Living the life of an Army Wife

Where does your reality lie and whom do you allow to color/shape it?

2011-12-06T22:43:00.003-06:00

      My *reality* is more of a state of confusion anymore. I feel I am supposed to compromise who I am for the feelings of others. (I was never any good at all the PC stuff.) Either way it is what it is. I have decided for now to return to this site for the updates of the going ons of family and friends. Now to just re-learn to read/write all the HTML I allowed myself to forget. :)

     I will have LOTS of photos to upload in the next few days as well as the countdown for Christmas and VACATION!! In the next few months we have the holidays, 13th bday for Anna, baby shower, Impact, BABY!!, 18th bday for Courtney, 2nd bday for Krista, WEDDING, Mexico, and church camp. BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

can I keep it?

2010-08-18T22:09:00.005-05:00

When we got home from life group I told the kids they had to take out the puppies before bed. Not to long after I hear MOM MOM MOM you need to come see this. When I finally get to see it, this is what I found. Now the questions are WHAT is it??? and can I keep it??? I don't know and NO!! NO you may NOT KEEP IT!!

priceless

2010-08-18T11:03:00.010-05:00

Well I actually did as he asked and took her to the store and bought her a "worm" in every color. When she saw them all (there were about 30 of them) hanging on the chain she was kicking, squealing and drooling. It was priceless. Such a happy happy baby!! :)

I was a little late in posting this.
I actually took her the very next morning.
Yes I know she is spoiled :)

It was a LONG night last night.

2010-08-12T22:47:00.005-05:00

There are three things that Baby Girl has to have when she goes to bed at night, her pacifier, a blanket (she prefers one of the quilts made my the lovely Mrs. Jessica J) and her Caterpillar (aka wormy). When I went to put her to bed we couldn't find her Caterpillar. We looked EVERYWHERE. We tore the room apart, the front room apart, searched the couches and even the car. After about an hour of screaming with both dad (over the phone) and I trying to calm her down she was finally going to try to sleep without it. Just as she was about to fall asleep I went to cover her up with her quilt and who should fall out right in front of her?!?!? Yep WORMY!!! She was out in less than a minute with a smile on her face. :) Daddy said I HAVE to go buy 3 or 4 more of them NOW!!! Pray I can still find them.

Been way to long!!!

2010-08-10T23:38:00.007-05:00

I can't believe its been almost a year and a half since I posted anything. I missed having this as an outlet in my life and also as a way to stay in touch with friends form here to CO to GE to Guam and beyond. A lot has happened in that years time. In march we added a beautiful baby girl to our family. She was born on the 18Th of March and is such a sweet baby. Daddy deployed again in April and I would love to say that it was back to the sand box (Iraq) but it was to AFG instead this time. I have some pics of him and where he is at and I will try to get them up soon. Our family will be moving on post in about 3 weeks time so it will be a very busy and trying time for a while. My brother and his family just bought a house near Nashville and will be moving in within a week. I will miss having them here with us but I can't complain to much about an hours drive because they used to be 5+ hours away. The kiddos started school last Friday and we are all trying to get back on a schedule. Our lives are busy as usual. Church on Sunday morning and Sunday night. School Monday morning, drill practice after school and Deeper life at church Monday night. Not sure about Tuesdays yet other than drill. School, drill and then life group Wednesday night. Probably girl scouts after school on Thursdays and drill after school on Fridays. It may be hectic but it's normal for us and we love it (most of the time) !!!!

Happy Birthday "Sarge"

2009-03-25T18:14:00.000-05:00

Look who's 35!!!

WOW another year already. You keep this up and we will start to get old.

You call THAT normal??.....yes yes I do :)

2009-01-26T13:47:00.003-06:00

Our house is finally back to normal. Well as normal as you can get for us anyway! Hubby is back to the getting up at the buttcrack of dawn for pt schedule. I'm not to fond of my alarm going off at 4:40 in the morning but him getting off around 3 pmish is really great. I thought my running around like a mad woman would be cut back some with him coming home but I was wrong. I think if anything (at least for now) it has increased. We still have early morning clubs on Monday's and drill team practice on Monday's and Thursday's and Girl Scouts on Tuesday's and Wednesday's along with Life group (Bible study) on Wednesday night and church twice on Sunday's. We are to say the least very busy!! Add all that to the cooking, cleaning and homework and we have very little time to be bored and lazy. We still do the Friday night dinner and tv night. I think it's our only night off. I still haven't unpacked everything but I guess we have time to get that later (right). Well it's late and I have to get up around 5am. Night All!!

Guess who's 10 today!!!!

2009-01-23T09:22:00.023-06:00

Wow 10 years already!! Life goes by way to fast for me.

This is Brat~baby 3 trying really hard to EAT the table at Auntie R's wedding (Illinois)

Brat Baby 3 being a goober :) (Georgia)

"the fries are good but the clown scares me"

Isn't she so sweet

She was 3 ~ we were in Germany

1st year of school (Head start)~ We were in Germany

Santa's Workshop ~ Colorado

New Baby Brother ~ Colorado

This years school pic ~ Tennessee

AWE it did make me smile

2009-01-23T08:31:00.012-06:00

I have two places I keep my pics (I know weird and confusing) so I picked the 4th of the 4th from both :)

This pic was taken on Easter 2008.
They decorated the bunny hutches and then colored 4 dozen eggs. (or was it 5)
We had the biggest Easter egg hunt ever. There were over 400 plastic eggs full of candy hidden in the back yard.

These pics were taken at the Williamson County Fair in August of 2008.

The News print is from Smilebox. The kiddos and I were just playing around with some of their pics and Brat~baby 3 made this one.

They had A LOT of fun at the fair. I can't wait to go back!!!

1. Go to your 4th folder where you store your photos.
2. Select your 4th picture (no exceptions)!
3. Post the picture with an explanation and link it back to your tagger.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!!

is it just me?

2009-01-20T11:08:00.001-06:00

Why is it that as soon as I think I have my life together I realize what a huge mess it is????

Hello everybody

2009-01-18T16:43:00.002-06:00

Well I think the Internet is back up for a while. (or at least I hope) :)
Not to much going on around here. Finally FINALLY finally unpacking my house!!! David is off of leave and back to work. I really like his new schedule. He is home a lot and with my non stop running after school hours that really helps. I will put up some new pics of the brats as soon as I get them loaded up on the comp. My camera locked up on me permanently so I am at the mercy of those who have been taken the pics lately to get them to me. The kiddos all got new cameras for Christmas though so hopefully I will get to use them. Well I better get back to unpacking and organizing.

Hey all

2008-12-04T09:30:00.007-06:00

I guess I lied about the Internet being on...........sorry all. It's just one of those extras that will have to wait. I miss you all so much. I am going to try to get on here at least once a day or every other as the meds. allow me to anyway. I find it odd that vicodin does nothing to me yet the Tylenol in it makes me loopy and clumsy. I know I know nobody ever said I was normal or right. I so enjoy having my hubby home. It's so different now. We are so much closer then we have ever been. He has slid right back into his place as a hubby and father. He is getting ready to take 30ish days of leave (thats vacation for you civies) and I can't wait. I will finally get my house unpacked and will be able to stay off my foot for a while too. Not to mention all the cuddling on the couch watching the movies he bought me :) We are planning to spend part of that back home with the family during the holidays. I hope the weather holds out for us. I am not a fan of the cold anymore. I used to never get cold now I am freezing all the time. I hope you are all enjoying the holidays and staying warm and dry.

Missing my comp time

2008-11-12T13:53:00.002-06:00

Hey all
We are alive and well. Just without Internet for about 3 more days here:) Hubby has announced that he should be home by the end of this weekend. We can't wait!!! It has been a really LONG year. The kids and I are so excited!! I would guess the rest of the family is too (still no news on the flights guys sorry) I will have pics up of Brat~baby 4's b-day and Brat~baby 1's First Drill competition hopefully by the end of the week. Not to much going on here. (dances, field trips, spinning rifles, and mad scientist - sounds like the norm to me) Well better run I have a few busses to catch, dinner to make, pick up one from school, make it to the bank, take one (or two) home and all in time to make it to church. :)
Miss you all
MUAH

Brat~baby 4 turns 8

2008-10-05T14:09:00.000-05:00

WOW 8 already.

We will be having her bday bash next week!!

Took an unplug and unwind week

2008-09-26T13:59:00.004-05:00

It has been a busy week. Brat~baby 1 has been doing really great with her Drill Team. I am hoping to have pics up soon. Brat~baby 2 is thinking about joining Boy Scouts on top of getting ready to do Special Olympics. Brat~baby 3 has joined Girl Scouts and and I'm hoping to be able to help out with her troop. I have stepped up to be the Girl Scout leader for Brat~baby 4's troop. Add all that to Church functions, daily homework, school projects, Unit briefings and functions, and the zoo we have around here and you have a little glimpse into my day to day life. I can't say I'm any more relaxed then I was a week ago but I really enjoyed spending more time with the kiddos. Now I get to play catch up with the house work (but it was worth it!!) Now I'm off to do the laundry and fight with the dental insurance company ~ a woman's work is never done :)

I just dont understand

2008-09-16T13:54:00.002-05:00

Why is it that the Military and Civilians are always on opposite sides? I mean what a country we would be if everybody stood behind America and those that make her free. I hear so many people DEMAND their rights and lifestyle but spit on the very people who have given them those rights and freedoms. When did America and her "Army" become something to tread on. When did the very thing that made this country great become something horrible and worthless? I can't believe that I actually heard someone say that it's the lawyer that gets them their rights!! I mean seriously people WAKE UP!! With out people fighting everyday for your safety and freedom a lawyer is just another suit. I just don't get it????

I won I won I won

2008-09-10T22:07:00.005-05:00

I entered Sweet 'n' Sassy girls contest to win a photoshopped picture, and I am so excited to have won. I have been wanting to get this done for DH for a while now. She did a great job and he really loves it.
Thank you

(believe it or not the sparkle in his eyes is in the original photo)

I should have been a Dr.

2008-09-10T21:42:00.002-05:00

It only took a week for me to convince the Dr. that what she had was not a viral infection. She ran a 106 temp for 5 days. By Monday night she was having trouble breathing and coughed with almost every breath. Her left side and shoulder hurt when she moved and breathed. SOOOOOOO I took her right back in. We sat there for another 2and half hours before the Dr. called her back. In that time her temp kept going up. Even with the Tylenol I gave her and the Motrin they gave her when we got there. Her blood ox was good so they were going to say viral AGAIN. The poor thing was miserable. My thinking is kids with a stomach virus that bad don't eat pizza!!! This time it only took 5 min to convince the Dr. to do ex rays and sure enough I was right. The poor baby has had Pnuemonia the whole time. I was so mad, (still am) she was so sick and all of it could have been avoided with 5 min worth of picture time. Why don't they ever listen to the parents? She is actually sound asleep in this pic and crying. It was very very sad to see.

There are HOW MANY

2008-09-06T21:36:00.010-05:00

Okay so I am sitting here going through all the blogs I like to read (I know its late but hey I'm taking a vacation cause the G~parents are down) and I come across this beauty "How Many of Me" over at "this is the life".

Using my maiden name there were
210,502 people with the same first name as me and
820,654 people with the same last name as me and
566 people with both

Using my married name ( which I prefer (: )
82,370 people with the same last name as me and
only 57 people with both

Well you know I just had to do hubby's name too
3,613,624 people have the same first name as him and
976 people with both WOW

NOW my curiosity is peeked and I must know

so yep I checked them too and here they are

Brat~baby 1
160,165 people have the same first name and
43 people with both ~not bad~

Brat~baby 2
1,525 people have the same first name and
YEP only 1 with both.

Brat~baby 3
3,051 people have the same first name and
YEP again only 1 with both

Brat~baby 4
47,287 people have the same first name (WOW) and
only 13 people with both

Angel baby
2,149,260 people have the same first name (OH WOW that's a lot) and
580 people with both ~ popular name

Oddly enough my two ~two of a kinds~ were born in the same hospital in the same room!! What are the odds of that?

Now its your turn go on give it a try, who knows you just might be one of a kind :)
http://www.howmanyofme.com/

Bet you can't guess....

2008-09-03T21:01:00.005-05:00

Let's see if you can figure out who the genious is!!

On the way back from Petsmart we passed a smelly skunk and this is the conversation that followed.

*E*: EWWWWWWWW whats that smell

Brat~baby 4: LET me refreshen your remembery......THATS a forest.....animals live in there.....and the animals POO in there duh!

Oh and the so called "forest" was a few trees on the side of the road next to a field. LOL I love my kiddos and their geniousness.

Fun and Family ~ thats what life is all about

2008-09-03T15:53:00.004-05:00

Will put up more pics when I get them.

Good morning

2008-08-30T06:14:00.002-05:00

Well it is........okay lets just be honest and call it what it is ~ the buttcrack of dawn........6AM. We are up and packed and headed out to the wilderness for a long, MUCH NEEDED, vacation. The kiddos and I are going to enjoy a cabin with my sister (her babies couldn't make it this weekend) and brother and his family. (I will get a pic of his babies up soon) Not sure if I will have access to a comp or even if my phone will work when we get there. You all have a safe and fun weekend.

BE SAFE

Her first Battle wound

2008-08-29T09:42:00.012-05:00

My daughter texted me yesterday in the middle of drill practice to tell me she got hit in the eye with a rifle and that her eye is swollen. WHAT are you okay??? Ya gotta go! And that was the end of our conversation till I picked her up a half hour later. She then tells me that her and her partner were doing the rifle toss and her partner aimed worng and it her in the eye. They had her line up in front of the squad to show off her "Battle Wound" And oh what beauty it is too!!

It's a real badge of Honor at her school. Making the drill team is hard. Staying in is harder. I can't wait to post pics of her in Class A's. :)

What a lovely pic

2008-08-29T09:35:00.002-05:00

Sweet 'n' Sassy is giving away a photoshop pic with Angel or bat wings. The contest is easy and the pics are great. Go check it out.

Is this what happens when you don't take out the garbage?

2008-08-28T08:38:00.002-05:00

Another trip to the ER

2008-08-26T23:30:00.008-05:00

My evening went something like this......

Brat~baby 4 comes home (around 4) and says:
Mommy I don't feel good. My head and my throat hurt.

Why didn't you call me? (she looks pail clammy and tired and her throat is so red and swollen)

I told the teacher and she said to wait till after lunch and tell her how I feel then. But after lunch she wouldn't let me tell her. There for she was NEVER given a chance to see the nurse or call me. (and she starts crying)

Never mind the fact that last week she didn't get to eat lunch on Tuesday because they couldn't be bothered to listen to her. (Time to strap on the combat boots and give somebody a boot to the head ~ if you ask me anyway!!)

She takes her sudafed and starts her homework and eats snack. Less than 3 hours later she looks and feel worse. Says she is dizzy and her eyes are blurry. I tell her to get her shoes we are going to the ER. Some of you may know that the ER has become our second home. We spent may a days there this summer. Brat~baby 1 stays home with the others for me and gets them to bed. Good thing too cause the parking lot was already filling up the over flow lot. When we got inside it was a full house. Like a nightmare come true. We got signed in and settled in to wait. Triage went quickly (she has gained 4 pounds and they did a rapid 5 minute strep swab). And we were sent back out to wait in the lovely over crowded waiting room.

Brat~baby 4 curled up and watched cartoons and I start working on Brat~baby 2's homework schedule which didn't take long. So now what hum watch the news okay. Then I start to look around big mistake BIG BIG mistake.

Why lady are you yelling at your 4 month(ish) old baby to not hit you?? I KID YOU NOT

Why laundry lady did you bathe in fabric softener sheets??

Why white pants guy? Just why?

Why is white pants guy wearing tight white pants and no unders? Come on now ewww.

Why lady checking out white pants guy like we can't see you?

Why so long in the ER?...........HELLO ARE THERE ANY DOCTORS ON DUTY

Why weirdo lady are you chomping your gum in my ear like a cow?

Why lady behind her to busy with her phone to be bothered with her baby who is trying to talk to her as she keeps screaming stop it to him?

Why couple in front of me are you making out? Did you mistake the ER for you hotel room? Seriously people!!

Why? The dude sitting next to they lady staring at white pants guy ummmm he's not a dude!! WHOA brain ache

Why did not a dude dude have to get out a Mountain Dew and be all look at me as she takes a drink knowing the rest of us are dying of thirst?

Why did that lady come out of Triage looking like she just put her shirt back on?

Been here so long Brain is turning to mush and all I can think about is Brat~baby4 a coke and what are my other brats doing right now at home?

MAN I WANT A COKE!!!!

Holly~ Where is my chopper?? I need back up here. This place is frying my brain!!!

FINALLY....2 and a half hours later....you hear them shout SHERMAN and of course by now Brat~baby4 is sound asleep.

I get her up and get her back to the Dr's room and am surprised to find a new Dr. This one is young and sweet. (unlike the old bitty who likes to jab you with needles) Brat~baby 4 goes in and crawls up on the bed and lays down. The doc. told her to hold on cause your going for a ride and then raised her bed about another 3 feet in the air. Then asks her who she has hiding in her ear. After she looks she says why is Cinderella in your ear? Did you tell her she can hide there? Well who do you have in your other ear? Gus Gus! What is he doing in there. Well he's eating a piece of cheese that's what he's doing! The baby is so sick she barely smiles. The doc moves on to her nose.......What do you have hiding in there? Whoa crickets wow AND grasshoppers. Still barely a smile. Well lets feel you tummy she says. Wow that's a big cheeseburger! Oh I see you had fries too. Whats that? Ice cream and cookies? Who said you could have ~ oh ~ wait VANILLA ICE CREAM AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!! Now how did you get all of that in there.

Finally a huge smile.

The doc turns to me and says I am going to treat her for strep whether the test came back positive or not because she has all the sign. Then gets up and runs off find the test strip? Leaving us waiting for her meds and a doctors note. By the time she gets back Brat~baby4 is asleep again.

My baby really was sick and feels like poo. Now I get to deal with the teacher tomorrow and only one of us will be smiling and you know it's going to be me! (boot to the head)

Good times ~ Good times

Open house pics

2008-08-25T22:55:00.006-05:00

I finally got the open house pics uploaded onto the comp. Here are a few of them. The kiddos had a ball that night. They were so excited to show us all their favorite rooms and to show us their classrooms. They had done a few art/class project for this event too.

This year we are all aiming for straight A's. So far the kids have put in great effort on their homework and school work. I know they can do it. So on top of Brat~baby 1 joining the JROTC drill team we now have Brat~baby 2 doing Special Olympics and Brat~babies 3 & 4 joining girl scouts. Add all of this to the church events and appointments and we are going to be very very busy:)

I don't like chiggers DON'T LIKE THEM..........

2008-08-24T23:11:00.002-05:00

They are not my friend............NOT MY FRIEND!!!!!
As of last count I have 50 bites from them. I could just cry. That is if I wasn't to busy trying to NOT scratch :(

2 years already

2008-08-24T10:00:00.004-05:00

Those of you who know us know that this is one of the hardest days of the year for us. We love all of you for everything you have done for us and for standing by us through the hard times with out a single thought of walking away. We feel honored and blessed to know you. You are true friends and you will always have a piece of our hearts. Words could never say how much we truly love and appreciate you.

These were taking the day of his first steps.

would I lie to you

2008-08-23T22:41:00.000-05:00

Okay Holly, Sara, Sonya, Sarah, Angie H, Oh heck ALL of you ladies who decided to move away and leave me here ALL ALONE (well not all alone I do have Mrs. Amy) in this cruel world to defend my self!!!! :) You should all be ashamed. OH and Mrs Amy when you said TaTa's feed the world you could have let me in on the fact that it also includes chiggers!

*MUAH*

oh yum

2008-08-23T19:30:00.002-05:00

A quick easy dessert that was oh so yummy.
lots of strawberries, kiwi, and banana mixed with vanilla pudding.
And all served up in smiling Kool-aid cups :)

Lots of fun.......

2008-08-23T15:55:00.006-05:00

Okay...Every Saturday morning our church gets together to do some mountain/dirt boarding. I have taken the kids and dropped them off at the church almost every Sat. since they started this activity so they can join in on the fun. Well I decided to stay today and watch all the fun and snap a few pics/video. Don't laugh but I actually got on one of these as did the babies. (Lets just say I the ground hurts when you are old. :) We had tons of fun!!

On a more positive note :)

2008-08-23T09:27:00.003-05:00

The kids and I are headed out to go mountain/dirt boarding. I am hoping to get pics but you know my camera HATES me. My family thought I was joking till we went to the zoo and everytime I touched it we got a focus error. But of course Brat~baby1 could take all the pics she wanted to with no problem. I do have a few pics of Open House at the girls' school from Thursday I am hoping to also get put on here and on my myspace.

The nerve of some people

2008-08-22T13:55:00.013-05:00

Dear Ms. (you know who you are)

That is it!! I am so sick of you spreading and repeating half truths about my life to everybody. Did I get pregnant before we got married ?? Yes I did. Was it planned? No not really but it was discussed and we decided to NOT prevent it. So before you go telling people he got me knocked up, you might want to check the facts. All these little stories you like to tell about us sneaking around and needing to get a tow. Wrong again. I (and DH) have told you countless times the truth and you choose to ignore it and continue to spread half truths. You seem to get some kind of weird pleasure out of dragging us down and poking fun. Go ahead!! No seriously go ahead. Just be warned that the next time I have to listen to you bad mouth me to make yourself feel better I just might let go with all the times (14 + years ago) I covered for you when you really were out sneaking around. For all the times you did stay the night with......or had to speed to get home because of.........should we dig deeper or just move on to recent days??!!?? I have had a long heart to heart with my hubby and he agrees enough is enough. You would be better off working on your own family and leaving mine alone!!!! I don't want to have to get mean but we are tired of being the butt of your jokes.

I am so tired of hearing how everything is always somebody elses' fault. GROW UP!!! Nobody wants to hear it anymore. My life is no cake walk. I'll be the first to admit that. But my family is the most important thing to me. My children do not hinder my life they make it worth living. My children do not keep me from doing what I want on the weekends. They make me want to do things. It's called priorities. They are free look into them.

Thank you and have a NICE day :)

Just a ?

2008-08-21T07:41:00.008-05:00

My question is.......Is it okay to put coffee in your morning Slimfast shake??? Before you get started on a tangent of pros and cons of Slimfast let me just say that I started drinking them because I have this horrible HORRIBLE habit. I do not eat breakfast. Well lately I've been having trouble focusing and lack of energy. I decided to check into the protein shakes. Way to complicated at 5 in the morning and they weren't balanced. I came across the High Protein Slimfast and was very very happy. You just pour milk and powder and shake it up. I have been drinking them every morning for a week now and I feel better. NOW here is where my question comes in..........Is it okay to put a little coffee in your slimfast shake (mine is chocolate so it would taste like a mocha)? It adds no calories just yummy yummy flavor.......not to mention that lovely kick of caffeine!!!

*UPDATE*
I tried it. I put about as much coffee in my shake as I normally put milk in my coffee. I LOVED IT!!! Of course it didn't hurt that it was caramel truffle falvored coffee either :)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-20T20:03:00.002-05:00

A little bit about the real me

2008-08-18T09:50:00.021-05:00

As you will see stress is nothing new to me. For it to have overwhelmed me so much like it did yesterday is very new to me. I am not a prideful person but asking for help is something I have never really done. I have always felt that I should be able to handle things on my own as God hands them out to me. I learned today that it takes a team of great people to make a great person so I am sharing the real me with you.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere (really NO neighbors NONE) the closest house was like a mile away they were older with no children. It was me my sister and brother for as long as I can remember and I adore them both. My mom and dad divorced when I was 3. I didnt see my dad much in the beginning and then visits just stopped. My baby sitter was mean (and still is). I grew up with only few friends cause I never really talked to anybody. I was very self aware and still am. I was the shy little kid that people liked to pick on cause I never fought back. We moved to Wisconsin when I was in the 4th grade. I loved it and hated it. We moved in with my "Grandpa" a long time friend of the family before the start of the 5th grade. I loved it. I however became a spoiled little brat. My grandpa gave me what ever I wanted. When I wanted it. I was never ungrateful or mean about it, thats not how I am. I Started to grow out of being so self aware and made real friends. Then my mom married my step dad. Love him I do. But I became shy again having to move to a new school only to meet great people and then have to move again. A year later we moved again to the house they still live in. It is here in this last school that I met my hubby. That is a blog in and of itself. I knew the first time I saw him that he was the man I was going to marry. It was so unreal. I hadn't even talked to him yet and had no idea who he was. Then I found out he was the boyfriend of a girl who thought I was her friend. I tried my hardest to be a good friend even though we had nothing in common. She would have fits for days if my close friends and I hung out and she wasn't there (it was bad). I befriended her up until the day I caught her steeling my journal disks and bad mouthing my friends at school and bad mouthing my now hubby. I walked away from that friendship and never looked back. The hubs and I started dating not long after that. He was and is the greatest and I adored his family(still do). Almost 2 years later my life became a roller coaster. We got married on May 13th, our daughter was born on May 22nd. New hubby, new house, new baby all in less than 10 days. I Became preg. with our son in Sept. and we moved from IL to KS in Feb. (Hubs went active duty). 6 months after he was born (June 26th) Hubby was deployed and in Jan. our house had come available on post so I moved AGAIN. He was gone for 7 1/2 months. Shortly after his return we decided to try for another child and as soon as we became preg hubby was off again. It was a couple trips to CA. and then off to re class. While he was gone I was put under A/C arrest. (I was only allowed to go from A/C cooled buildings and houses and cars and had to stay out of the heat due to complications as well as off my feet.)Baby 3 was born in Jan. and we packed up and pcsed and were in our new house in GA by March. Hubs was pretty close to home most of that time. Just field time 2 weeks to 6 weeks here and there. In Jan we were preg again with baby number 4. When she turned 8 months old he pcsed to Europe and we had to stay behind for 2 months. We flew out to Europe the day the baby turned 10 months. I got involved with the FRG and made some really great friends. For the first time I had a place that felt like home and I never wanted to move again. Shortly after baby number 4 turned 2 hubby was off on another deployment. This one was supposed to be for only 6 months but ended up being 13. He came home in March and we moved again in June and I was preg with baby number 5. This time we moved to CO. We were lucky that hubby was non-deployable for the time that we were there. The baby came in March and things were starting to fall into place for us. Great friends and the family was together again. After the baby turned one he started getting sick a lot. I took him to a million Dr's and they all gave me different answers. He wasn't getting any better. Hubby had to ship out for school for a few months. July 2nd I took the baby home to IL for the holiday and by now he is unable to do anything for himself. He spent the night of the 4th crying and holding onto me and with such a grip. I took him to Cardinal Glennon the next morning and they said he had fluid on his brain and had to get it off. He never moved again after that. Hubby was released from school and made it from Arizona to St. Louis in 2 days. The older kiddos had to bounce from Grandparents to Grandparents and all the aunts and uncles. I had to temporarily relinquich custody of them so they could start school at my moms. We spent a couple months in the hospital with him. I only left when I was forced to. I slept in the bed with him and held him through all his tubes.We watched them poke and prod and stick him and it was more than we could bear. They did countless surgeries still trying to figure out what was wrong with him. We lost track of the times we heard he's crashing. We had to stand and watch as they yanked him down and did chest compressions on his tiny little self. I couldn't tell you the number of strokes they said he had. On the 24th of August they announced that he had passed and then removed his life support. I held him till they pulled us away. I don't remember much of the following month. My family and friends were there for us the whole time. In Sept. we had to make the drive back to CO in two different vehicles. I was ready to go "home" but knew as much as I needed my best friends it was going to be hard to face them. The Army was great to us. The Cheyenne mountain team was like no other. Like my wonderful friends and family I never had to ask they were just there. Hubby had to go back and redo school before we pcsed and our time there was almost up. We were ready for a change. We were trying to get Washington state or Arizona. We got Kentucky instead which is great cause we have always talked about retiring here. We get our orders in the last week of Aug.and had 10 days to pack and clear 10000 pounds worth of stuff. We cleared our house and Sara's in the same day. We packed the 4 dogs and the 4 kids and the Oscar and the eels into the two vehicles and head towards home. We spent a couple days in IL with the family then headed out to our new home in TN/KY. We lived in a hotel for 10 days. A small one room two bed hotel room for 10 DAYS! After a lot of searching and stressing we found the lovely house we are in now. Now we have to unload and unpack all that stuff. Hubby is in and out trying to inprosses and help me with everything. Inprossesing usually takes 3 days. It took 2 weeks. On his last day when he got his orders to his company he got his orders to deploy. He was lucky and got to hang around till the end of Oct. He is expected to be home by the first of next year. We are still not unpacked fully. We have made a few friends but I miss my BFF's from CO on a daily basis. They are like angels to me.

Through all these hard times were so many new words, so many first steps, learning to use a potty, to ride a bike, and first days of school. Tons of happy Halloweens and Merry Christmases and birthday parties and swimming pools. Millions of look what I can do's and will you help me's. A life time of hugs and kisses and happy memmories and yet a life time to go. I would marry my husband again every day for the rest of my life.

I have been told that my life is hard, but it is all I know. I love who I am and what I stand for. I love my family and friends with all that I have. And someday I will be able to stand in front of God and thank him for the life he alone has given me.

Thank you all

2008-08-17T16:30:00.004-05:00

for everything you have given me. But do to my life falling apart at the seems this will be my last post. The stress in my life is finally more than I can handle. I will be shutting down the computer and turning off the cells. I will be disconnecting the internet and cable tomorrow. By next week I am planning on doing the one thing I swore I would NEVER do . I will be moving back home. I wish you all luck and happiness in your lives.
God bless you all, you will be missed greatly

Please........

2008-08-17T16:11:00.003-05:00

Can I just start the whole day over?????? NO???? Then I am going to hide in my room till time for church............and then maybe just maybe............I might try again.

A typical summer day

2008-08-16T23:43:00.002-05:00

Hot weather, snow cones, bikes, water fights with the hoses, kids everywhere. Somehow my kiddos talked me into joining their water fight. It was so cold. Then it was chicken nuggets and fries for dinner and they put on a dance for me to Alvan and the Chipmunks. It's great to just be able to enjoy them and have fun.

a really great stroller

2008-08-15T11:34:00.002-05:00

The ladies over at Momdot are giving a way a really great stroller from strollermama. The rules are simple and the people are great. Go give it a look.

My mission for the day

2008-08-15T08:01:00.002-05:00

Okay you all know how much I LOVE my house. I really do. I love the house, I love the yard, I love the neighbors, well most of them anyway. Some of you are aware that BOTH my mowers are broke :( I have been using Mrs. A push mower for the front (Thank you Mrs A.) and have been able to keep it up pretty good. (When we are not on vacation be it here or there.) I have made it my mission today to FIX my rider. It needs a belt for the blades and it has 2 flat tires ~ AGAIN. I really really really want to get the back yard cleaned back up. It doesn't look to bad since I have been paying *J* to mow the front 2/3rds of it, but I want to get it all mowed and mowed my way. Me and the kiddos (to include *Charlie and *P*) can mow and weed eat the whole yard in a day when all the mowers are running. This means I will be spending the morning laying face down in the garage getting greasy and gunky again. I just hope I don't have to lift the front end of the rider again. It is VERY heavy!

I would also LOVE for the pool boy to actually come out and fix my pump!!!!! I have spent over 200 on chemicals because he hasn't showed up in over 3 weeks!!!! I keep asking they keep giving me excuses. I guess they are trying to wait out the season?? I don't know......all I know is it's starting to add up :( and you know I'll spend the money on chemicals. cause I want to use the pool. (blame the Realtors not the owners last I heard they didn't know anything about it) When I woke up this morning my pool was GREEN. That is NOT acceptable for me. My pool will be CLEAR by morning!!! Considering tomorrow is Saturday ~ morning means by noon :)

Wish me luck I just might need it!

VTC

2008-08-14T16:23:00.003-05:00

I got to do a VTC with hubby today. It was good to see him. He looked good but tired. It was hard to sit there and see him so close and not be able to touch him. We got to talk for about 20 minutes. I am hoping BDE HQ will do at least one a month till they get to come home. We are entering the countdown phase of the deployment and are around 100 days out. I wish we had an exact date but knowing the Army like I do I know there is no such thing cause dates are always subject to change. Either way it was good to see and hear his voice live. I can't wait for the next VTC or for him to come home.

Back to school

2008-08-14T10:15:00.005-05:00

School started on Friday here in the lovely state of TN. I was under a hugely mistaken trance that led me to believe that My life would slow down and my days would be less hectic when the kiddos went back to school. I am more tired and worn out now then I was in the summer time.

~glad I have a good sense of humor:)~

My lovely state of miss~believe went like this:

5:30 oldest 2 up and off to school by 6:30 ish
6:30 youngest 2 up and off to school by 7:30 ish

Oldest 2 home by 2:30ish homework done and off to finish chores and out to play but the time the youngest two got home.
Youngest 2 home by 4:00 ish and have the table to themselves to do home work.

sounds easy enough right?!?

NO cause that would be to simple for my life and make sense and you know we can't have that!!

SO this is how my day now goes.....

Brat~baby 1 has to be up at 5 AM(way to early).
She gets home around 2:30ish unless she has drill team practice which seems like every day right now. Then it's pick her up at 4:30. (We are proud of her for trying out and making the drill team. I think JROTC will be good for her and she is very good at it.)
Brat~baby 2 has to be up at 5:30 and gets home around 2:45
Brat ~babies 3 and 4 have to be up by 7:15 and get home around 4:00 (late I know)

so my mornings are constant until 8:30 when the youngest get on the bus and then I get to clean up the mess, feed and walk the dogs, feed the cats. work on the house, do any running I have to do (and that's been a lot lately).

Then from 2:45 on its get the kids off the bus, pick up Brat~baby 1, make it to all the appointments (dr., dent., school, vet, FRG, etc), and church functions on Wed and Thurs. night. By the time they get home work done, dinner eaten, and showers taken it's off to bed to wake up and do it all over again. :)

Needless to say our house is gonna be very busy for a while. I am hoping things will have fallen into a doable routine by mid Sept. One that is not only manageable but one that allows play and relaxing time for all of us.

Williamson County Fair 08.09.08

2008-08-13T14:04:00.013-05:00

At the beginning of the month I got an email from HHC saying that "Franklin and Brentwood Tennessee have offered a special day ~9 August~ for 100 of our Battalion family members. They are offering a bus ride to and from the fair, free rides (We all received 10 free passes each for the rides) and free food." (in honor of Veterans Day)The kids were excited about it so I signed us all up. *Charlie* and *P* were able to go with us too. It was about an hour and a half ride on what the kids described as the coolest bus ever. We had an escort all the way there and back.
When we got there COL(ret)Tyson asked *P* to Carry the Division Flag. What an honor. As we all filed out behind him every body outside the bus was clapping and thanking us and our soldiers as we walked by. We had a lot of fun on the rides, playing the games, and watching the shows.

Please bleach my eyes PLEASE

2008-08-07T19:18:00.002-05:00

Okay......I have no problem with people going to walmart in their jammies. Nor do I have a problem with people wearing their slippers to walmart. I DO however have a problem with people walking in to walmart with their hand shoved down the back of their jammy pants to fix their undies. I mean SERIOUSLY!!!!! Yes there is a bathroom just inside either door you chose to use. PLEASE do not spread your fungus all over things I or my children might be touching. PLEASE do not offend my eyes by doing it right in front of me. PLEASE somehow someway find some manners or at least pretend you have some when out side of the privacy of your own home and excuse yourself to the restroom and "adjust" yourself in private!!!!!! Trust me the rest of the world will thank you for it.

Summer break is over

2008-08-04T21:21:00.021-05:00

My brother and sister in law and the babies left today:( I really enjoyed having them here this weekend. We had a lot of fun. I hope they get to come back soon. We all went to the Nashville Zoo Sunday and it was a blast. The zoo was really nice and the kids loved it. I posted all the new pics on my myspace page along with some swimming pics I got right before they left.My brother and Brat~baby1 aren't in the swimming pics. They went golfing on post this morning and had a lot of fun. School starts Friday for us so we will be finishing up getting their stuff tomorrow. We got most of it during the tax free weekend but had to wait for freshman orientation to see what we were missing. I can't believe my baby is old enough to be a freshman.

Another Meme

2008-07-31T23:02:00.006-05:00

This one is from Holly over at Party of Five Rules (cause they always have rules)

* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I have been married to my best friend for 14 years now and we still act like newly weds.

2. I love to be home. My best vacation would be here in my house with my kids and hubby ~ bbqing and swimming and just hanging out.

3. I think it would be great if people could be injected with common sense at birth!!

4. I love to cook and bake and try new recipes. (just not sea food)

5. I love the feel of the sun on my skin but hate the heat.

6. Lazy/bad parents and whiny kids drive me nuts.

7. I can read a whole book in a few hours but find it hard to sit still through a movie. But I do love a good movie.

Chicken soup

2008-07-31T19:33:00.009-05:00

Chicken soup nights are a little different around here. We start by crock pot cooking the chicken for 24 hours. (you can boil it on the stove for a quicker meal) Then we add the veggies and start the noodles. Today we decided to make the noodles into shapes instead of your average square ones. We started out with dinosaurs and then added hearts. The kids are having a ball playing in the left over dough and flower. I wish I had pics but my camera has no batteries. I will leave you with the recipe though. This is a recipe that me and my family have made up and adjusted over the last 14 years. (I have never shared my chicken noodle recipe with anyone before.)

chicken ~ how much depends on how thick you want your soup ~ I use about 2-3 lbs.
(I use boneless thighs and or breast)

cook in crock pot with your favorite chicken seasonings.
(I use Mc Cormick Cajun , coarse sea salt, black pepper 1 large vadalia onion ~ chopped and 2 cloves of garlic ~ chopped)

Noodles (I usually make one and a half batches)
3 cups flour
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk

mix together turn out on floured surface and roll to 1/8 inch thick.
you may need to knead the dough if it is still sticky

remove chicken from crock pot and shred
pour broth into a 5 qt pan and bring to a boil (add shredded veggies now if you want any)
drop noodles in one at a time
stir often and add chicken when they are done

I usually let mine boil for 20 min.

Enjoy

I guess you could say my life if back to normal

2008-07-31T13:30:00.002-05:00

I got to sleep in which I really needed. The kids are "detoxing" the house. Anna's glasses are broke, the dogs need to be retrained and my basement looks like a tornado went through it. hummmmmmm wonder if I can kennel train the kiddos ~ I mean you are now legally allowed to "leash train" them?! Anyway's I need to get up and "detox" the kitchen and baths so I can sit and watch a movie later. I'll put the yard off until tomorrow and pray for rain LOL.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

My brain hurts

2008-07-29T12:30:00.004-05:00

I am worn out, stressed out and tired. It's all I can do to keep up anymore. My poor mind keeps struggling between "I don't want to do the dishes and the laundry anymore and the fact that having dishes to do and laundry to wash is a reminder that God has provided for me and my family another meal and clothes to wear and cleaning up after is the least I can do." How can I feel content and stressed at the same time? Maybe it's the headache and the heat. Maybe it's me missing my best friend (He will be home in 130ish days). Maybe I'm just being a butt head and complain to much :)

The new MomDot

2008-07-28T13:28:00.004-05:00

“Hey BlogoSphere! MomDot is so excited about our launch! We had been working hard to get going for August 1st, but with all the amazing support of mom boutiques and mom bloggers, we are ready to get the Party Started! We want you to come every day starting on July 28th with the party ending on August 31st, including prizes daily and feature bloggers, just in time to bang out the end of summer and into the school year. Don’t forget to list your blog for free and connect with other mommies on our forum!”

Am I just being a B

2008-07-28T09:15:00.006-05:00

Okay there is this *person* that I know who is driving me nuts. Everybody is telling me I have to be nice to *P* (lets just call this person *P* ~ short for person). It's not that I hate *P* or even dislike *P*. I am just so sick and tired of the woes me attitude, and the please do this for me and "help" me do this cause my life is so bad attitude, and I won't pay you for any of it and I'll blame it on other things but you know it's because my coveted *N----- O--* are more important to me. I am finding this *P* to be selfish, rude, lazy, mean and I could go on but I hate to feel this way. Judging people is something I HATE to do. If this *P* would just step back and take a GOOD LOOK at what they have they would see that their life is pretty darn good. They would see that they have everything they will ever need right in front of them. I REFUSE to help somebody who will NOT help themselves. I will pray for you and those around you but do not call me complaining and whining. No bad day at work is a good enough reason to be down right vile with those you are supposed to love. Your friends and children will treat you the same as you treat them. Respect is not something you can DEMAND from any one at any age. It is something you have to earn. Grow up, get up, get over it!!!!

Pics

2008-07-27T01:19:00.001-05:00

I have all the pics up on my myspace. I haven't had time to get them on here too so jump on over there and take a look. I'm sure things will settle back down around here in a week or two.

Vacation is over

2008-07-25T15:22:00.005-05:00

And I am home again. It was a fun and long week. We went to Grants Farm and the Botanicle Gardens with Hubby's side of the family. We had a huge family reunion with my side of the family. They had rented the pool for Friday night. Saturday we had the potluck dinner in Eldred as we do every year and then everybody went out to my aunt and uncles farm for a cookout and fishing. We spent the next 3 days hanging around moms swimming and picking blackberries. Monday night I took the kids down to see the Robert Wadlow Statue with daddy's side. It was a really fun week. Racheal and her babies came home with us. So I get to have an extended vacation here at home. We spent 2 days cleaning out the pool and now I am working on the yard. School starts on the 8th so I have been trying to get the kiddos ready. I still need to go get a school supply list. I have put most of the new pics up on myspace. I hope to get the rest up by tomorrow and then put them up on here.

Sundays go by to fast

2008-07-13T23:45:00.014-05:00

It's been a pretty good day. We all got up and went to church this morning. Then did a bit of running (had to get a cat carrier for the car and another collar and toys of course)and taking care of pets. (would have loved a nap but the kids weren't having that) Instead of dinner and a movie at church tonight it was dinner and "make a movie night" We all started clearing out the chairs and started building the stage. The kids had a ball. Brat~baby 1 got to use some pretty neat power tools. I think the nail gun was her favorite. Brat~baby 2 helped put part of the stage together too but I missed most of it. Brat~babies 3 and 4 helped the ladies who .were sewing the curtains. They all are very proud of their work too. Hopefully next week I'll have some pictures for you. Now it's late and I should be in bed so I'll put up a few new pics of Jeff and Pumpkin and jump off of here.

I will be out of town for about a week. When I get home I'll try to get up the pics of last vacation and this vacation and the church events up fairly quickly.

Isn't he the greatest

2008-07-12T11:22:00.009-05:00

Well you see it goes like this..........I have a bunch of stuff to get rid of and a friend (that would be you mister Larryboy!!)suggested that I try Campbell yard sales website. Well I did and I joined and Brat~baby 4 seen this and normally I would have said no but my heart went out to these little guys and seeing Brat~baby 4 cry was more than I could take. They are about 11 weeks old and really needed a home. Nobody else could take them. Not even the shelters. (I assume they were to full) We loaded up ALL the kiddos at 10:30 at night and drove over to get them. Soooooooooo I would like to welcome Jeff (black and white kitty) and Pumpkin (orange kitty) to the family. When I told hubby this morning he said he didn't care and was actually laughing. He knows me to well. I love you Babe!!
Brat~baby 3 was actually staying the night at Larryboys house for his daughters bday party and hadn't seen them till this morning. She was so happy she almost cried

Aren't we cute!?!

2008-07-11T13:23:00.001-05:00

*P*
*Charlie*
Brat~baby 4
and Night~Night

Not much going on

2008-07-10T15:06:00.007-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while mostly because we were out of town. We went to IL for about 5 days for the 4th of July and then headed back here. I have pics but sadly they are still in IL. We got in early enough on the 2nd for the kiddos to go swimming with Auntie J and Uncle M and the boys. We spent the 3rd with my mom. We went swimming and then shopping and then went to see the fire works at my sisters. That was a blog in and of itself. We got there early and it started raining then it let up then it started poring. We stayed around till just after 9 and every body said they weren't going to do them cause of the rain. We all start to head home and just as we are about to hit the highway they start letting them off so we stopped and watched them in my moms dry van. We spent the 4th with the in laws. We went and had our pics done (see below)and then took the kids shopping through the mall it was both fun and a nightmare (kids will be kids). We went to Auntie A for breakfast the next morning and then out to moms. We went swimming with Auntie J and Uncle M and the boys again. We then headed off to Auntie M for a backyard BBQ and fireworks and stayed late. Then it was get up early and pack up the truck. We brought *L* back with us for a vacation for him. They have been sleeping in and staying up late. Spending most of their time in the slip~n~slide and playing cars out back. We have been swimming most nights till about 9:30ish. I've tried to get some pics but every time I go to take pics of them on the slip~n~slide this is what I get.....

Family pics

2008-07-06T20:32:00.007-05:00

I was tagged by Jon the storyteller

2008-07-01T23:39:00.003-05:00

Okay here are the rules: You link back to the person who tagged you, Post the rules on your blog, Share six unimportant things about yourself & tag six random people at the end of your entry. Enjoy the result!

1. I love the laughter of children.

2. I love to drive ~ it calms me ~

3. I love to play in the rain and I actually like the sound of a thunderstorm

4. I think I'm addicted to coca cola :)

5. I think unloading the dishwasher is the worst chore ever

6. I love going on dates with my hubby.

I tag Holly, Sara, Angie, Angela, Sonya

I wanna be a rockstar

2008-07-01T22:27:00.004-05:00

Is what we have heard from Brat~baby2 since he could talk. So for his 13th bday ~his I'm now a teenager I don't have to listen to you bday~ daddy got him an electric guitar. He is in rockstar heaven. He took it to church Sunday night and they wanted him to join in. Our church has a "rock" band complete with drums, electric guitar, bass and well you get the pic. He loved it! I can't wait till he gets to actually play it for his daddy. I need to go and get him the amp and a strap for it. *P* gave him a really neat pick for it and he is a very very happy boy "I mean rockstar"

A walk for Autism

2008-06-29T00:32:00.006-05:00

I would like to ask if all you wonderful bloggers would help support a precious little boy? His name is Nolan and his family will be doing a walk for Autism on Sept 13th. I know money is tight for most of us lately, but if we can all just pitch in a little bit it will add up to a whole lot.

To make a donation ~ please click on the link above and then click on a team member under Nolan's picture.

Thank you and God bless you.

If it's not written down, it never happened.
If the Straitjacket Fits...

Brat~baby 2's bday

2008-06-26T22:44:00.020-05:00

This guy is a real trooper!! We were supposed to have a pool bash today to celebrate him turning 13. The big I'm a teenager kinda day. But I had to take his sister to the ER and we were there for forever. (not her fault).He did get to swim today with his little sisters and a friend and He got to make his own cake which he has been wanting to do for a long time AND I am taking him shopping on Saturday and we are going to make the whole day about him.
I love you big guy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY

It's my birthday I don't have to get up ....WOW 13 already....

2008-06-26T10:57:00.005-05:00

Look at my hair mommy ~ I did it myself

2008-06-25T23:28:00.004-05:00

Thank you Mrs. Amy

2008-06-24T21:48:00.007-05:00

If there was every a day when it was just to much I think this was it. I got woke up by the water company knocking on my door AGAIN decided to not let it darken my day. Got the kiddos up and got ready to head in to town to pay the water bill. (I always forget this one and only this one not sure why) Decided to grab the tire off the mower to air it up too. I had just asked hubby the day before how to get it off so I didn't have to take the whole mower in and it went as follows:

Me~ hey how do you get the tire off?
DH~ you have to remove the cotter pin and it will slide off.
Me~ ummmm what about the black cap on it?
DH~ you just pull that off.
Me~ I tried that already and it bit me.
DH~ use a crow bar if you have to
Me~ (in my head) you want me to use a crow bar on an 800.00 mower??
Me~ (not in my head LOL) um okay
DH~ oh you'll have to straighten the cotter pin to pull it out and use pliers
Me~ sounds to easy!!

So there I was in the garage on the floor on my face trying to get the cap off. It goes flying and I have grease everywhere but that's okay.

I wasn't gonna let it get to me.

I get the pliers and straighten the pin and pull it out. MORE grease. I tried to slide the tire out just a little to see how high a prop I need so the front end wouldn't hit the ground and break anything. well the tire falls all the way off and luckily the tools (sorry DH) were under the front end and caught it. I sent the kids to get me a couple of bricks from the pool shed to prop it up till I got back. I ended up having to lift the whole front end of this huge mower to get the bricks under it. It was heavy, it hurt, and of course more grease.

BUT I wasn't going to let it get to me.

I put the tire in the van picked up *P* and headed to town. I was still in a good mood at this point and bought everybody huge sodas and went home to get my day started. We get the tire on. *P* put it on while I lifted the front end. This was much easier then taking it off was. I take it for a test drive and do the side yard and every thing is working great. Then Brat~baby 1 tells me the push mower is not cutting the grass. I told her I'll deal with it later. (I really meant tomorrow)

I wasn't gonna let it get to me!!

*P* mows almost the whole back yard and stops when I have to take Brat~babies 3 and 4to get their ears looked at. Both need meds for ear infection so we head to the pharmacy and we tell the "lovely" lady the names of both kiddos and wait for her to hand me the meds. She gives me Brat~baby 4's and said thank you. UMMMMMM what about hers??? Well you didn't say you had it for another child!! *C* and I look at each other an laugh the are you kidding me laugh......I handed her my ID card and waited AGAIN and smiled..

I wasn't gonna let it get to me.

(I was determined to have a good day even though it was apparent things were stacked against me) We get home and the house work I had asked Brat~babies 1 and 2 to do hadn't even been started and they were swimming..... I hated to admit it but things were starting to get to me so I decided to just go finish mowing and forget about the bad things. I was starting to have fun and relax again and just as I smiled the mower stopped moving. Still running, blades still turning, but not moving. I turned it off and got down to see what was wrong. I was face down in the grass and covered with it and close to tears. I pulled all the dry grass away and wouldn't you know it...........the belt had come off the dang thing and now it wont move.

By this point IT GOT TO ME........

I decided to go hide in my room and not come out. I chatted with the lovely Holly for a few min. and she made me smile as usual. (I miss you!!)I figured I would just go clean up the kitchen and start some laundry and forget about the yard or how I was going to fix two mowers. Then the garbage disposal decided to start making the wrong kinds of noises.......

I GIVE ...............at this point I am to scared to touch the new washer

I was so tired and stressed it was all I could do not to cry. My sweet friend decided I needed a break and took me and my babies to AppleBee's for supper and insisted on paying for everything. And looking back now I am laughing my bum off at my day.

Thank you Mrs. Amy for everything!!

Thank you

2008-06-23T20:34:00.007-05:00

Thank you Stacy for sharing your blog "freedom a mothers gift" with us. My job can be hard but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love my life and hold the place of a Soldiers Wife as a place of Honor and try every day to do it with Pride. There are days when I fall very short....most days actually....but I find the sacrifice is worth all the joy it brings. I'm quite sure she will never forget what you did for her and her kids. My family will never forget. You went out of your way to make a day for starngers (a soldier's family) a little brighter. Your family ROCKS!! Hugs and Kisses from Tennessee and Iraq

you want me to what

2008-06-22T23:23:00.005-05:00

I was just standing there on the pool deck watching the children laugh and play and trying to relax myself when I hear something I thought I would never ever in my life hear. "Mommy look at my fart!?!" As these words bombard my ears and stun me into silence I turn to see this and was so thankful that my precious princess had not gone completely to the dark side (she was blowing the water out the back of the tube and YES that's exactly what it sounded like)Her daddy would be so proud :)

The dog days of summer

2008-06-21T21:33:00.002-05:00

Church camp is over and the kiddos are home again. We decided to spend the whole day in the pool. Here are some pics of jumps, flips, conga lines and even the puppies enjoying the water.

The lovely ladies of SITS

2008-06-21T16:35:00.003-05:00

These ladies are great. I barely find time to breath on a normal basis. I don't know how they find the time or energy to do all of these wonderful things. For the next six weeks they will be giving away great summer time prizes. This week they are giving away an awesome BRAND NEW BOUNCE HOUSE!! So Scoot on over there and take a look at just how awesome these ladies really are! And don't forget to say I WANT TO WIN!!

The turtle got his rain

2008-06-20T10:26:00.003-05:00

My poor turtle has needed fresh water for a while now. Usually I am good about making sure its clean and deep enough for him to swim. Well not this month and for many different reasons all rolled into one. First, I really hurt my foot pretty bad making it hard to walk. Second, it's hard to carry a hundred pounds when you can hardly walk. And third, I had this horrible HORRIBLE dream that after I got the tank into the bathroom and started cleaning it I put the turtle on the floor as usual to run around and that's when it happened!! Somebody stepped on him and killed my "attack" turtle. I know you are all thinking "it's just a dream"....right? Well I thought so too until I had it every night for 3 nights. I couldn't get it out of my mind. Now the foot is feeling better and the turtle at this point is unhappy and praying for rain. I decide to brave the fates and clean the tank anyway. I finally get the tank in the shower and put him on the floor to run. At this point ALL the kids keep running in and out of my bathroom. I start to feel uneasy and decided to "hide" the turtle in my linen closet (in my bathroom) but leave the door open so I can see him. An hour later I am happy to say he is back in his tank swimming around and digging up the rocks like a good attack turtle should.

A day with the kiddos

2008-06-18T22:40:00.003-05:00

We slept in, showered up, cleaned up a bit and headed out. First things first though. I had to go to the hospital to get my midevil leg sock thingy and then to the clinic to have them put on a new midevil band aid. Once we were all done with that. We went to the Museum here on post and the kiddos loved it. I have to admit it's my second time going and I could spend all day in there. Not to mention all the planes outside. After we left the Museum we came home and the kids cooked up and packed up a nice picnic dinner and we headed to the river front park where we ate and played for a couple of hours. I posted a slide show with all of the pics.

I want to cry

2008-06-17T21:03:00.005-05:00

Okay I went out to fix the steps to the pool and let the kids swim for a few. Well I got out to answer the phone and laid down on the deck to talk and decided to stay out cause I was almost dry. Well........this is what happens when you fall asleep on the deck...........ya ya I know and it will NEVER happen again ever can we say pain!!!!!!!! Oh and I have the legs to match it. NEVER EVER EVER again

Conversation with Brat~baby 4

2008-06-17T14:06:00.002-05:00

She steps on the scale and says "I weigh 650"
me "no you weigh 65"
BB 4 "no I weigh 650"
me "no you weigh 65"
BB 4 "no look I weigh 650"
me (laughing to hard to argue anymore) "thanks BB4 I needed that"

My scale weighs to the nearest half pound and it read 65.0
I think one of us was adopted........

Happy Fathers Day

2008-06-15T12:02:00.000-05:00

To the GREATEST dad on earth.

Happy Fathers Day Daddy, :)
I love you and I miss you. I can't wait till you get home. Be safe and have a happy Fathers Day!
Love Alyssa Marie

Hi Daddy,
I'm feeling much better. Happy Fathers Day. How are you doing? I love you, your the best Daddy ever!
Love your Nutter Butter

Happy Fathers Day,
You are the BEST DAD! I will always love you.
Love Dakota

Happy Fathers Day,
I love you, I miss you, and I hope you have a great day. MUAHHHHH
Love Courtney

Happy Fathers Day Uncle David,
Love Kay

Happy Fathers Day Uncle David,
Love Jake

Happy Fathers Day Baby,
We really missed you today. We are sending you tons of hugs and kisses and want to thank you for being the greatest dad EVER You are awesome!!!!!!! We hope you were able to enjoy your day. Thank you for 15 years of happiness :)
I love you with all that I have and all that I am.
Forever
StacyRenee

opening day at the pool

2008-06-14T01:32:00.001-05:00

Happy children having fun in the pool!

I can't wait for my turn :)

Good news bad new from the doc today

2008-06-13T15:50:00.005-05:00

Good news is I don't have any damage to my tendon but I did mess up the muscle that goes from the heel to the side of the foot and up over the top. (The one you use to scrunch your toes)I will have to do weeks of therapy for it and go in every day for a week for a patch (to relieve the inflammation on my ankle) that I have to wear for 14 hours and can't get wet. The Doc said I can start running again but I have to start slow and have to keep my feet flat so I don't do any more damage. I also have LOTS of stretches I have to do in and out of the pool. And the killer thing is I HAVE to wear shoes for like forever (soooooooooo not okay with me) I hope it all works cause right now it hurts to walk and drive. Two things I find very vital to my life:)

my midevil torture band aid

it is finally done

2008-06-13T15:39:00.004-05:00

After several razor cuts and many busted up knuckles my pool is up and running. I still have to replace a hose and a hookup part but other than that everything is running smoothly. The kids swam in it today for a couple of hours but had to get out cause of a lightning storm. I was happy to see that all of my kiddos still know how to swim. Now to read the meter and pay for the water. YIKES!! whats the going rate for 18000 gallons of water these days?

my poor baby

2008-06-10T14:36:00.003-05:00

Brat~baby 3 came to me yesterday morning saying she didn't feel good and that her throat hurt. She is rarely sick so I figured it was allergies. Her temp was low (100.2) and her throat wasn't swollen so I gave her some Motrin and Popsicles. She started feeling worse through the night ~ still no high fever right side of throat a little swollen. I called the same day appointment line this morning and they said they didn't have anything for today but call at 2 and they could get me one for tomorrow. I went off of course because I don't think the kids that are sick today should have to wait because they have their system backwards. I decided to take her to acute care in the ER since she hadn't held anything down for 24 hours and her headache was getting worse. We had planned on being there all afternoon. We got her signed in quick. Her fever went from 100 to 103 in the 20 min it took to get there. they gave her 400 mil of motrin and sent us back out to sit down and "wait". . By the time we got comfy the called us back and the first thing the doc did was a culture. It is supposed to take 10 min for results we got them in less than 3. Strep the doc said then asked her is she wanted pills or a shot. It took longer for her to decide then the test did. In the end she got the shot and we went to the pharmacy to get her Motrin. It was way down in the basement and I think we went around every corner and down every hall to get there. Some how we managed to get in and out to include the pharmacy in an hours time. She is now on the couch curled up watching National Treasure 2 and feeling so much better.

Teenagers and Cellphones

2008-06-09T12:43:00.003-05:00

For anyone who ever wondered what your teenager would do if you took away their cell phone ~ I think I found the answer!! I took away Brat~baby 1's phone for being mean to her brother and sisters. 10 min later this is what i find.

to much fun

2008-06-08T20:38:00.005-05:00

I took the kids to dinner and a movie night at the church. We watched the Water Horse and had gril out for dinner. It was a lot of fun. We get home and I asked the kids to pull the weeds out of the flower bed and wash the house and deck down. Well it's 8:30 at night and the brat~babies and "charly" are outside having a water fight. I guess this is what you get when you ask the kids to do it. But hey atleast it got washed (right?)

my life in six words

2008-06-07T23:31:00.002-05:00

The goal? Six words, your life story.

mine would have to be.........
"It all started with a kiss"

Very famously started by Ernest Hemingway while telling the saddest story ever written, “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

Your turn.

It only took a hand full of chips

2008-06-07T21:05:00.005-05:00

Brat~baby4 asks if she can have a snack and of course I say yes. She decides to attack the tortilla chips. After what seamed like forever to her she finally got the bag open and started eating them. She comes running in and says look mom it looks like a board, its a rectangle. I said ya its really straight. Then she comes in with another one and says look mom it looks like a stick of gun, its another rectangle. I pretened to eat it and she snatched it and left. Then she comes in and says mom I think there is something wrong with this bag cause this ones a rectangle too. This is the point where I tell her to look into the bag of chips she is eating and she says ohhhhhhhh they are ALL rectangles.

such a proud moment

OMGoodness

2008-06-05T21:54:00.005-05:00

deliciously sinful
When you start with these..........

and end with these............

you might need this

or maybe this

when it rains it pours

2008-06-02T23:37:00.010-05:00

The day started off early (well early for me). You see my AC decided to go out yesterday of all days. It was 90 out and Mrs Holly, Chef and the little ones had just got in to town for a week long visit. I called the Realtor and let them know and didn't hear back from then ~ that is until 8 this morning. They called twice and then the Heating cooling guy called and said they would be out as soon as possible. He came out around noon and had to clean the filter INSIDE the AC unit. Anyway he was in and out quick cause he already knew where everything was. (he fixed the furnace a few months ago) Either way when its going on hotter then H. outside this is the pretties site ever

After he left Brat~baby 1 charlie "the banana King" and I went to take a truck load of crap we were getting rid of to the land fill. Afterwards we decided we needed to wash out the bed of the truck before Chef used it for a trip. I went to the lovely local BP station where rude was the standard attitude they gave everybody. Anyway I paid for a drive through car wash and then proceeded to "drive through" it. Well the dern thing never triggered and when I pulled out I had a lovely flat tire.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or scream. New $200.00 tire that I am stuck paying for. They thought giving me back my $6.00 was more than enough (ya NO) Geico was going to take forever to get there and it was HOT out and I had the kids. So Holly came to get the girls and then came back with chef to fix the flat. While I was waiting for them to return a really nice SPC/E4 came over and helped me get started on changing it. Holly and Chef showed up shortly after that and Chef the SPC got the tire changed. He (the SPC) wouldn't take anything for helping me but a bottle of water. After they got it changed we were looking for a place to put a little more air in the spare (luckily hubby has a full size spare) and we decided to go on post to get air and gas and that's when "IT" happened and I'll let Holly tell you the rest. The day wasn't all bad. Chef did make me his famous sweet and spicy pork before he left. Thanks man love ya. And Holly and I made PW's yummy apple dumplings and ate them with fried ice cream love ya to beautiful

Promotion orders ~ Congratulations Babe

2008-05-31T20:19:00.009-05:00

I am so proud of my hubby for making SFC/E7. (he pins on tomorrow) He works hard and is VERY good at his job. I however have no idea how to be an E7's wife. I am not the kind to kiss up to somebody to make them feel important. I do not believe in being "politically correct". I am not the kind to host huge parties for people I don't know and going to a "ball" is not my idea of fun. I will however back our soldiers and be available to ALL military and their spouses when they need me as I do now. I do take pride in my hubby and his job. I will take my new "post" with honor and pray God shows me the way. I can not however guarantee the outcome.

Congratulations also to SSgt Vaz and family on your promotion!!
Love you guys

silly dogs

2008-05-31T17:29:00.001-05:00

Does this qualify as "Dog tired"

I have pictures

2008-05-30T21:53:00.002-05:00

I FINALLY went to Sears to get my pics. They turned out really good. I was putting it off till I had to go pay bills cause the price of gas is just to much these days and I refuse to give them more than I have to. I made a tank last 3+ weeks this month and the second tank will last 2 weeks. I am so proud of myself. (cause you all know I could go through a tank a week)This is my first step of trying to be frugal ~ something that doesn't come easy for me. :) As I have said before I am very spoiled. I did however walk past a pair of sandals (at Payless) that I really wanted since I seen them last week (at Penny's) and they were even half price today. I did buy me 4 new shirts today though. But in my defence I really needed them. Shoes I give into but I hate shopping for clothes ~ HATE IT. Well I guess I better jump down out of this monkey tree I've been hiding in and get my room clean.

Happy Birthday to my Mom (in-law)

2008-05-30T20:42:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Mom

2008-05-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

lovely coffee

2008-05-27T13:36:00.003-05:00

What age is to young to be addicted to coffee? (LOL) I think Brat~baby 4 might need a 12 step program intervention!! :) My DH I have to blame you and your coffee soaked genetics for this one. Good thing its more milk than coffee. Now I'm off for another cup myself

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T21:57:00.004-05:00

To those of you who serve in our great Military ~past present and future~ We thank you. Thank you for all that you do and all the sacrifices you and your family make for us. To my husband, SFC Sherman, thank you. Thank you for your 17 years of service. Thank you for your love and friendship and understanding of who I am. Even though we have been apart as much as we have been together the last 14 years I wouldn't change any of it. I am very proud of you and what you do for us. I love you babe. So many people don't understand how we can be apart for so long. For me its just another day in the life of an Army wife. Do I miss you ~ like crazy every second, do I worry ~ non stop, but this is who we are and what we do. I feel it is a privilege and an honor to serve beside you. (even if it is only on the home front) Anybody who is willing to put their own life and freedom on the line for the life and freedom of a stranger will always be a hero to me. Thank you and may God bless each and every one of you.

In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Journey's Backyard BBQ in Nashville

2008-05-24T23:49:00.002-05:00

We had a lot of fun today. We loaded up and headed to Nashville for the Journey's backyard bbq. They had skate/bmx (sakteboard/Bicycle Motocross)demos featuring DC teams with Rob Dydrek, Dave Mirra, and Danny Way. They had FMX (Freestyle Motocross) demos by Rockstar and Metal Mulisha featuring Derek Garland, Ryan Hagy, Jonny Ebenal. They had a battle of the bands and a live performance by Ludo and Angels & Airwaves. We watched same awesome tricks both on the bikes and boards. We got to hear some great music and got lots of free stuff like shirts, hats, sunglasses, and posters and deck stickers and cds from Audio, DC, Etnies, Globe, Osiris, Vans, Circa, OGIO, Rockstar Energy drink and many more. The kids got to design a Converse with sharpies. We also got a DC banner that was hanging on the half pipe. We had a blast and even walked the mall. OH did i mention it was all free.

Us in the Etnies tent at Journeys backyard bbq in Nashville
Brat~baby 2

Brat~babies 3 and 1

Brat~baby 4 and momma

cake pics

2008-05-24T00:14:00.002-05:00

Brat~baby 1 and "charley" decorated this lovely cake

Report cards are in

2008-05-23T14:26:00.002-05:00

I am very happy with the kids grades.

Brat~baby 4's grades:

Reading A
Math A
Language A
Spelling A
Science E
Social S. E
Handwriting S
and all S's on her Developmental skills/attitude

Brat~baby 3's grades:

Reading A
Math C
Language A
Spelling A
Science A
Social S. B
Handwriting S
and all S's on her Developmental skills/attitude

Brat~baby 2's IEP progress:

He has met 4 of his goals by the end of his 4th quarter.
the rest of his goals all say he has made progress toward his goals

Brat~baby 1's grades:

1stQ Journalism A
2ndQ Computer Tech B
3rdQ Spanish D
4thQ Art A

1st SM Choir A
2nd SM PE B

Social Studies B
Language Arts C
Math B
Reading C
Science C

Brat~baby ones bday

2008-05-23T00:32:00.001-05:00

It's been an overall good day. A little stressful here and there but we had a few good laughs. The kids got out early today for their last day of school. We lounged around the house and some took naps. Brat~baby 1 went to "Charley's" house for a while and then they decided to go bowling. We met up with them on post and bowled a couple of games and ate pizza. By the time we got half way through the 2ND round we were all tired and ready to go. We took Brat~baby 1 to get some things she wanted for her bday and then headed home since it was late. We are planning on doing cakes this weekend. And maybe some more shopping. I forgot my camera so I unfortunately don't have pics to share.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-21T20:18:00.000-05:00

Living the life of an Army Wife

Where does your reality lie and whom do you allow to color/shape it?

can I keep it?

priceless

It was a LONG night last night.

Been way to long!!!

Happy Birthday "Sarge"

You call THAT normal??.....yes yes I do :)

Guess who's 10 today!!!!

AWE it did make me smile

is it just me?

Hello everybody

Hey all

Missing my comp time

Brat~baby 4 turns 8

Took an unplug and unwind week

I just dont understand

I won I won I won

I should have been a Dr.

There are HOW MANY

Bet you can't guess....

Fun and Family ~ thats what life is all about

Good morning

Her first Battle wound

What a lovely pic

Is this what happens when you don't take out the garbage?

Another trip to the ER

Open house pics

I don't like chiggers DON'T LIKE THEM..........

2 years already

would I lie to you

oh yum

Lots of fun.......

On a more positive note :)

The nerve of some people

Just a ?

Wordless Wednesday

A little bit about the real me

Thank you all

Please........

A typical summer day

a really great stroller

My mission for the day

VTC

Back to school

Williamson County Fair 08.09.08

Please bleach my eyes PLEASE

Summer break is over

Another Meme

Chicken soup

I guess you could say my life if back to normal

Wordless Wednesday

My brain hurts

The new MomDot

Am I just being a *B*

Pics

Vacation is over

Sundays go by to fast

Isn't he the greatest

Aren't we cute!?!

Not much going on

Family pics

I was tagged by Jon the storyteller

I wanna be a rockstar

A walk for Autism

Brat~baby 2's bday

It's my birthday I don't have to get up ....WOW 13 already....

Look at my hair mommy ~ I did it myself

Thank you Mrs. Amy

Thank you

you want me to what

The dog days of summer

The lovely ladies of SITS

The turtle got his rain

A day with the kiddos

I want to cry

Conversation with Brat~baby 4

Happy Fathers Day

opening day at the pool

Good news bad new from the doc today

Am I just being a B