a parade!

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?

When my baby girl takes a nap! Unfortunately, Kyle doesn't do the whole sleep thing anymore. But, I can put on a movie or show for him (and he stay quiet) and get a whole bunch of stuff done. That girl of mine is needy!

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?

Ribeye steaks! Yumm!

drooooool!!!

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?
For me and my family to live until Christ's return. I really don't want to die and leave my family. Or have any of my family die and leave me. Too sad to think about. I'd rather we all go to heaven together at the same time. =)

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?
People say I'm a hypochondriac......

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?

Uh, can I skip this question? No idea!!

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?
An elegant, sophisticated sounding speaker/talker.

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?
Australia!




8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?
Country. I've always wanted a southern accent.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?
A super Target... Oh, how I miss Target.


10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?
1950's


11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?
Black.. I'm sure a lot of people would say that!

12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?
(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)

Sneezy (I have on and off again allergy problems! Really bad here in NM!)
and
Happy (I'm pretty much always happy!)

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?
I really don't like it when a stranger or someone I really don't know that well says my name. It's a weird thing, but it kinda irritates me, lol.

Pretty fun, eh? Go join the parade!

mom guilt

It didn't take me long to see that Kyle was missing out on something.
It didn't take me long to see that I was the different Mom.
It didn't take me long to see that I was the only Mom who didn't have their kid in preschool.

Is it even called preschool if they are only 3yrs old??

We have been here for right about a month now. And it seems like every one who has a kid who is 3yrs old is already going to school. I keep getting asked if Kyle goes to school. I actually have started to feel a little, tiny, tiny bit guilty saying "no, he doesn't, he stays home with me".

I've started worrying that he's going to feel left out when he does start school. Or that he'll be behind because he was home with his Mama instead of being with an more educated person.

*sigh*

I know there's no right or wrong in this situation.
It's just a parent's choice.
But, why do I feel a little bit of guilt?
He's only a little boy for such a short time, right?
He has the rest of his life to go to school.


For now, I think he's okay staying home with me, even if the guilt does come and go.

No regrets.

Plus, if he went to school, I would never have these million and one adorable pictures of my handsome little man!

starting over

Well, it's a new year! I always think about writing out resolutions, but I never really finish my list. I think it's because I don't want to fail!


One of the things last year that I really wanted to do was to lose weight/get healthy. I sorta, kind of did that (well, the exercising thing) for almost the whole year! Starting in October we got sooo busy or we were sick. We got hit with the h1n1 flu and then some colds. Then came Thanksgiving and Christmas! I think I only worked out three times in December!! It's pretty disappointing.. I was doing so well, too. But enough whining, I'm going back!!


One of the things I've realized is that when I'm working out, I excuse myself to eat more or to eat junkier foods. Wondering how I figured this out? I've got some extra padding in and around my mid-section. Not very nice! And I noticed that as soon as I stopped exercising and really watching what I ate, I got sick a lot more often. Being sick is no fun.

So not only do I have to start exercising again, but I really need to watch what I'm eating. No more excuses! Just because I ran that morning, does not mean I can eat a slice of peanut butter pie AND some peppermint bark, right!? Aye, this is going to be hard.... but it will be worth it.

the gift

Christmas morning, I opened up my big present and just started laughing.. and laughing.. and laughing. Brandon gave me the weirdest look and asked me what was wrong. I showed him the box.. this is what was inside.

I'm sure you can figure out that this was NOT what Brandon ordered for me. There was a huge mistake! We had to wait all weekend to get a reply from customer service. Monday morning we found out that my bedspread was sent to a boy in Oklahoma and there was a big mixup. Wondering what that boy got to open up for Christmas????

hehehe.. I am SURE he wasn't laughing just like I was!! :)

a big blur

That's what life is like for me right now! My days just seem to blend together. I seriously cannot believe it's already November.

Here's a little glimpse of our schedule right now.

Sundays- Church all day. Services are 945am, 11am, and 6pm. A nap is always needed in the afternoons.
Monday through Thursday - watching my neighbor/friend's two boys, 12-4pm
Monday night - I have my Faith Bible Institute class (I recommend this class to every one who wants to learn more about the Lord and the Bible.. it's excellent!!) to go to, 630-915pm
Wednesday night - Hubby has school, the kids and I have church
Friday night - My husband and I volunteer at our church for the Reformers Unanimous program.

Every Saturday it seems like something is going on. Doing things/helping at church, a wedding, a car show, shopping, something!

Add in housework, homework, running errands, grocery shopping, having a yard sale and dr. appointments (we seem to have a lot of those right now) you can see why I have neglected my blog!!

I'm not complaining at all, I am enjoying life! I'm sure once we move and get settled next year our life will slow down and probably be boring! hehe.

My next post is going to be overloaded with pictures! We went to a wedding not too long ago and I've got some cute photos to share!

Until then, sayonara!

Wordless Wednesday - 1st fish ever caught!

I'm participating in Wordless Wednesday hosted by 5minutesformom.com.

We all hear it, right? Never leave your kids alone when they are in the water. Never leave their side. Watch them at all times. Yet, somehow, this past weekend, my little boy almost drowned.

I debated back and forth on whether I should even post this. Mainly because I don't like thinking about it and would rather forget about it. But, then, if I forget about this past weekend, it could happen again, right?

We celebrated 4th of July, by going out on our friend's boat. There were quite a few people who we know that came out, too. We all parked the boats up next to the sand, where we hung out the entire afternoon. Kyle (who was wearing his life jacket the entire time) would go back and forth between staying with us and staying with friends in the water. Brandon came up to me and told me that Kyle had pooped in his swimming trunks. So, I took Kyle into the water to clean his shorts out. In order to do that, I had to take his life jacket off. We go towards the back of the boat, get him and his shorts cleaned out and come back to the sand. We walk back up to the sand and I was standing in the shallow part of the water and started talking to my friend. It wasn't even a minute (probably not even 30secs) before we heard something and my friend gasped. We both ran into the water, and she picked Kyle up who was grabbing at the boat trying to stay up. I guess, Kyle thought he had his life jacket on (I got distracted and forgot to put it back on) and was walking around in the water. He got to the part where it started to drop off and freaked out. We asked him a hundred times if he got any water in his nose or in his mouth, and he said no. We don't think he inhaled any water, since he said it just went in his ears. He calmed down right away and wanted to get right back in the water. It was a terrifying experience that I never want to relive again. Our afternoon could have ended worse if we had never heard him gasping for breath.

I know it's summer and our kids are constantly in the water. Please learn from my mistake and never take your eyes off of your children. I think even if a child can swim, if they are in water that has waves or any type of current..they need a life jacket on.

I am so thankful that the Lord watches over my kids at all times!

Shooting

When we lived in Idaho, we went shooting quite often. We would get old plates and put them all up on a hill and shoot at 'em with my hubby's gun (I don't know the difference between a rifle and a shotgun!). Now that we are going back out to the middle-of-nowhere, I think we'll be doing a lot of this!

Four Years

Happy Anniversary, Babe!! The past four years have been the best of my life and I hope to spend many, many, many more with you! I love you!!!

First Giveaway Winner & Giving Thanks

My first giveaway was an impromptu giveaway, but that's okay! Still fun, right? I used random.org and the # it gave me was... #2. KCShipe @ BooksNBoys wins the Clean and Clear package! Congrats!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



I was driving home from my doctor's appointment today and just couldn't stop thinking about things in my life that I am so grateful for. Here are just a few things that were running through my head today!

• we don't have to worry about my husband losing his job


• I am able to stay at home and take care of our house and children


• we have "free" medical care


• the four of us are very healthy


• we have two running cars


• we live in a nice house


• we aren't starving and have plenty of food


• we are able to go to the gym for free


• and it even has a child and parent room


• our kids have toys and clothes, probably too much of both!

I could go on and on, as I am sure you could, too! Sometimes I just get caught up in the day to day things and forget to stop and just be thankful.

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, Thank you, Lord, for making me whole; Thank you, Lord, for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.

(picture credit, Allposters.com)

Friday Photo Flashback

Alicia over at More Than Words has started her own fun bloggy carnival. Friday Photo Flashback!! I'm still a youngin' (not saying anyone's old, LOL) and don't have a lot of pictures that are super old or that are even from the pre-digital camera days. I was five when my parents went through a nasty divorce and somehow my brother and I only have less than a handful of baby pictures. Sad, huh? Well, enough of that. I love this picture of me and my brother. I was six and he was almost four. Ever since we were born we have been super close!

What's in your purse?

I try to clean out my purse often. But, I guess with two kids, it's just going to get nasty!

Here's my list, what's yours??

• 3 notepads



• a cough drop



• a water bill



• 9 coupons



• 2 mints



• 5 church bulletins



• 2 letters from mypoints, that had giftcards enclosed



• a lollipop



• a pack of wipes



• my wallet (not even gonna list what's in there!)



• checkbook



• 2 small picture album things



• stamps



• ugh, crumbs and broken crackers *shy face*



• some black unknown object!



• wrappers from a straw, cookies, lollipops, and coughdrop



• a set of keys and a lock (Kyle loves keys)



• a broken cell that is used as a toy for the kids, lol



• a frequent haircut card



• hand sanitizing wipes



• small bottle of lotion



• dayquil pills



• a hair tie and clip



• 13 receipts



• my coach wristlet



• a bouncy ball



• 3 tampons



• 2 perfume samples



• a pengrocery lists on random pieces of paper



• 2 comment cards for the base gym



• 120 yen.. yeah, haven't been to Japan since Nov of 2006!!! Another thing Kyle loves.. coins!



• lip gloss x2



• lipstick



• lip plumper, lol, like I need that!



• chapstick still in the package



• 4 grocery pamphlets w/ coupons



• and a keychain my mom gave me back in November of last year.

Crazy! I'm almost embarrased to even show how filthy the inside of my purse was. I love BIG purses, but I know for a lot of people huge isn't their thing. I think my sister is my only friend who shares a passion of big bags with me! BTW, I got a great deal on that purse. I found a BIG name brand purse that I wanted... it was about $300. I told the husband about it, so we went shopping (not for that pricey one.. I personally can't justify spending that kind of money on a purse!). Well, we went into Nine West, and what do you know! I found that purse's twin! I think mine even looks better than the $300 one, hehe. I paid less than $30 for mine, and we even donated a few dollars to a charity! Score! =)

Here's a picture of my purse and my handsome model, LOL. He's gonna hate me for that one, huh??

chat

I just feel like chit chattin' for a second. Is that okay?

I made this soup for dinner the other night. It was really, really good. It was almost like a dip, but it was still delicious!! Kyle especially loved it.. he had 2 bowls the first night!! Next time I think I will add in some black beans or some other filler like corn. I didn't use as much water as it called for. And I also didn't make the Pico de Gallo.

The girls and one guy @ The Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans are giving away SEVEN copies of Jillian Michaels' DVD, 30 Day Shred! Go here to enter for yourself!

My face has looked like one of a 15yr olds these past few months. I really don't know what is going on. It's super frustrating though. I have tried Acne Free and even ProActiv and still am broken out. I need to make an appt. with a dermatologist, but I'm still unsure of how to do that. You know 'cause we're military and I'm just the spouse. I need to figure it out and maybe can get prescribed something to help! *sigh*

I am still working out! I feel really good about myself. I've been going 5 days a week and yet have gained 2lbs. If I gain another pound, I think I'll cry. Actually, I know I will.

Leah is now 13 months old and she is still nursing. When I took her in for her 1yr check-up. Her pediatrician told me I deserved an award for breastfeeding her this long. He even told me "you rock!" haha. It was great. We are down to 2 feedings a day, so I know it won't be too much longer until it's over.

We have found a really great church. We have been church-hoppin' for quite some time now. I had an issue with them 2yrs ago (it was about their nursery and not anything to do with their beliefs or doctrines).. and I am now ok. The 1st Sunday we went there, I told the nursery workers about what happened with Kyle and I think they understand. I still make a note when I sign her in, just in case. This is the first church that Kyle really enjoys. He doesn't cry at all when we drop him off, so that's a good sign, right? :)

Speaking of Kyle, he's going to be turning three next month (or this month, depending on when you are reading this). I am not prepared whatsoever!!! I always tell him that he's my baby and he says to me "No, Mommy, me Kyle!" hahahaha. What a goofball!

Okay, it's bed time for me now!! Goodnight ya'll!!

what a funny boy

Kyle talks a lot now. A whole lot. He talks in sentences. He even surprises me when he uses words like awesome, comfortable, amazing, and so on. ((Isn't it amazing how fast little children can pick things up!?)) Last week, he learned the word special. I'm sure Kyle is tired of me saying "Baby, say...", just 'cause I think it's cute. He is definitely at that age where the things he says are just cute and funny! I've always looked forward to this point!


Last Tuesday, I told Kyle that I had a haircut appointment, his immediate response was - "you gonna get a lollipop, Mommy?". LOL. We took Kyle to get his haircut at the barber shop once, and afterwards he got a sucker. Wouldn't it be great if we got one afterwards, too?? ;)


When I came out of the salon and got in the car (Brandon and the kids were waiting for me), Kyle says "Mommy! I like your haircut". Aww, he melted my heart! I don't think my hair looks that much different. I just got about an inch and a half, maybe two inches, taken off and added lots and lots of layers. But, he definitely made me feel good! =)

Keepin' it real - part 2

I caught a nasty cold on Thursday and today the cold is 100% gone. But, now Kyle and Leah seem to be a little sick. *sigh*

Remember when I said my husband had his test date pushed up because he was going TDY (a business trip) to another country? Well, he applied for an office job as a security manager and he might be getting it.. sooooooooo, they took him off of the TDY. He really wants to switch, so if you all could say a prayer, we'd appreciate it a lot! If he doesn't get the spot, he's going to be bummed. Not only because he doesn't get to leave the CV-22, but also because he lost the opportunity to go a military paid vacation, haha. Okay, so it's not always a vacation, but we do get paid extra!

Whenever Leah wakes from her nap, I am heading to the gym! I will step on the scale and check my weight. It will be the first time I have checked in over 2wks. Last time it said I gained 2lbs. You can see why it's been that long! ;)

I've got nothing else for ya! How about another 'keepin it real' post? I should make that a weekly meme or something, haha!

Man, oh-man, oh-man! I am quite embarrased to show these pictures, but I like to keep things real around here. haha. Here's a before and after picture of my sink. No matter how much I scrubbed those sinks, there was still a nasty yellow stain on the bottom. I thought I was doomed and it was permanent. I didn't think to use bleach! duh! So, I put a little bleach in the sink, let it sit, and wow, don't I feel dumb!! =)

a bittersweet time

Now that Leah has turned a year old, I decided to try to start weaning her.

I have loved (almost) every minute of breastfeeding. I only BF Kyle for 2 months, so to go this long with Leah feels great. It doesn't bother me too much to go longer than a year, but I most likely wouldn't go longer than 18 months. My husband, on the other hand, wants me to finish pretty much now.

I decided I would start after she turned a year old. She's one now and we're down to 2-3 feedings a day. We started a week ago and she has been fine with just those 2 feedings. I know I will miss nursing her when we are done.. probably a lot more because I know she is our last baby! :(

A good thing about weaning her, is that she is a lot less dependent on me to go to sleep. I have probably only ever rocked her to sleep (before now) a handful of times. Last night, she let me rock her for awhile without fussing and lay her down. She went right to sleep! I was very, very shocked. She's ALWAYS had to nurse, fall asleep while eating, and then I would lay her down. Then, this afternoon, I sensed she was tired so I started rocking her. Within 5 mins, she was out! Just looking at her sleeping peacefully in my arms made me want to cry!!

*sigh* Why, oh, why do they have to grow up so stinkin' fast!?

keepin' it real

~~I have had so much on my mind lately. I don't even know where to begin. Right now I'm in one of those moods where all I want to do is read blogs, not write them.

~~Oh! It's lookin' like we are winnin' the challenge!!! Our friends have eaten out, I think, 3 times (and that's being nice, since, a certain husband has been buying soda at work, lol)! But, anywho, we went to the outlet mall in Alabama yesterday, the hubby and Kyle had pizza and I got a drink. So, now it's 2 to 1. I am very proud that we have only eaten out once so far this month. I don't think we will be eating out as much anymore.

~~I went through our statements for Dec and Jan and got so sick to my stomach. I wasn't going to tell you all how much we spent on eating out.. but I'm keepin' it real! So.... for the month of December we spent $356.45 and the month of January we spent $259.91. That's ONLY on eating out.. not including groceries. Do you know how many car payments that is for us!? :( Now, I know we had birthday's and all, but there is no reason for us to spend that much on fast food and restaurants! Ugh. I am so disappointed, but we are moving on. We've decided to stop eating out as much and start putting the money we would spend into a separate savings account. So we can't touch it!

~~I have been keeping track of pretty much every single penny we have spent. This month is going to be a high-spending month since we got our income tax return. We also had to buy new tires for Brandon's car, an expensive car part, a big girl seat for Leah and all brand new sippy cups (man, those are over-priced!). Now I hope I can keep this up every month!

~~I am still working out 4x a week! I feel great and I am finally starting to see a difference. I even got hit on at CVS!!! LOL. It was flattering, but a little creepy! I am getting better with what I am putting into my mouth, but I definitely need to work on not eating all that chocolate.

~~My MIL and FIL are coming on Friday for Leah's birthday party on Saturday, so it's going to be a busy week of cleaning! Speaking of Leah, I can't believe she is going to be ONE on the 26th! Her first year definitely went by way too fast. *sigh*

~~I think I have done enough rambling! I figured I would just throw all this into one post!

Hmmm. How about some new pictures of my babies?

Show and Tell Saturday - Favorite Shoes

I have been wanting to participate in Show and Tell Saturday (hosted by Homesteaders Heart) for about 2 weeks now, and now I finally get to do it! I have a hard time posting on the weekends, but I just love this meme, so I made it a point to get on today! LOL.

This week's theme is your favorite shoes! This one is actually hard for me! I love shoes! I went and counted.. I have 64 pairs! Of course it's mainly because of my obsession with flip-flops. I think 25 of them are flip-flops. But, anyways, I decided to just show my current favorite pair. The pair that I pretty much wear with anything. The pair that are seriously starting to get a little too worn in! Here's a before picture of them.

Hmm, think she has anything to do with my shoes being worn in too fast?!

World Marriage Day

Today is World Marriage Day! ((I know. The day is almost over, but I have a hard time getting online during the weekend!)) I'll just say it now, but I am a firm believer that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Nothing more to say about that.

I really like the idea of World Marriage Day, it's a cute idea! :)

My husband and I met at the end of August in 2004. We started dating in January of 2005 (I think it was the 6th, I have all the dates written down.. somewhere!). He proposed the end of March, and we were married on June 4th, 2005! So, needless to say we didn't know each other very long, but we knew we were meant for each other. We've been married almost 4yrs now and we couldn't be happier. I am so extremely thankful the Lord sent my hubby from a itty-bitty town in Florida all the way to Japan. He is my bestfriend, my other half, the love of my life.

I don't think you need me to tell you, but go tell your lover how much you love and adore them and how thankful you are for them!!!

Happy World Marriage Day!!!

just a little.. discouraged..

I was telling my husband today that I wish as soon as you started working out, that you could see instant results. It's been almost 3 weeks and I haven't seen a difference. But, I will keep on pushing. Keep on working out four times a week. And keep trying my best to eat healthy. I am almost tempted to bump my exercising up to 5-6 times a week. Can you tell I can be a little impatient at times?

On Saturday, we went to a friend's house for a going away/watch a fight game get together. And then to another friend's house on Sunday for the SuperBowl. So, needless to say I so did not eat very well this weekend. I drank way too much soda, too! But, I am not going to beat myself up for it. It's over with, and now I just need to concentrate on eating better now. I'm not going to say "I can't eat that" or "I'm not going to eat this", because not eating something I love will just make me cranky. So, I need to work on portion controls. I'm going to allow myself to eat a choc. chip cookie, or to eat some sausage dip -- just not 10 cookies or 2 bowlful's of dip. I think I'll be okay if I can work on portion sizes.

How is every one else doing with their eating habits and exercise routines?