yay!
clean house
wash cars

What does everyone else do to prepare for R&R ???

The Nosey Neighbors

2011-07-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been missing from blogging the last couple weeks. As you know, my brother arrived safely home from Afghanistan over the weekend of the 4th. We are so fortunate that he has been staying with us since he returned. We have been busy catching up and running all over the place so there has not been much time for blogging. Apparently having my brother at my house has become the talk of the neighborhood we live in. I live on a dead end street. We pretty much know everyone. We all look out for each other. If anything seems off or strange, we let each other know. Well, we have this older couple across the street from us who seriously do not miss anything. They sit in their rockers on their front porch and they keep a watch on everything. They are simply precious and as friendly as can be, but I noticed over the last couple days they had been giving me strange looks....well, now I know why they were giving me strange looks.
The other day as I was loading the kids in the car to leave the house, the couple walked over to my house (which I thought was odd because they usual just yell from the porch to talk)
So get this...they walk over to my house as I am loading my children in the car and wanted to know who the man was staying at my house. No joke, they point blank asked me who the man was that was staying at my house! I was a little stunned that someone would ask me that, but I politely told them that he was my brother. I told them he had just returned home and was staying with me until he found an apartment. The whole time I was talking, they were just looking at me like I was not telling them the truth...like in their heads I am sure they were thinking "hmm, yea right lady" It was cracking me up! I just kept thinking to myself these people do not believe me...did they forget that my brother lived with us for several months before he and Jason deployed? have they not seen his truck parked in my driveway for the last year?
It still cracks me up thinking about it. We have all got a big laugh out of it. My friends are now referring to my brother as my boyfriend and Jason is cracking me up telling me to have my boyfriend out before he gets home. I never thought I would be the talk of the neighborhood about something like this! ha! I expect to be the talk of the neighborhood for stuff my kids will be doing, but not this..lol.
What makes this even more funny is that Jeremy will be moving out next week when his apartment is ready, shortly after that J comes home for R&R...so the neighbors are going to see my brother move out and shortly after that, my husband return home...wonder what they are going to be thinking then???

Our 4th

2011-07-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend! (The only thing that would have made it better would be if my hubby was there)
I got the house decorated in a few of my patriotic things. (I am going to leave them up till hubby comes in for R&R) I also lined my flower beds and driveway in flags

View of Dining room:

View of mantle:

I got to use my superb grilling skills. As you can see in the picture below I have no business at all cooking on the grill:

These were hot dogs at one time...I forgot about them (aka I was busy running my mouth) and this is what happened to them. we had to go to the store to purchase more and I was told that my help was not needed...I don't understand why no one wanted me to grill the food (;

Other than the burnt food, we had a lot of great food and a lot of great company!
As you know, my brother is home so the kids were loving swimming with Uncle Jeremy.

Madeline, Uncle Jeremy, and Jack

After a full day of eating and swimming we went to see the fireworks show on Saturday evening.

Madeline, Chase, Lillie and Jack

On Monday the 4th it was back to more swimming and more eating (I seriously think all I did this holiday weekend was eat, blah)
The kids were loving all the swimming. As you can see in the picture below, "bunny ears" are the new thing in all our pictures (silly kids!)

Jack and Madi

Jack and our friend Wesley...again with the "bunny ears"

And of course, a picture of Madeline and me

We had a great 4th!

We are counting down the days until Jason is home on R&R (YAY!)

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." Elmer Davis

Happy 4th of July everyone! So thankful for the brave men and women who have and are sacrificing so much so that we may have freedom. God bless our soldiers and God bless the USA.

2 Blue Stars to 1 Blue Star

2011-07-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my husband and my brother have both been deployed to Afghanistan since last fall. That is why I have the 2 blue star sticker on my sidebar and on my car. (For those who do not know the history of the Blue Star flag, click HERE to read a little about it) Well, I am SO HAPPY to report that....

My 2 Blue Star Sticker is now....

A 1 Star Sticker!!!!!

YAY!!!! My brother, Jeremy, is HOME from Afghanistan!!!! Deployment #2 for him is now O-V-E-R!!!

Jeremy, came in late last week and we got to pick him up at the airport. Now a trip to the airport (that is 2 hours away) with 2 kids in tow is always an adventure...so let me give you a little snipit of that fun :)
We left town with plenty of time for the expected arrival of the plane. As we got on the interstate, I got the email that the plane was delayed an hour. As the drive continued, the emails continued with further notice of...would you believe...delays (ha, big surprise right???) By the time we got to town, the plane was now 3 hours late! So we did the only thing we could think of to pass the time...eat dinner and shop (:
We made it to the airport with still an hour to waste before Jeremy would get there so we found a seat and tried to make ourselves comfy. Now, before we left town the kids and I made signs and even bought balloons. The balloons made it thru the entire 2 hour drive and all the stops along the way. They made it into the airport and unfortunately were left at the airport. I was DETERMINED that Uncle Jeremy was getting the balloons. I would not let the kids hold them because I just knew they would let go of them so I kept the balloons. BIG mistake...

See above...the balloons are now on the ceiling :( I thought the balloons were tied to my purse...boy was I wrong. I reached into my purse and away the balloons went. The balloons were floating further and further away before any of us realized what was going on. It was too late...the balloons were gone...off to decorate the ceiling. At least we had a long (semi-delirious) laugh about it.

Jack and Madi waiting (behind the line cause you will get into trouble if you cross that line) holding their sweet handmade signs waiting on Uncle Jeremy to come through.

And finally....Uncle Jeremy is here! We were soooooo excited to see him!!!!

Madeline, Uncle Jeremy, and Jack - They were very happy to see Uncle Jeremy and have not let him out of their sight yet. It has been so sweet. He rode in the backseat the whole way home because they asked him to. He has spent a lot of time with them (taking them to the movies and lunch and fireworks show and just playing outside) Of course, I am loving it too because I am getting a little break (=

The kids and me with my brother. Jeremy gave the kids some cool new hats with the new camo design on them. They LOVE them and are always wearing them. He also gave them a coin from where he was stationed.

I am so very grateful to have Jeremy home with us. I am beyond thankful that God, in His perfect grace, returned him home to us. I am so thankful for his service and protection, especially thankful to the ONE who provided that. I am really enjoying having my brother home. He is staying with us and we are loving it. Just this afternoon I came in from the grocery store to find Jeremy, Jack and Madi asleep on the couch. It was such a sweet sight (kicking myself for not getting a picture) I am so very glad he is here with us. Now if Jason could just get home, I would feel complete ;)

Oh, have I mentioned yet that it is July...which means it is finally the month I will get to see my hubby! yay!! Hurry up R&R!!

Below is a video of when we first Jeremy:

Someone's Having A Birthday

2011-06-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweet husband's birthday! Happy Birthday Jason!!

I wish so much that we could be with him today to celebrate him, but since we can not, I wanted to make sure he had a good day (or at least as good as possible) When I last spoke with him, he had not received his birthday care package from us, so I do not want to share those pictures just yet (but I will once he receives it) I did order him a birthday cake from one of those companies that send cakes to deployed soldiers. I had it selected to deliver on his birthday, but it delivered early which is fine. I was a little disappointed in the size of the cake. I thought it would be enough to share, but as you can see in the picture below, it is not big at all. Oh well, at least Jason got to enjoy a piece of it. :)

That is the cake in front of mouse pad and computer...to get an idea of the size look at the cake compared to the mouse pad...see what I mean???

Below is a video of the Jack and Madeline singing daddy Happy Birthday

Jason,
We hope that your having a wonderful birthday! We love you so very much and can not wait to see you soon! Hurry Up R&R!!!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the greatest Daddy in the world!!!

Jason and Jackson (about 4 months old) Can not believe this little cutie is about to be 7 yrs old.

Jason and Madeline (about 4 months old) Hard to believe this sweetie is 4 1/2 yrs. old (yes, we make chunky babies)

walking on the beach with daddy on vacation last year

We sent Jason a Father's Day care package:

we decorated the inside with cut out trophies because daddy is #1

I let the kids pick out their own presents for daddy...they loved doing this! Everyone needs glow in the dark hand clappers and huge pink sunglasses, right???

Then we made 2 pillowcases with pictures of the kids on them:

Jack decorating his pillowcase

Madi decorating her pillowcase

We miss Jason a lot and hope that he enjoys his Father's Day as much as possible!!!

10 Years and Going Strong

2011-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

10 years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart. I can still remember the day so vividly. It was perfect in every way - exactly the way I planned it to be (I planned it for over a year) and the end result was the best ever - I was married to my precious husband, the man the God created just for me. How blessed I was then, how blessed I am today.
This morning I have been remembering all the details of the day...spending the day at the salon with my mom and bridesmaids getting our hair done and how Jason had his dad deliver flowers to me there. Thinking about my mom and my grandmother helping me get dressed at the church. Remembering how precious my granddad was before he walked me down the aisle and the sweet conversation we had. Remembering how much fun my bridesmaids were and how they kept my nerves calm and belly hurting from laughing so much. Remembering how sweet Jason was when he first saw me in my dress and was afraid to touch me. Such sweet memories...
Below are a few pictures from our wedding day:

and the most recent picture of us...it was taken last fall just days before Jason left for this deployment:

I would give anything for us to be together today, but it just did not work out like that. Even though we could not be together, Jason did send me some very great gifts! (gotta love those Afghan markets!)

And of course I had to send him a little happy anniversary prize. Since there is not a whole lot I can send, I just decorated the inside of the box with some hearts the kids made:

then made a "Nuts About You" basket...(cause I am nuts about him) (=

I was lucky enough to get a phone call and to skype today so I am a very happy girl...now trying to remain positive. My little boy has another all stars game tonight (we have games everyday this week and tournament next week so that is the reason for my lack of posting and reading blogs...hopefully I can catch up soon cause there is so much I want to share) So I will spend my anniversary at the ballfield (yay) I will not however, eat another thing from the concession stand. (;

Madeline's Recital

2011-06-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Madeline's dance recital. She was so precious. I enjoyed watching her and her friends perform. They were so cute and Madeline loved being on stage. :)
Below are a few pictures from the recital:

Madeline during her tumbling routine:

Madeline during her ballet routine:

Madeline's tap routine (This one was probably my favorite):

Performing during the Finale:

Madeline receiving her trophy from Ms. Leigh Ann:

Posing with her flower, trophy, and sweet doll daddy sent:

Madeline and me:

Madeline, Jack, and me:

Sweet brother and sister (I love my kids!):

Madeline and Jack with meme:

Chase, Madeline, Jack, Nana, and Granddaddy:

Granna, Madeline, Jack, and Pops:

A love that big 'ol smile

Emma and Madeline = the bestest of friends:

Ms. Leigh Ann and Madeline:

I can not wait to get the DVD back from this recital and for J to get home so he can watch it. I know he is going to love it!

This Week

2011-06-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

This has been a long week...
This has been a busy week...
There have been times this week when I have thought (and said out loud) am I going to make it this week???
I knew I would make it, I knew that God would give me everything I needed to get through this week just as He has been faithful to do in all the weeks before this. So what was different about this week? Nothing. Why was I letting doubt creep in? Simply because I was taking my eyes off His faithfulness and instead trying to do it on my own. I like to be in control...still to this day, I like to have a sense of "I got this" instead of the knowledge (and comfort) that "He has this"
This week has been filled with lots of preparations for Madeline's upcoming dance recital and Jack's all-stars practices - often both coinciding with each other...which was causing me to choose which child to be with and me feeling terrible for not being able to do both - I know most of you are thinking that's not a big deal, but when one parent is already missing all these events I feel like I need to be there for my children. I am so thankful for our wonderful family who is filling in so much for me during all this.  What a blessing they have been.
This week I have been feeling pretty lonely...specifically missing J.  Our 10th wedding anniversary is next week and I have been thinking about how much I wish I could see J on our anniversary. Thinking about how many anniversaries we have spent apart. Looking at the calendar and noticing we still have xx # of days till R&R and xxx # of days left in this deployment...goodness I can not wait till our family is together again.
I know R&R will be here soon enough - trust me, we have enough to keep us busy until then :)

I shared this thought on FB this morning: When you come to a place that Christ is all you have, you will find that He is all you need.
So even when my week is overwhelming, even when my heart is burden for friends who are hurting, even when I am feeling lonely...I know that He is all I need. I know that these times are meant to move me past my sense of self and instead into a more real and closer relationship to Christ. These are the times when His character is more real to me. When His strength is felt. He is ALL that I need.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Relaxing in mommy's foot spa ;)

How Neat Is This?!?!

2011-06-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my brother (who is also deployed to Afghanistan) shared with me that he got Jack and Madeline a gift. He had an American flag flown from an air craft during a combat mission in their honor. He then took the flags and had them framed with certificates and medals. How neat is that!!!! Below are a couple pictures he took of the frames and sent to me.
Jack's frame:

Close up of Jack's certificate in the frame:

Madeline's frame:

Close up of Madeline's certificate:

He said they are in the mail and on their way to us...I can not wait to see them!!!

Countdown Chain

2011-06-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

After the kids have repeatedly asked me "when is daddy coming home,mommy", and by repeatedly, I mean over and over and over, I decided to go ahead and make them each a countdown chain for their bedrooms. This chain is just counting down till daddy comes home for R&R, but they love waking up each morning and taking a link off their chain. The chain has managed to cut down (somewhat) on the repeated questions.
Madeline standing next to the chain in her room:

Madeline taking a link off her chain:

Jack standing next to his chain:

Jack taking a link off his chain:

So, how do you help your children countdown?

Jack's End Of The Year Program

2011-05-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

Jack had his End of The Year program yesterday. I now officially have a 1st grader...my goodness.
The program was so cute. The classes did a great job!
Below are some pictures of Jack's big day:

Jack and his buddy Wade singing some of their songs. Jack and Wade are on All Stars together, he is such a sweet little boy

Jack walking up to his principal to get his certificate.

Jack and his teacher....have I mentioned I want her to move up with him every year??? ;)

Jack with Pops and Granna

Jack and Meme

My little sweeties!

Big smiles from my sweet young man!!!

Time to read cards ;)

I love these little kids!!!

We went out to eat at our favorite Japanese restaurant (Jack's pick of course)...the only thing missing was daddy. We sure did miss him yesterday. My day started off pretty hard...hard because I was missing J and just having a little sadness about wishing J could be there with us, but you can not stay sad too long with these 2 little sweethearts around...nothing makes me happier than listening to them and their deep belly laughs they were having while watching the chef cook.

Below is a little video of Jack doing his speaking part. In case you have a hard time hearing him, he says "O is for obstacles we learned to overcome."

So, it's officially summer here! What's every one's plans??? Ours will be filled with All-Stars and preparing for R&R then finally R&R...=)