I'm feeling so much better. I just have to say how much I love the meds the doctors gave me. So since I am on the mend we are off to visit with family for awhile. I'm not sure when we will be back but I will be sure to post again when we do. Happy New Year everyone!

Blah

We had a wonderful Christmas. The kids got lots of good loot. I'm a little slow on pictures because I came down with Strep Throat all of a sudden. It just hit me out of nowhere the day after Christmas. And then yesterday I went to the ER because I had a fever of just over 105 for most of the day that I couldn't get to come down. I hate going to the ER but it wasn't that bad for us to get in and out. I've got my meds now and I hope to be feeling better soon. We are supposed to leave to go out of town on Tuesday. We'll see if that happens. I won't leave until I am 100% better. I hope to post with pictures from Christmas soon.

THANK YOU VAIVA!!

My friend Vaiva made Lilly the cutes shirt ever! I love it! I'm not sure how she made it but it is simply adorable.

Thank you so much Vaiva, this shirt is so special! Merry Christmas.

Chris is home!! He got home on Monday. We are thrilled to have him back just in time for Christmas. He has been super busy though so we haven't gotten to see him very much. I would include a picture of the boat returning, but I missed it! They came in early and we got there an hour and a half before we were expecting to see it, and dang it, it was passing by as I pulled up! I was MAD! Oh well. He's home now though.

Chris's dad came for a short visit. He got to go for a ride on Chris's boat for an entire day, and he got to visit with us. The kids loved having him here and he had to go back much too soon.

We had a Christmas party at the XO's house. There was lots of yummy food and good friends. There was even a visit from Santa. He gave each of the kids a gift. Wow, they sure enjoyed that. Well except for Lilly. She wasn't so happy to have some strange man in a big smelly red suit hold her.

Well the children are all nestled snug in their beds. With visions of candy, presents, and santa in their heads. Daddy is working and momma will be too. In hopes that St. Nick will be here soon.

The kids decorated cookies for Santa. They left carrots for the reindeer too. They are excited beyond words today!
I am off to finish the wrapping, while I watch my favorite holiday movie, A Christmas story. I procrastinated this year. Oops! Merry Christmas everyone!

Enjoy

Kenneth and Adrianna just love being on video. So enjoy a little Christmas song from my goof balls. And pardon the messy floor, we just finished watching Wall-E on the living room floor.

I FINALLY CAUGHT HER SAYING IT! Lilly has been saying I Love You for a little while now, but I haven't been able to catch it on video. I caught it! And the goofy girl is just messing with me afterward.

My Kenneth was Joseph yesterday in his school's Christmas program. He looked incredibly cute. I just loved their performance. It's a little hard to hear them singing with everything else going on but just keep watching the cutest little one in the orange (almost like a prison jumpsuit haha) He did such a good job.

Kenneth always talks about one little girl in his class. This is Ali, Kenneth says she's his best friend. :o)

Kenneth still didn't look too sure about this strange hairy man holding him, but I think he is tolerating it because he wants a race car toy. (whatever that is) I sure hope Santa listens and brings him this toy he is asking for over and over and over.

Kenneth and Lilly just being cute at the park.

***UPDATE: Lilly slept all night in her big girl bed. When she woke up the next morning she came to wake me up by knocking on my door. Sweet sweet girl. She slept in her bed for the next couple of nights after that, but we have since moved over to her crib for naps, since I can't get her to fall asleep during the day in her bed. I guess she stays in at night because she is just really tired. I'm going to keep at it to see how it goes. I'm not in any hurry though honestly. ***


Oh my goodness, I am so excited for my little Lilly. I put her in her big girl bed tonight and for the first time EVER she stayed in it and fell asleep. She is getting so big so fast. This is exciting now, will it quite this exciting when she wakes up at like 2 and doesnt want to go back to sleep? I'm not sure how she will do in the middle of the night if she wakes up. I'm a little nervous about that part. We'll see how it goes.

Awww...

My big boy has started being a little scared of things that may go bump in the night. Monsters, ghosts, tigers... you know the normal little boy things. Well today we had to go and buy a flashlight to scare away the monsters. And he was been carrying around a white pole from my old mini blinds that he was calling his light saber. So when I went to check on him tonight and I saw this I just couldn't help but laugh. I'm not sure what's up with the Santa hat though. Maybe its something to scare them away. But he has his "light saber" and flashlight snuggled up close to him to beat up any unsuspecting monsters. :o)

My book obsession

I bought the first of the Twilight series books. I LOVE IT! I am completely hooked. I have been stealing time all day when I should have been doing other things but I just couldn't force myself to put it down. Now I have to buy the others and get them read too. Maybe I shouldn't have started these. It's not like I have a ton of free time, and what little I did have is now gone to this book. I love it though. Next, I have to go and see the movie!

We made a quick trip down a few hours into Florida where we got to visit with Chris for a day. It was great. The kids have really missed him, so this visit seemed to do them some good. We were sad to have to go but he is going away again. We can't wait to have him home for good.
We visted the beach a couple of times, played some mini golf and skee ball, and just spent some much needed time with Chris. I am glad we made the trip even for such a short time.

Zoo trip

We went on a fun trip with my friend Abby and her 2 girls to the zoo. Adrianna was in school so it was just Kenneth and Lilly with me, but it was really fun. I really love the zoo here. I have been thinking for awhile about getting a family membership. I think it might be worth it. I just have a hard time dropping the $100 on something that we just want, not really need.

An update is coming soon. I just have to finish unpacking from my quick trip, and manage to put my really really good book down. :o)

I just have to say how nice it is to be able to hang out with my wonderful friends when I need them so much. I hope that I am there for you guys as much as you are for me while Chris is gone. I don't know what I would do without my bestests. You girls always keep me laughing, at each other and the kids sometimes, but it's always fun. If I need to vent then you are there to listen (Misty hears me alot). And when it's time to have some fun I know who to call. :o)
I just needed to say thanks!

Christmas is in the air!

Lilly just kept eating the snow. Ack...she didn't seem to care one bit that it was full of grass and leaves or that people had been walking all over it.

Kenneth loved the snow. He keeps talking about our upcoming trip to Michigan where I told him we would see the real stuff.



Yesterday we went to a Christmas festival that was held on base. There were pony rides, cookies, cocoa, and real snow! The kids seemed to have a pretty good time even though it was really just a lot of waiting for things. The got to make some reindeer food for Santa's reindeer too. Kenneth is really excited to put the food in our yard to try to see them when they come. Lilly loved the ride on the pony so much. She didn't want to get off. She actually cried when I had to take her off.
Tonight we went to Misty's house for enchiladas and gingerbread house making. The kids loved making the houses. They were so freaking hard to do though. As soon as I would get a wall or 2 together then it would fall apart. Finally we got it to stay for awhile and I thought we were set. But during the 5 min. drive home it got shifted enough to just crumble once inside our house. It's too bad it couldn't make it. Now the kids just get to eat it. :o)

What fun!

Boy, what a busy day we had today. We started out with a bright and early dentist appointment for Kenneth at 8AM. He handled that like a champ. I am so proud of my little man. From there we went straight to errands and shopping. That kept up until we met friends for lunch at noon. From there I came home and got to baking. I made 36cupcakes, 24 peanut butter blossoms, and about a billion quesadillas. We had a boat party that took up the entire evening but it was so much fun. It was a neat mexican fiesta themed type party. There were lots of yummy Mexican dishes and even a margarita or 2. The kids and I had a blast. I just have to say that I love the ladies in our wardroom. They are all a great bunch of women with wonderful children. We will be getting together again soon.
Well I'm beat. Today started way too early. I'm going to bed now! No alarm tomorrow morning Yay!

Happy 18 months my baby girl!

My baby girl is 18 months old today! Oh my God...when did this happen?! She is an entire year and a half old already. Oh how the time has flown. We had her well baby appointment today. She is a little peanut at 22lbs. 2oz. and 32 inches tall. My how she has grown from the 8lbs. 9oz. 21 inch baby a short while ago. She is full of spunk and sweetness, cuteness and meanness and boy is she alot of fun! She says so many words its hard to count them all. My favorites though are spill, which she yells after she pours her drink all over the floor, and thank you. You know, I really can't choose favorites they are all just so darn cute.

This video may be a bit long, but it surely showcases her blossoming vocabulary. The number of words that come out of her mouth is amazing!

Oh how I've dreaded this day. Yet again, here I am posting this picture and saying he's gone again. I miss him already. Come home soon baby!

It was so cold out today at the beach. We were totally unprepared for how cold and windy it was going to be. The boat was late and the kids were loosing their minds, but we had alot of fun waiting to see the submarine again. The sand was blowing in everyone's face so the kids were taking shelter where available.(including under towels and sweaters)
My new friend Abby and her super cute little girls came along with us. Her husband is new to the Georgia. We had a great time.

Problem: washer broken a day and half before husband is set to leave and 3 children in house.
Solution: (see below)


(note clothes in washer...it was getting use from the moment it was installed)

BEAUTIFUL HUH?!? Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Anniversary, and Birthday for atleast 2 years to me. :o)

Oh my...

I just have to scream and yell and throw and all out fit here just to get it off my chest. What is it with things in my house breaking? Not just oh no big deal things, but holy friggin cow that costs how much items! Yes, we are up to three pretty major things in our house that now need to be repaired or replaced. Ugh, and the cheapest one is the $400 Playstation. Along with that is the water softener and my washer. The washer just broke today, and at a most inopportune time too. Not there is a good time in a house with 3 children for a washer to be broken! I am just so stressed right now. What is going on?! All this at once! It's Christmas time too! What am I gonna do? I just want to say I'm mad darn it! Down right ticked off!

Thanksgiving was a success I think. All of the food was delicious, and the company was wonderful. We ate a yummy late lunch and then we put up our Christmas tree. Then, later in the evening we went to the Captain's house for a late dessert. We were able to hang out for a while and socialize. All in all Thanksgiving was a really good day.
Today Chris was really busy at work, and tomorrow he has duty...again. Oh how I hate this schedule. I really was enjoying his off crew type schedule and now we are back to this. Oh where did the time go?
I have to get Christmas shopping finished. Adrianna wants a Nintendo DS so we are trying to decide if that is what we want to do or not. She is getting to the age where she doesn't really want toys anymore so its getting harder and harder to figure out what to do for her. I am really slacking this year on my shopping. I have a lot to do in the next few weeks huh?
I will try to post pictures of our tree and from Thanksgiving tomorrow. I have an interesting picture of the fudge pie that I made. Lets just say Kenneth likes to use his fingers to eat. :o)

I'm cooking Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow for some friends and their families. Chris gets the day off so he will get to enjoy it with us. Wish me luck. I hope I don't burn something important.

I stole this quiz from my friend Vaiva's blog. It seems to fit me pretty well.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.
• * Share fun times with me.
• * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
• * Let me know that I am important and special to you.
• * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships

• * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
• * Reassure me often that you love me.
• * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris

• * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
• * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
• * being generous, caring, and warm
• * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
• * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris

• * not being able to say no
• * having low self-esteem
• * feeling drained from overdoing for others
• * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
• * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
• * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
• * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often

• * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
• * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
• * are outwardly compliant
• * are popular or try to be popular with other children
• * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
• * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents

• * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)
• * are often playful with their children
• * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"
• * can become fiercely protective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at

Lots of pictures.

Chris and the kids put up the Christmas lights over the weekend. It looks great!
Brrr...it's been cold outside.

We saw the Titans play the Jacksonville Jaguars while my family was in town. Boy oh boy what a game!

We're showing our spirit while tailgating.

Aww...

My dad was making jokes about that chain being attached to that anchor.

My niece Lindsey playing with Lilly at the beach. It was about 80 degrees out that day. Lilly went swimming. :o)

BEAUTIFUL

We spent some time out at the park since the weather was wonderful. What's better than friends, family, and great weather?!

Not sure what they were looking at... but it's cute.

These are the 3 of the best things to happen to me. EVER!

Cheese!

Mmmmm...popcorn

Yes, we're goofy. I know it, and we love it.

Check out her right eye. That brown spot has been there for over a year. I love it.

Ignore the messy garage. Isn't she just so beautiful?

I have really slacked on my blog here lately. Things are so busy around here now. I have the feeling it will be slowing way down in not so distant future. I think I will have more time to blog soon. But until then enjoy this boat load of pictures that I have accumulated over the past few weeks. Wow...there are a lot of them. :o)