Christmas Day

Tre and William LOVED Santa Claus! Tre came into our room to wake us up and the first thing he said was, "MOM, DAD! You have to come see this! Santa didn't pass us up!!" I guess he was a little worried that he had been naughty! HAHA! He asked why we didn't get anything and Jack told him that we must not have been as good as he was! Then I overheard Tre tell my sister that Jack and I had been naughty, so we didn't get anything! :)

Unfortunately, Jack has been working tons and was supposed to have a long weekend for Christmas that we were really looking forward too, but then he got asked to go to NOLA to help out a fellow co-worker. Of course, as a newbie at work, you can't say no to those things, so he had to work up until Christmas Eve and leave first thing (4 am) the day after Christmas and miss my family's Christmas celebration.

Even more unfortunate, I got a terrible bug the day after Christmas and, even though I went to my family's Christmas get together, I never got off the couch. Thankfully, I had my family to help me with the kids. It's just another reminder of why I am so thankful to live near family. There is nothing worse than having to take care of two young kiddos alone when you are sick and can barely take care of yourself!

Jack is still working in NOLA, so we are taking a trip there today to spend the night with him. His job should be complete in the morning, so we are hoping to have a family day in NOLA and go to the zoo or aquarium.

Tre's Christmas Program

Tre was a Toy Soldier in his Christmas play and I can tell he had such a blast! The first thing he was worried about was where his brother was. He kept calling to me from the stage asking until he finally spotted William with his class. He said his one line very loud and sang most of the songs! He was such a cutie and I was very proud of him!

We're transitioning to the Reserves

We've been so busy lately, I don't know what I've posted and what I haven't. I am not sure I've explained the whole Reserve situation, but we've been waiting word on whether Jack would be accepted into the program. His squadron selected him almost immedietely after he returned home from his deployment. However, come to find out, that was only the first step of another long process. I am not sure why that surprised us because the Navy seems to do everything slow. It turns out, after the squadron selects you, the "Big Navy" has to approve that decision. We got word last week that the board approved it, but then found out that it needed to be signed off by an even higher ranking position. We started to worry then, because this is the step similar to when his promotion got denied. It took nearly a week to find out that Jack was officially going to be able to transition to the Reserves. We were very happy since we can still have Tricare. We'll have to apply again next year if Jack isn't promoted (which we aren't expecting that he will be), but one year is better than none.

Last night was our first night in the house. It was great, other than the fact that Jack wasn't even here to enjoy it. Although, I'm secretly happy he wasn't ;-) He's been talking about wanting to use the hot tub on our first night here, but it's too freaking cold outside for me. As I lay in my bed all warm and cozy, I thought about how happy I was that my upper body wasn't freezing my ass off :)

The boys did great. Tre was super excited and woke up chipper this morning, which if you know him, you know that doesn't happen often! William was a little more scared and I don't think he officially went to sleep until after around 12:30. He keeps asking to go home and I am trying to explain that this is our new home. He wants to go back to the apartment. Mommy doesn't :)

I think we are really going to like the neighborhood. We have neighbors right across the street with a 2 year old boy. Yesterday we were playing outside and a little boy came over and he is only 10 days older than Tre. They played very nicely together and it brought me joy to know that our new home has a very family friendly neighborhood!

William's a Hoot!

William cracks us up! Although he can be kinda aggravating sometimes! Every night the boys go to sleep, 9 times out of 10, Tre goes right to sleep. Not William. He thinks of every reason to stall. He'll come out first and say he forgot to give Jack and I a bigger hug and kiss. Then he'll come out and say he needs to pee and grunt until one drop comes out! Then, after about 10 minutes, when we are totally convinced he's probably fallen asleep, he'll come out and say he had a booger in his nose and needs us to take it. Who does that?

After this routine happens a couple of times, he go to sleep. Then around 4am, he'll try it over again!

New Beginnings

This week was Jack's first week in the "real world!" It's probably not a GREAT sign that his first day on the job was in Florida, because that probably means he won't be home much. However, we remind ourselves that he could still be in Afghanistan or we could be jobless, so we'll totally and thoroughly appreciate this job especially since it's near some family and friends. I have a GREAT support system for when Jack is gone.

This job seems to have endless opportunities for Jack, so that is something we are really looking forward to exploring. He really enjoyed his first week on the job too, so that is a relief. He was worried, especially since he's been a pilot his whole career, that he would be in over his head and not really know what was going on! However, it was not that way and he felt like he contributed to the cause. He did say it felt very strange to be on a military base in civilian clothes and a hard hat as a contractor! I would imagine so!

We close on our new house today and will spend the weekend trying to paint the outside and spruce up the landscaping. We'll take lots of befores and afters, so we can share the progress with you!

House update

So we should be closing a week from Friday and I can't wait to move and have some space. The apartment has been VERY good to us, but with two boys and beautiful weather, it's getting a little cramped in here.

Good news! My oldest sister, Marcy, was inspired to start looking after discovering the size of our new house is exactly what she needs and the price was exactly what they could afford. They have decided to build in our neighborhood and we will be neighbors.... well, kinda! They will be about a block away.

After seeing what Marcy's beautiful new house will look like, I couldn't help but be a little jealous at the fact that their house will be brand new and totally move-in ready. I had to keep reminding myself of the fact that ours only needs paint and it will be perfect PLUS the pool is something we could never afford to do on our own. I decided to get an estimate from a painter just out of curiosity. My true hope was that we would at least get all the woodwork (base boards, doors, and crown molding) done and we would do the rest. However, I asked for a quote of ceilings (I'd like them to be a tannish color instead of white) and walls. To my surprise, it was a very reasonable quote and we are having the whole inside of the house done right after we close. It's going to take the painters two weeks, so can you imagine how long it would have taken us? YEARS!!!!

We can't wait to get in and settle down :)

William busted out with this tonight. He must have learned it from school and I could just watch this over and over again!

They are also learning the Pledge at school. Tre seems to have it down, but William is still working on it. Some day soon, I'll get that on video too!

I just love my two fellas!

I am downloading this video that I took with my phone and I am not sure if it will work, but I love it! Tre and William wanted a to show off for the camera tonight and I got them saying a few nursery rhymes. Their favorite part? Watching themselves on the computer!

Happy Halloween

Tonight was Halloween and the kids (and adults too) had a great time. In this video, we had the kids practice their little "routine" and they did quite well.

We went to my twin sister's house tonight. We had quite a crowd with the whole "Bloomer" clan and John's side of the family too. There were probably about 40 people there to enjoy some red beans and rice before all the trick or treating.

It was a great neighborhood to "Trick or Treat" in. There were tons of kids and tons of houses with lots of goodies. This year was extra fun since both kids were old enough to really get into it and enjoy it. Hopefully, we'll be trick or treating in our new neighborhood next year and it's just as fun!

Soccer 2010

Tre started soccer this Fall. He really enjoys it, but is very timid. He really just follows the crowd on the field and has no interest in actually kicking the ball! HA! It's quite funny to watch! He says he likes it, though, so we'll stick with it until he doesn't. Mostly, we want to involve him in team sports to teach team work and sportsmanship.

Pledge

Tre busted out with this the other day and I wanted to get it on video!

Dentist

The boys had a dentist appointment today and I was TOTALLY dreading it. Tre's always been good with the dentist, but William is a whole other story!

Thankfully, Tre stuck with tradition and was amazing. This was the first time he went through the whole Shabang! He let them scrape the plaque off, brush, floss, etc! Not one complaint.

William sat in my lap the whole time and totally stared at Tre. He didn't move. When it was his turn, he whined a little and then asked if I would sit with him. Of course, I did, and he did just as awesome as Tre. Plaque removed, teeth brushed and flossed, and oral exam! CHECK!

I was so super proud of them both!!!

My Poor Guy

My poor guy! He has the worst luck. Last week, he was supposed to do an Out and In (Navy terms: fly in to an airport somewhat far away, refuel, and fly back home) last week to Acadiana, which just so happens to be where we are living right now. So, I get the kids all excited, invited our nephew to come along, get in the car and on our way to the airport, just to get a last minute call that Jack's jet went down (Navy terms: broke). So, I turned the car around with some disappointed kids.

So tonight we had our second chance. Jack was scheduled for an Out and In into Acadiana again. This time, I invited adults who wouldn't be as disappointed with last minute cancellations. Frankie, Roger, Becky, and John all came and we actually made it to the airport this time. Jack's phone was off when I called, which is a clear sign he was on his way. We waited and waited and finally 2 jets flew over. The kids were screaming for "daddy" and it was really exciting. No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old. Anyway, the 2 jets land and the first pilot gets out and it isn't Jack. John joked that he didn't come and lo and behold, the second pilot gets out and he was bald, but he wasn't "our" baldy! DAMN!

Come to find out, Jack discovered he had FOD (loose piece that he couldn't find) in his jet and protocol states you turn around and go for a straight in landing. A knob had fallen off the handle and if you can't find it, there is a chance it could be in the throttle or what not, so you can't take chances.

Phooey! Maybe next time!!!

Surgery

William had his surgery on Friday and all went well. After reading all the risks, I barely slept the night before. I know there are always risks associated with surgery, but when you read them on paper they are much more real! Paraplegic, quadroplegic, death! AGH! Scary! Of course, I asked the doctor the chances of this happening and he said 1 and a million, but that is still too high of a chance for my baby boy. He said the biggest (more realilistic) risk had to do with his voice box, since they were going so close to it. Thankfully, all went well. He can still walk and talk :)

I had to wake him up before the sun and take him in. He was NOT thrilled at all about having to take his beloved Cars pajama's and having to put on his gown. THankfully, he finally got over it. It didn't take long for the Nurse, who was the wife of a good friend from High School, to give him his cocktail. That's when ultra-paranoia set in, on my part, of course, because he was in la la land. He was acting like he was hallucinating. His eyes would roll back and then he'd point and laugh at things that weren't there. I picked up the phone and called Jack (he was bringing Tre to school), and he told me that's how he reacts to that stuff. I guess that helped make me feel better, but not much.

When the doctor came in, William was awake but really relaxed. That was for the best because he only reached for me, but didn't cry. Thank GOD, because I was already an emotional wreck, which I didn't think would happen. I thought I was prepared.

I cried the same way when the doctor came in over an hour later to say everything went well. Relief.

Recovery has gone well. He acts like nothing even happened. He hasn't wanted any of his prescribed pain medicines. The doctor suggested a soft diet and then gradually adjust according to what he can handle and he's already back to an almost normal diet.

He has his follow-up appointment with the doctor this afternoon. I am anxious to hear what he says. I hope he can take his bandage off. That's the most irritating thing for him.

I'm going Beach

I just love this video! Tre LOVES the beach. The minute we left last year, Tre asked, "how many days till we go to the beach again?" We've counted down since then. Therefore, you can imagine how excited he was when the time finally arrived. He started singing this song and I was thrilled to catch it on video!!

one of the many reason we love Lafayette

Every Thursday night in the Spring and Fall our city has Rythym's on the River. It's in the River Ranch town square. There is a band. There is dancing. There is wine and beer and lots of people! I am always hesitant to take the kids with all the people, especially when Jack is out of town and I don't have his help. This time, though, Tre was cautious because of all the "stranger danger" he learns at Karate, and William always follows suit. We spent most of our time by the band, dancing. The kids ended up ON stage and had a blast! It was quite the workout for me. Dancing with a 4 and 2 year old in my arms is quite challenging!!

We got the house!

It's exciting to think that we bought house and we MIGHT live in it forever! Okay, FOREVER, might be a little overboard, but I really think we'll be in this house for longer than 2 years, which seems to be our track record!

We close on the 19th of November (supposedly) and I can hardly wait to get my hands on the house. I am hesitant to post pictures because it's REALLY dirty and desperately needs paint. The house is only 3 years old, but the owners didn't take very good care of it. Thankfully, the pool is beautiful and the bones of the house are great. It just needs some TLC and then it will be cute as can be!!!

I am the most excited about the school district. Tre will be going to the same Elementary/Middle school that I went to. The principal is still the same and some of the teachers are too. Grant, my nephew, goes there, so I am glad that Tre will, at least, know one familiar face. It's a public school, but a very good one. After teaching in a public school, I realized that going to Milton I went to a public school, with a private education experience!!! I think Tre will thrive there!!!

To buy or not to buy...

... that is the question.

Jack and I looked at a house today. It was very nice, WITH A POOL, but does need some work. We, or should I say "I", am hesitant because every time we buy, it only lasts 18 months before we move and then it turns into a humungous stress.

However, the housing market is a buyers market and this one might be too good to pass up. It's VERY spacious with 4 bed rooms and a very large bonus room. It has a pool and the price seems right. We just have to clean it up a bit and paint a lot.

I don't like to do anything without a third opinion (yes... Jack's opinion counts), so it'll be interesting to see what everyone thinks!

SEPTEMBER!!!

I just went back to look at all my pictures from the month of September and MAN has it been busy. It started with Jack coming home, and ended with my family celebrating the life of my Grandpa in Upstate New York. In between all of that, we were lucky enough to spend two weeks with my side of the family at the beach. We go every year, but this was the first year that Jack could come, so that was a blast!

I am posting a video of me and William going down the slide of a boat that we rented. William is on the way down right when the video starts, so don't blink! :)

Soccer

Tre had his first soccer practice today, and I must, say I was truly impressed. My shy child didn't even flinch when we got there. He joined the team and started playing. He's never played soccer before, but you couldn't tell. He kept up with all the kids very nicely and really had a lot of fun! The coach is a friend of mine from high school and a couple of teammates are kids of my high school friends too. It's great that we already know a few people. :) That isn't a luxury we have that often when you move a lot!!! Anyway, I was so proud of Tre. My parents watched William for me (Jack's in NOLA for work), so I even treated Tre to a date and went for ice cream. It's such a treat to get some one on one time with my favorite 4 year old!!

Toman?

I think it's hilarious that Tre calls Tom from "Tom and Jerry" Toman. He laughs and say, "Toman, is a bad cat!" "Toman makes Jerry mad!" I try to tell him that Tom's name is "TOM" and he insists it's Toman. "No, mom, it's 'Toman Jerry!" LMAO!

William's Doctor's Appointment

Today William had his follow up with the ENT for the bump on his neck. He has been on medicine for 10 days to see if it would go down. The doctor looked at it today, and although the medicine didn't help the bump go down, it did make the surrounding tissue go down making it more obvious to the doctor that it is, in fact, a Thyroglossal duct cyst. He is 99.9% sure, but suggested we have a CT Scan anyway. We have the CT Scan on Friday. He will call with the results on Tuesday. We are going to the beach for two weeks and will have the surgery when we get back on October 8. He said it was a major surgery, but outpatient and should only take an hour and a half. He said it's a little more serious than tonsils and adnoids, but he will be fine. He will have a small tube for drainage a few days after the surgery, but otherwise, it should be an easy recovery. Please keep him in your prayers!

Jack's home

Tre and William had NO idea he was coming. They thought Frankie and Roger were coming over. Jack knocked on the door and when Tre opened it, and I think it took a few seconds for it to process. Not William, he ran straight to him. I got a little emotional, of course, but not too bad. Mostly, I am just relieved that this part of our lives is over. He looks so good! The kids haven't stopped talking since! Tre immediately let him know that he needs help on his video game (no surprise there) and they both went and got every toy that we've purchased in the last three months, to show him what they got. They are constant smiles and so am I. It almost feels like he never left!!

sweet kiddies DON'T stay in bed!

I put the kids to bed 15 minutes ago. It was a little early, but mommy was ready. :) Plus, Tre's been super grumpy today and he refuses to nap, so I think he needed it. Anyway, EVERY night, lately, we struggle with bed time. It used to be a cinch! I would even brag to others about how quickly the kiddos fell asleep. Somehow, that has changed. William must come out a trillion times to potty, tell on Tre, say he's thirsty, so a million other things. Here's how tonight excuses went.

1. I need to pee pee (and did).

2. I need to poo poo (and didn't).

3. I have a buger in my nose (and didn't).

4. I need to poo poo (and didn't).

It's only been about 15 minutes!! ARG! Thankfully, Tre's only come out once to say that he's so thirsty he might throw up! HA! Funny, how just a few minutes ago he was feeling just fine running around like a wild man.

5. I need to pee pee. Not poo poo. I need go pee pee.

Anyhow, I started a sticker chart with Tre and one of his behaviors is going to bed without coming out of his room. That seems to have helped tremendously.

6. No words, just underwear and pj shorts he wanted back on.

Wonder what'll be next!

bad luck

Last night there was a TERRIBLE storm and Tre came running into my room screeching so loud I thought someone was coming after him! The poor guy was PETRIFIED! He slept in our bed (first time since birth) with the sheets over his head and clinging to me. The power went out for about 4 hours and, needless to say, it was HOT and I didn't sleep much.

I realized last night that my camera broke. It was in my purse, as usual, and when I pulled it out to use, the screen was white. I couldn't do anything to fix it.

So this morning, I get the kids in the car to go to school. I planned on working out after that and then going to see about my camera at Best Buy. God had different plans because my Durango wouldn't start :( I called my Brother-in-law to come help us out. He came to get us, brought the kids to school and then brought me to my parents to use my mom's car while they are on vacation. I missed exercise because of the car delay so I went to Best Buy and learned that my camera simply had a factory defect, but since I didn't get a warranty, I had to buy a new one. GREAT! NOT!

After my Brother-in-law got off work he came over to see if he could jump my car, but it was unsuccessful. Our next attempt was to get the battery out and bring it to the shop to get tested, but we can't get it out. My parents are coming home from a two week vacation and I will have my dad look at it before I decide to get it towed. Just my luck!

However, one positive thing did happen. Jack met a guy at our community pool right before he left and it turned out he graduated from Naval Academy a few years before Jack and he lived 4 houses down from my parents. He ended up treating Jack and I to dinner and he was a great guy. Anyway, he owns a company with several locations (LA, WV, VA, MD, and CA) and he called me today asking when Jack was getting home and said that he was meeting with his partner and they are looking to grow and want to interview Jack and to have him call when he gets back. :) It's just an interview, but at least it's something!!!

Life in the Navy No Longer Surprises Me...

So, when Jack and I first got married and he said he was going to get home at 5, I believed it. Then when it turned to be midnight, I'd be pissed that he still wasn't home. HA! I remember one deployment the boat on it's way home after a 6 month deployment, when they decided to turn around and go give some relief aid to Tsunami victims. Although, I knew it was the "right" thing, I was devastated. I cried for a couple of days! HA! I laugh at my ridiculousness now!

Nothing, and I mean, NOTHING is predictable in the Navy. You can't plan anything! Even when he is home, you don't know his flight schedule until the night before. It's one reason I am glad that our time is running out. Maybe we can make some "plans"!

Anyway, I've been thinking that Jack will either be home on or near August 28th OR September 10, depending on some varying factors. Last night, however, I got a text from Jack saying he was leaving today and would arrive tomorrow. I must be a veteran Navy wife now, because I truly didn't believe it. Of course, I called everyone and started making plans because it "might" actually happen, but in the back of my mind, I knew.

Last night I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts of what I need to do and what we will do when he gets home. In the middle of the night, I checked my email and Jack wrote saying he was getting ready to go and would email later with details. Then this morning, I check my email and it all changed. I wasn't surprised in the least. I was disappointed, of course, but reacted no where near how I would have in the beginning of my Navy Wife career. So, now I am just reminding myself that August 28 or September 11 is still WAY earlier than our "worst case scenerio". Even with those dates, I won't believe it until he's actually ON the plane flying over the big ocean!!!

I love you, babe! I can't wait for you to get home... whenever that may be!!!!

School's Going Well...

So the drop off went better than expected yesterday. Tre cried, which kind of surprised me, but I think he was freaked by a new teacher. By the time I finished dropping William off in his classroom, I checked on Tre and he was already fine. William clung to me, of course, but didn't scream in terror, at least when I was there. I walked out before that could happen and I could hear him start crying. Is it bad that I didn't have a panic attack? I think I haven't been without William for so many months that I almost welcomed the break and prepared myself for his cries (he cried nearly EVERY day that I dropped him off last year). I did call after about an hour to check on them and they were both fine :)

Today we went to the Doctor so Scott (my brother-in-law) brought Tre in. Scott texted and said he didn't cry, but seemed scared. My poor guy! Our doctors appointment didn't take too long, so I decided to bring William late just to stick with a routine (and, if we are going to be honest, give myself some "me" time). Shockingly, he clung to me, but didn't cry. I was proud. When I went to pick him up, he was so excited. He told me he had a cookie, and got a sticker and read a dinosaur book and played outside! We were walking out of the class when he turned back and yelled, "BYE CLASS!!" (He's the only part-timer) It was hysterical!!! I am so proud of them both!

I'm already anxious about next year and Tre going to Kindergarten! I think I will be a mess. I really do. My sister laughs at me, but I think I'm going to be "that" mom that follows the bus to school.

You think I'm lying? I'M NOT!

Cyst update!

So, we had our second appointment today with the ENT. William was so good and I was so proud of him. The doctor agreed with our pediatrician and thought it was a thryroglossal cyst. He said it was in the perfect location, but did seem harder than usual. He wanted to try meds first to see if that would work. He said it was essentially doing homework before we go to our next step. We have our next appointment August 31 and we'll see how it's going. He said we'll do CT scans after that and likely surgery.

School starts tomorrow

Tre's been going all summer, but it's been more "fun", less learning with bubble day, ice cream truck day, popsicle day, water day, etc. Plus, he's officially starting Pre-K 4 with a new teacher. "Aunt Lisa" is her name. I am not sure why they call them "Aunt" but I guess it helps the kids feel like they are in good hands, so I'm all for it.

William hasn't gone all summer. He usually comes with me to the gym and then we run errands. He calls the gym his school! HA! I've been trying to prepare him and tell him, but he refuses to listen and insists he is going to the gym with me. I remind him that Tre will be there and he still refuses and says, "Tre can come to my school at the gym!" HA! I have a feeling it's going to be a rough morning for the both of us.

I am excited for him, though. His teacher is "Aunt Elizabeth" and I actually known her for most of my life. We called her Gigi growing up, so calling her Elizabeth will be hard for me. :) I know it will be good for him to play with kids his age!

Wish us luck!!!

So William's Doctor had to cancel because of an emergency. We rescheduled for Tuesday! :(

cyst?

So good news! Jack could be home as soon as August 28! Wouldn't that be AWESOME!!! I'm trying not to get too excited because it IS the Navy and things never seem to work in our favor, but I'm hopeful. I don't plan on telling the kids until we are in the car on the way to the airport. I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces!!! He'll have to go back to work with VFA-204 in New Orleans, but we'll stay here and he'll commute. We are going to be out of the Navy on or before March 1st, so hopefully, we can find a job before then.

On to other news, I found a large lump on William's throat area yesterday. I about freaked and had a major panic attack. (side note about me: I am well aware that I am over dramatic. With that said, any bump that isn't familiar I CONVINCE myself it's a deadly cancer.) I called the doctor immediately and got an appointment for this morning. My best friend is a dermatologist, so I insisted she come over for dinner to take a look. She's usually the passive kind and quick to point out that I over react, but yesterday she felt it and immediately said, "yea... you DEFINITELY need to check that out!" I was hoping she'd say it was just a swollen lymph node. Her concern made me sweat! We went in first thing (I brought a friend along for support (told you I was dramatic) and got some reassuring information. Unfortunately, the doctor doesn't really know what it is, and he referred us to an ENT. Our appointment is Thursday, so hopefully we can learn more, but until then, my pediatrician agreed that it probably wasn't a lymph node because of the location. He suspected that it could be a Thyroglossal Cyst. He wasn't sure, but if it is, those are usually benign and are surgically removed. I hate the idea of surgery, but it's way better than Cancer, so I'll take it. Dramatic, I know, but William is my precious baby and it's hard not to worry about the BIG stuff!

So Jack is not on hold and is in the process of trying to find out when he can get home. Several people have emailed him with such nice things to say and job leads and that has meant a lot to both of us. I know once we get settled into our "new life", this will all have happened for a reason. I am excited about the prospect of having him home and not shipped out on detachments or deployments all of the time. This is going to be good for us! :)

THe Results Are Out

Jack instant messaged me this morning and let me know that his name was not on the promotion list. We knew the results were coming any day and I didn't know what my reaction would be either way, but I have to say I am relieved to know and get on with our lives. This has been an unknown or the last three years and it's been very emotional and stressful.

We still don't know if Jack is on the "hold" list, which is the worst case scenerio. If that happens, it means he was selected by the board but his name was pulled from the list for review. That happened the first time we were up for promotion and it took 8 long months to find out that he was ultimately not selected. It was a VERY long period in our lives and don't want to go through that again. If he is on "hold" then he'll have to finish his deployment in Afghanistan until we get the "final" results. We should find out any time if we are on this list or not.

For now, Jack is already working on talking to the people he needs to talk to get him home. We will officially be out of the Navy at the beginning of February, unless we find a job before then :)

Summer fun

We decided to do some impromptu slip-n-sliding at my sister's house yesterday. It was just pure summer fun! We started with them in their undies, and eventually they all ended up bare. It was quite fun for everyone!

My adorable nephew

This is my twin sister's little boy! He has the sweetest demeanor and is just precious! When Frankie and Roger took my kids for the day, I had the chance to focus on him for a bit without interruption. That doesn't happen enough with either of my sisters kids, but when it does, I truly enjoy it!

My fish

Tre was scared to go down the slide at first, but once he started he realized how much fun it was. I am still amazed at his swimming skills. He loves the water and is a fish!!

I have great friends...

It's been two months since Jack left and it's been fine, but the second month has dragged. I think it's because of all the unknowns right now. I would love to know about the results of the promotion board so that we would finally know if he's coming home or not. Maybe we'll find out this week.

Anyway, my best friend Frankie and her hubby Roger have two kiddies, John Parker (2) and Leona (7 months), so they have their hands full too. Regardless, they offered to take my kids to a birthday party for their nephew in Hammond (2 hours away) for the day. They left at 11 am and got back at 8:30 pm. The kids had an absolute blast on the giant water slide and are bound to sleep hard! She said William had no accidents and they didn't argue one bit. They were VERY well behaved and that made me one proud mamma!

I had the best day. I totally soaked in my "alone" time and enjoyed every second. I went to the City Club pool with my favorite magazines and twin sister and enjoyed conversation and relaxation. Then we decided to go shopping and I got two pair of sassy jeans. Later we took a wonderful nap, and then went to Becky and John's for a wonderful dinner. Tuna steak (hamburger for me since I don't like seafood), spinach, asparagus, mashed potatoes and wine! GLORIOUS!!!

Thank you Frankie and Roger. I love you guys so much and truly don't know what I would do without you. I am so thrilled that you guys moved to Lafayette and only wish you would follow us wherever we go!!! We are truly blessed to have friends like you!!

Ice cream man

So, the video isn't good, but o'well. You get the picture.

Yesterday, we were enjoying the sprinkler and baby pool and bikes when all of the sudden we heard the music! I couldn't believe it! I hadn't seen an ice cream man in YEARS! Even though it was close to dinner time, I couldn't resist. I wanted the kids to have a piece of what I remember as a child, so I ran inside, got the camera and stole some of my sister's money. The kids were so happy and I was thrilled for them... even though I think ice cream truck drivers are a little weird and kinda scary!

More Karate

Here is another Karate video because I know how much Jack enjoys seeing them. Despite the fact that Jack isn't here, I have really enjoyed living in Lafayette. The chances of us getting a job here (when Jack gets out) is slim to none, but it's such an awesome place to raise a family. I can't imagine finding a better Karate place for Tre any where else! I hope I am wrong :)

The best hubby!

Jack sent the boys and I our own package today. Isn't that so thoughtful!!!!

He sent Tre and William the new Toy Story 3 Wii game. They obviously love that! William just pretends to play and Tre really does!

Jack sent me flowers through FTD and they were beautiful. I had never gotten flowers that way. My card was super sweet too...

"Just because...Sometimes the Greatest Mom in the World needs to know she is loved! I love you, Sarah. Jack"

Isn't he the best. We sure do miss him!!!!

Sports Camp

This video isn't the best, but I didn't want to be "THAT" mom that just stays with the camera hours after all the other parents left! This is Tre warming up and stretching. I just LOVE how he bends his knees when he touches his toes. He is really so darn cute! I just can't stand it! HA!

Promotion Update

So the board hasn't released the results yet. Last year, they were released July 22, but Jack thinks that the flood in TN slowed down the process a bit because the base in Millington was affected by that. He sent me this long email with his theory of when it's going to come out and why it will take that long, but I'll spare you the boring details. He now thinks the board results will be posted the second week in August. It'll be interesting to see if he's right!

3 weeks of potty training down

So... it's been three weeks since William has put on a diaper or pull-up. He sleeps in his undies too and it seems he won't give me problems with bed wetting. He is doing FANTASTIC! I don't think he's had an accident for 3 days. When he does, it's no more than once a day and then goes a few days without having any. So.... I will now say it's safe to say that my 2 year 5 month old little boy is POTTY TRAINED!!! YEA!!!

Thank you Meldrum Family!

The boys received a care package from their Aunt Gwen, Uncle Aaron, Zack and Jack and it was a big hit. They got some candy, a coloring book, and Spiderman book, and some towels that expanded in water. We thought it was so thoughtful! Thank you so much!

This video was taken in bright sun and it was very hard to see, so I am sorry for the poor quality. William is such a great big cousin and pulled him around in his wagon for a while! I thought it was sweet!!

Hurdles in Karate

This is a video of Tre doing his warm-up at Karate. He tripped over the hurdle in the beginning and looked at me with a face of horror. Poor guy. I reassured him and he never hit the hurdle again.

He LOVES Karate so much. This week he is going to "Sports Camp" at my gym instead of school. They will be doing karate, soccer, tennis, fitness, and swimming. I hope he likes it. His cousin, Grant, will be doing it with him. He said he was nervous because he didn't know how to catch the ball in baseball and Grant does. I reassured him that baseball wasn't involved in camp and came back with his most confident voice and said, "well I know how to do Karate and Grant will have to learn, so it's okay!"

Guilty Mom Days...

I know I can't be the only one that has these days. Sometimes I feel like I am in the "zone" and totally in control. I (sometimes) feel that I am doing this mommy job right, and even kinda good at it!

Other days (seems to be most), I feel guilt. I am not doing enough of this, I need to do more of that! Blah, blah, blah.

I could be totally wrong, but I think I feel this way more than a "working" mother because I feel like this is MY job and I should be doing it right! Right?

Anyway, yesterday I had one of those days and actually couldn't sleep last night worrying about it! I went to pick Tre up from school and they had done some art work and it was hanging on the wall. Tre's was obviously very beautiful, but compared to the rest of the children, it was obvious his art and coloring skills were lacking. I went home feeling like I don't do crafts or color enough with the kids. I totally over analyzed and wondered if I didn't make a big enough deal about his art work and he didn't feel as if it were appreciated. I wondered if he would be ready for kindergarten next year and thought about the possibility of holding him back. Yes... even though it's more than a year away, I let my mind go there.

Usually, when I get like this, Jack reminds me of all the areas he is excelling in. I tried to imagine Jack telling me that Tre's ability to concentrate is unbelievable. I tried to imagine him telling me that his ability to put together a puzzle that is labeled for 8 and up in less than 10 minutes is incredible. I tried to imagine him telling me that not all kids are gifted in art. I tried to imagine him telling me that I was over analyzing and completely crazy...because that is what he would have done if he were home. :)

So, crazy me, made a deal with myself. Every day after lunch is dedicated to art. We will draw. We will color. We will cut. And we will paste. Okay, maybe we'll mostly draw and color :) Anyway, I promised myself I would display their artwork and help them develop pride in their creations.

First thing I did (okay, second...I worked out first) was march myself over to Target. Silly me spent $60 on art supplies. I bought 2 really cool frames that opens from the side (like a door) that I can put that days art in and it has a folder in the back for the old pieces. I bought 2 coloring books, even though we have a trillion. I decided these would be special. We would do one page at a time. Our other coloring books get colored on every page in the matter of 10 minutes. I bought 2 sketch pads, scissors, and tape. I bought a frozen pizza too, but that's off subject!

I am attaching a picture of one of the new frames. When I picked Tre up from school, he had this in his cubby and I thought it was perfect for the initiation of our new frame. He was so proud to see it being hung!

Blog Makeover

Blogger question? I want to makeover my blog and I want that picture in my header, but it's humungous! I need an easy way to shrink the picture to an appropriate size. I have an imac and have figured out how to crop, but how do I resize?

Anybody know?

To Promote or Not to Promote

I'm getting nervous. Last year we found out the bad news on July 22, so based on that we should find out the results of Jack's promotion board any day. We are pretty sure he won't get promoted, but I still find it so hard to believe I sometimes convince myself that he will. I even had a dream last night that he was promoted!

Just to give you a quick back story... (I've never posted a link like this, so here's to trying)

There are good points and bad points to being promoted and not, and I've already decided that I'll probably cry either way.

Good points to being promoted:

1. A nice raise.

2. The guarantee that we can retire.

3. We really do love the military life

Bad points to being promoted:

1. Jack has to stay in Afghanistan the whole year (until June 2011).

Good points to NOT being promoted:

1. He (supposedly) gets to come home early.

- He current commanding officer (who is an Air Force guy) said he is not opposed to sending him home immediately. However, that is Air Force. Who knows what the Navy will say!?

2. We get a very nice severance package.

3. Jack will be home more often and we can find a place to settle as a family.

Bad points to NOT being promoted:

1. We can't retire.

2. The economy sucks.

3. We lose our awesome health insurance.

Stay tuned for the BIG news...

Happy Anniversary to my favorite man!

Today Jack and I have been married 6 years! SIX YEARS!!! I still can't believe it myself! We actually met 8 years ago and it was the best day of my life. It's kinda hard to celebrate an anniversary when your 9.5 hours apart, but I figured I'd celebrate my husband by telling you the top reasons I love him!

He's romantically spontaneous - Jack's not the kind of guy that gets me flowers after an argument or on a special occasion. He's the kind of guy who surprises me with things every now and again and I just love that about him. When we first got married I went shopping and found this beautiful coat at Banana Republic. It was on sale, but being that we just got married and didn't have any money, and it was green and I didn't know if I'd really have anything to wear with it, I decided not to get it. I went home and told him about it and the next day he came home from work with it in his hand.

The same thing happened just a few days ago. I have been looking for some tennis shoes and couldn't find any that I liked. Of course, the ones I found are way over my budget, but I told him about them and a few days later, they showed up in the mail.

My all time favorite surprise, though, was when I was graduating with my master's degree. He had just gotten home from deployment but since we had long distance and I was finishing school and graduating I couldn't go to the homecoming. I was going to fly out the next day. However, the night before my graduation I went to pick my dad up from the airport (in my pj's and no makeup) and Jack walked off the plane instead. I screamed! I couldn't believe it! I hadn't seen him in 6 months and he surprised me for my graduation!

(I'm just realizing, this might be a LONG blog post!)

He has given me my dream life - I tell people all of the time, I am living my dream life. I have a loving husband, two healthy and beautiful boys, and I get to stay at home with them and raise them as I like. I know it doesn't sound glamorous, but my mom was a stay at home mom and I LOVED that she was there for us anytime we needed. I know Jack was unsure about the idea of having a stay at home wife in the beginning (he never said it, I just think that), but he NEVER once said I couldn't and was 100% supportive. I love to cook my man's dinners, I love to take my kids to the zoo, I love to clean the house on the weekdays and enjoy the weekends with our little family. I love that I can be "off" when Jack is off and that when he is has vacation time, we can just pack up and go!

He sets high goals for himself - I admire him so much. If we had met in high school and he would have told me he wanted to be a fighter pilot, I would have thought he was crazy! Who does that? He decided when he was in elementary school that he was going to go the Naval Academy. He wrote the academy every year until he got in! He's a persistent guy, I tell ya! After we got married, he told me he wanted to be the President of the United States. I started to write him off, but then remembered he's achieved every goal he's ever worked for. Maybe I should take him seriously!

He is a genius - and I truly believe that. He thinks I over estimate him, but I don't. I remember growing up, I loved that I could ask my dad anything and he always seemed to know the answers. Jack is the same way and I LOVE that about him. I always say I hope our kids get his brain!!

He's appreciative - There is NEVER any doubt in my mind that my husband loves me and appreciates me. He NEVER, and I mean NEVER, hangs up the phone, walks out the door, or closes his eyes to sleep without saying "I love you!" He's always talking about how beautiful he thinks I am. He ALWAYS tells me that I am a wonderful mother and the perfect wife for him. I love that about him!

He's a great daddy - I can honestly say that Jack is our boys hero. They feel pure joy when Jack walks in the door after work or they talk to him on the phone when he is gone. When they talk about their daddy they are ALWAYS smiling. They tell anyone and everyone that he flies jets and you can just feel their pride oozing!

He's my hero - I totally admire my man! He serves his country and LOVES doing it! Other than the fact that he is away from family, he actually enjoys deployment and serving his country. I admire his positive attitude and his strong character. I could NEVER do what he does on a daily basis and I am in awe of him always!

I love you, Jack. You are the most wonderful thing that has happened to me. Thank you for giving me this life. Thank you for giving me our wonderful boys. Thank you for loving me every day. Thank you for being everything I've always wanted and more!

potty update

So... it's been about a week and a half since I started this little endeavor. I must admit, I wanted to give up a time or two and if it were Tre I would have. I tried several times to potty train Tre, but with an infant breast feeding, the inability to just drop everything and run to the potty, and my patience running a thin line, I always gave up. Thankfully, it was easy once Tre made the decision and I could have cared less if he was two weeks shy of his 3rd birthday.

So... I officially started last Sunday. Sunday was fine. Monday was TERRIBLE! Tuesday was worse. Wednesday seemed hopeless!

I used M&M's to potty train Tre. He got three for pee and 6 for poop. I was trying the same for William and it just wasn't working. Then I remembered that he loves to get his haircut and the reason why was because our hair stylist gives him dum dum suckers. I sent my mom Wednesday afternoon (since I was staying home all day, all week long to focus on this... which was hard for me since I had to skip the gym, which I love, but that's going off the subject, anyway...) to get some and it seemed to work immediately. When she showed up at the apartment with them, he asked to go about 10 times in 20 minutes. I didn't care that he was getting so many suckers because I just wanted him to be motivated to try and get the feeling of the potty!

The next few days, he had a few accidents, but mostly stayed dry. He pooped in his pants for two days and then on Friday he actually asked to go! When I finally made it a week, he seemed to be really catching on, so I decided then that I am going to stick with it. Since Sunday, he's had one accident every day. I can deal with that.

Tonight I broke out a Hershey's bar and said he gets no more suckers for pee (he seems to have that down), but can have one small piece of chocolate (or a sucker) for poop. He asked to go poop about 10 times tonight and each time a little came out! I don't know if my idea was good. Poor guy was squeezing so hard, I was scared he was going to get a hemoroid! HA!

Frog Catcher!

I would NEVER touch a frog, but I sure am happy that the boys have Aunt Frankie to do those things with since Jack isn't here to do it. I wonder if Jack would even do this! YUCK! Tre had a blast. He eventually started catching them too, but William wanted nothing to do with it!

So we realize they have out grown the pool, but it was hot and they needed something to cool them off and this worked. Other than me needing to threaten Tre with a time out, I like this video of 3 buddies playing together :)

Sa Sa Kia!

Warming up at Karate

My favorite part is when he tries to jump on one foot!

Potty Training

I was hesitant to write about potty training because once I admit that we've started, I don't want to fail. BUT, maybe the accountability will keep up my persistence. :) I have come to far to give up now!

I've decided this is the week for potty training William. He will be 2.5 years old this month. He wakes up dry in the mornings and after nap time. He loves to be naked and I don't want him going on my furniture or floor. He brings me diapers immediately after he goes. He even hides when he poos, so I know he knows when he is going. He also is very verbal and definitely has the ability to communicate when he needs to go.

I started Saturday afternoon. Sunday went great, but Monday and Tuesday were rough. My mom went and got me some dum dum suckers, since he LOVES to go get his hair cut just for the suckers. After that, he went about 5 times in a row just for the suckers (a few suckers won't hurt). Today he did great in the morning. He had a few accidents mid-morning, but after nap, I took him to my parents and he never had an accident. Let's hope this keeps up!

Potty Training...

So I am attempting to stick to potty training this week. We've gone a day and a half and I don't think we are doing too too bad! William came up with a cheer and I just thought it was too cute to share!

Helicopter Fun

My brother-in-law (Parrain is what the kids call him) has a love for helicopters. He has some fancy remote control helicopters that would be cool to any kid. He finally got his smaller one out and flew it for the kids last night. They LOVED IT!

Karate

Tre continues to LOVE Karate. Last class they learned about bullies and the other day we were at Frankie's house and Tre was getting aggravated with John Parker and instead of hitting or getting aggressive, he said, "BACK OFF! I SAID BACK OFF!" with his hand in front of him just like he was taught in karate. I got a kick out of that!

This is him practicing his side kick!

I'm so lucky to have such great friends!

I went to LSU and lived in the dorm. I met this girl, Frankie, who was on our floor and I immediately thought she was weird. I don't know why, though. We went through rush and we ended up joining the same sorority. One night, I was stressing about a biology test that I just knew I was going to fail and she came to help me study. She stayed up with me all night long and just made the stuff seem so easy! She's the smartest girl in the world, but still cool at the same time... a hard combination to find. That's when I realized she wasn't "that" weird and we became great friends and later roommates. Her, Becky and I all got married and we were all in each other's weddings. We always stayed close friends through all of our moves. Luckily, she got chosen for dermatology residency and moved to NOLA and the exact same time Jack and I got stationed in New Orleans. What are the odds? We lived 5 miles apart and literally made dinner for each other almost every night. Her boy is the same age as William and our kids are great friends. Then Jack gets deployed and I move home and only a few weeks later she finishes her residency and moves to Lafayette too! I am so fortunate to have Frankie as a friend and even more fortunate that we get the chance to live so close for a few more years. I know it won't last, but we will enjoy it while we can!

My Nephew Grayson

I have the cutest nephew ever and he sure does LOVE his cousins!!!

Daddy! I MISS YOU!

The USO in Kuwait let Jack read a few books and dvd himself and send them home. They arrived today and I literally shed some tears because they were so SO excited. Tre was grinning from ear to ear the whole time and both of them were yelling at the tv, "DADDY! I LOVE YOU! DADDY! I MISS YOU!" It was the sweetest and saddest thing I have ever seen. I told them it was a DVD and that daddy couldn't hear them, so they just got louder, "DADDY! I LOVE YOU! DADDY! I MISS YOU! WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME!" I can only imagine what his homecoming will be like.

I apologize about the video. I tried to get a better one, but I wanted to enjoy the moment as well and turn the pages for the boys. We got two packages and I only allowed them to open one since it had two books. Now they can look forward to the other package tomorrow night AND my mom is coming over so she can get a better video while we all read!

Diving Board Fun

The kids and I were invited to a birthday party and we had fun. The kids jumped right into the pool and the next thing I know they were jumping off the diving board all by themselves. I was super impressed with their bravery and skill!

Kids say the Darndest Things!

Mommy: I don't feel good.

Tre: Why?

Mommy: I have a sore throat?

Tre: Why?

Mommy: I don't know.

Tre: Maybe you eat to fast?!?!

bed time routine

The kids have always gone to bed easily for me, but it seems the older they get the more they want to play. I remember sharing a room with my twin sister and we might have talked for a good hour before we actually fell asleep, and I enjoyed that, so I don't want to take that away from my kids. However, talking is one thing. They have a bunk bed and I really don't like William to be climbing up the latter to Tre's bed in the dark. I also want the lights out and the toys to stay put and the boys to stay in bed. This has NOT been happening and after 2 hours of going in and out of their rooms trying to get them to bed, I get VERY frustrated. Tonight I tried a new antic. I sat in their room right next to the door and didn't say a word. Every time they attempted to get out of bed, I just laid them back down. If they talked to me, or to each other, I didn't say a word. Here's the funny part. William laid quietly the whole time. Not one peep! Tre tried for 15 minutes (I timed it so I could compare the length of time I have to do it tomorrow) and the suddenly he was out like a light. I decided to leave the room at that point because, even though William was laying awake, he hadn't made a sound.

Lo and behold about 15 minutes later, I hear, "TRE! Wake up!" I went into the room and William was butt naked (he's also been stripping to avoid sleeping) IN Tre's bed yelling in his face! Thankfully, Tre didn't wake up, but it took all I had not to lose it! I got him dressed and put him back in bed and haven't heard from his since.

Lesson learned: Wait for BOTH boys to fall asleep! I can do 15-20 minutes doing nothing in their room if it means that I am not spending 2 hours going back and forth.

This is Tre jumping into the deep end and swimming to the other side! It AMAZES me that 3 weeks ago he didn't know how to swim! He's come a long way!

Swimming in the deep end

Tre was trying to do the inch worm.

Swimming Lessons

Tre finished swimming lessons today. It was show day today, so my sister Allison (who has worked on swimming with Tre a lot) came to see how much he has learned and helped be my videographer too. It poured, but it wasn't thundering or lightening, so they were safe. Tre really learned a lot and it amazes me that just 3 weeks ago he didn't know how to swim at all!

Bath Tub Fun

William was pretend playing and it was so cute. I was hoping to sneak up on him with my camera and catch him in action, but it didn't work out so well. I still thought it was cute that the minute he saw the camera he said, "CHEESE!"

Father's day fun!

We might not have had Jack here, but we still celebrated Father's day with my dad and two brother-in-laws! It was a fun day of swimming!

Happy Father's day to my wonderful hubby!

I have the best hubby in the world. I am so thankful that I chose him to be my one and only and give myself a pat on the back for choosing such a perfect father for my children :) Our boys are OBSESSED with their daddy and I love it! Who wouldn't love a man who is a fun, funny, loving, awesome guy like him? Who wouldn't admire a jet pilot, a real life GI JOE!? I hope that one day my children grow to appreciate the fact that he sacrifices so much time away from them to make sure that we are ultimately safe in our own home and are well provided for. He is a true hero, but more importantly he is our hero!

We love you, honey, and miss you terribly.

Swimming with Grayson

Our community pool

It isn't exactly thrilling moving from a big house into a small apartment. That is, unless your husband is deployed for a year and you don't want to do yard work or clean a big house. Our apartment is perfect for us. The bonus is that it comes with a membership to the City Club gym and pool. We have been going EVERYDAY and the kids LOVE it! Tre has learned how to swim and that's been nice for me too! This is a video of him going down the slide at the pool!

Karate Kid!

William singing "Ring Around the Rosy"

Summer of Swimming

We have spent a couple of hours a day at the pool and William and Tre have really gotten comfortable in the water. It is so much fun to see them learn.

Another Karate video

Tre is learning Balance...

Stranger Danger

Tre is LOVING his karate classes and I am thrilled. The owner surprised me on our second day and told me that he prayed for our little family and God was urging him to do something for us while Jack was gone. He decided to pay for his tuition until Jack returned. Isn't that the nicest thing?

In this video they are practicing stranger danger and the appropriate way to get away. They are yelling, "FIRE!"

Tre is a smart kid... and funny too. Here are some recent convos!

Nan (my twin sister Becky) gave Tre and William each two pieces of candy to have after dinner. My new rule is that they have to eat ALL of their dinner without complaining about it in order to get dessert. On the way home from Nan's Tre said, "Mom, if William doesn't eat his dinner can I have all 4 candies?" I was so impressed that he realized 2+2=4! I know it's simple math, but still!

Yesterday it was thundering and lightening really loud. It woke Tre up in the morning and he started yelling for me. I walked in his room and he said, "Mom! Why is the old man being so loud!?" I didn't get it at first but then I thought about the song, "It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is snoring..." HAHAHA!

Today Tre was trying to find someone to help him play his Mario Wii game. He finally suckered his Parrain (Becky's hubby) to play with him and, unfortunately, Parrain died immediately. John later told me that supportive, little Tre said, "nevermind, Parrain, you're not good. Can you go get my mommy to play with me!" I walked in and Tre said the same thing I told him that I wouldn't play until he apologized to him for saying that! Tre apologized and thanked him for playing with him in front of me, but when I walked out John later told me that Tre said (in the nicest possible way), "Parrain, those bombs kill you, you know? Next time you need to try harder, okay?!" John thought that was the funniest thing!

Tre's first day of school in Lafayette

Today was Tre's first day at his new school. We showed it to him on Friday before Jack left and didn't seem overly thrilled, so I was very anxious about dropping him off. Of course, he slept in this morning and I had to force him up (sure would be nice if he'd do that on the weekends). He walked right in and showed his teacher his new book sack and then noticed some kids playing with train stuff. He gave William and me a hug and was off to play. No tears! I couldn't believe it!

I went to the gym and was sure William would have a fit for having to go to the daycare there by himself and sure enough he was excited too! I can't believe my luck today.

I went to pick him up and all the kids were eating lunch. I didn't know they were going to feed Tre lunch! I found him and he had his VERY angry face on! I should have warned him, but I didn't know. He hates most food, so I would have known he needed a pep talk about eating there.

His teacher didn't know he was a half day kid and it turns out he was also angry about nap. She had him set up his cot and he thought he was going to have to nap after lunch. He hasn't napped in 2 years, so you know he wasn't happy.

Overall, she said he had a good day, but he did start asking for me when the cots came out. I'm not surprised by that!!!

I hope tomorrow goes just as well... and I hope he eats the food too!

Goodbye to my main Man!

Jack left yesterday and the Goodbye was as good as can be expected. We woke up and took the kids to breakfast and then to Target to pick out a new book sack for Tre's first day at his new preschool (tomorrow). Then we dropped the kids off at my parents. They planned the "perfect" day for the kids. Their cousin Grant, who Tre adores, was over and they were going swimming and to chick-fil-a, and then to Grants house to play with his toys. Thankfully, Tre was so excited that he just said, "BYE DADDY! COME ON GRANT!!!" William went down for a nap. He is a little too young to really understand. It was good!

I drove jack to the Airport (a couple hours away) and we had lunch and I was able to go to the gate with him. Our goodbye was good. Laughing, hugging and kissing. No tears! :)

I left and stopped at the mall for some retail therapy. :)

Tre asks every now and then a few questions. Here is a sample convo:

Tre: Is daddy coming back in this many days? (holds up 3 fingers)
Me: No, more like 365 days.
Tre: But mommy, that's too much long!
Me: I know. I think so too.

We got the boys Hug-a-hero dolls and they love them. Grayson (their smallest cousin) loves it too!

P.S. I do have to admit. When the kids ask, "where's my daddy?" and are talking about a pillow it does feel kinda sad to me!

Karate... again.

Tre's first day at Karate!

Today was Tre's first day of Karate. I really think he enjoyed it! It was sooo so cute to watch!

William tries so so hard to be like his brother and he was trying so hard to swim with his new Toy Story kick board.

underwater swimming

We had some fun with our underwater camera to see what Tre was doing under there!

Swimming with no kick board

learning to swim

My sister Allison taught swimming lessons for years and is going to teach Tre and William this summer (or try anyway). We've gotten a head start with Tre and have really realized how much determination he has. He won't give up! Every time we go to the pool that is all he wants to do. TRY to swim. We are really proud.

The next few posts are going to be of him trying.

Move is complete!

sorry it's been so long! We've been so so busy! I actually have videos and pictures saved to post on here, but it'll have to wait. I am still in bed and don't want to get up :)

Update:

We have moved out of our house in New Orleans and into our new apartment. It's almost all decorated and moved into and we hope to sleep there tonight. I think the kids love their room, so that makes me happy. We closed on the house yesterday and that makes me thrilled!

Jack leaves a week from today. It makes me so sad, but as always, once you hear about a deployment and soak in the reality of it, I am always ready to just get it started. I think all military wives get like that.

Funny Story:

Jack is a dipper. I hate it, but have learned that trying to make him quit isn't going to work. He has to decide on his own. Tre has never really asked me what it was, but yesterday he found a few cans and asked. I told him to ask his daddy. Later, Jack came home and that was the first thing Tre did. Jack told him it was poison! I kinda laughed because once Tre realizes what poison is, he is going to give Jack a harder time than I do. Jack said that was his plan. I hope it works!!!!

Wondering...

Tre hasn't had accidents at night for weeks. Jack left for training Sunday and he's had an accident Monday night AND Tuesday night. I wonder if it's because he's gone. I think it's subconscious because he is soo upset with himself when he does, but still. I just wonder. I feel bad for him!

P.S. I feel bad for me too. I hate changing the sheets on his top bunk bed. It's HARD!

I LOVE watching the boys play together. There's nothing better.

Tre had his 4 year old well child doctor's appointment. He weighed 36 pounds, which is a 5 pound weight gain since last year. I find this amazing since I know he doesn't eat much. What's even more amazing is that he's in the 50th percentile for weight. He's been at 25% his whole life. I can't remember the exact inches. I think it was 41 and he was in the 75 percentile for that. Poor boy had to get 4 shots. If you think it's heart breaking giving shots to an infant, it's WAY worse when they are older. Tre was sooo soo good. He let the doctor do his exam and he even giggled about it. When it was time for shots the doc asked who wanted to go first (William needed one) and Tre enthusiastically said, "MEEEE!" He laid down happily and then the first sting and MAN was he pissed! Poor guy! I told him he didn't need any more shots till he was 11 and he said through his wailing, "I DON'T WANNA GO TO THE DOCTOR WHEN I'M 11!" Poor guy is fine now!

Happy Birthday Tre!

Tre has been so so excited about his 4th birthday. We've been counting down since 16 days before. We didn't plan a formal party since we weren't sure where we would be at this point, but we went to Chucky Cheese with my sister's three kiddos and then swam and opened presents at my parents house (his Bebe and Bepa). I think he had the perfect day. At the end of the day we always ask what his favorite part was and last night he said, "Going to Chucky Cheese, swimming, opening presents, eating cake and playing with Grant." That sure sounds like a good day to me!

P.S. Notice William singing. Is he sweet or what?!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

I have the sweetest boy. His Parrain has been telling him all weekend that they got him clothes for his birthday and Tre has been TRYING to act excited about it. This is what happened when he opened their present. I really thought it was priceless.

I must brag...

... we have the sweetest little boy alive. Tre's birthday is one week and a day after mine, so he's been anxiously waiting for my birthday so that his could be next. I reminded him yesterday that it was my birthday and this was the convo:

Me: Tre, did you know my birthday was tomorrow?

Tre: Oh no, Mommy! I didn't get you a present?

Me: That's okay. Be a good boy all day tomorrow and that can be my present.

Tre: (giggle) That isn't a present?

Me: Well then sleep in really late!

Tre: (giggle) NO MOM! That isn't a present either?

Jack later told me that Tre asked Jack if he could take him to the store to get me a present. He can't grasp the concept that shoes are a good present. He thinks everyone likes toys, so they settled on the classic game of Twister.

I thought he was so thoughtful to ask his daddy to take him to the store!

Our house in UNDER CONTRACT!!

We got a low ball offer a couple of days ago and we countered and came down to where we would break even. I was sure they wouldn't accept, but they did! I am soo soo relieved and thrilled. It couldn't have happened at a better time. Jack leaves in a week so he was still here fore negotiations, but he comes back for 2 weeks at the end of May. We will move the first week and close the second! I am soo soo relieved!

P.S. The house sold in little over a month. That's pretty darn good in this market!!!

Tre is SOO strong-willed

So last night I made Broccoli and cheese soup and turkey sandwiches and Tre refused to eat it. When he does this, I make sure to make something in the morning he has never tried. Today we made egges (sunny side up) for breakfast and he refused to eat it. So for lunch I served the same thing he wouldn't eat for dinner. If he's hungry, maybe he'll try it. Nope. Not my boy. He has the will power of something fierce! I even upped the anty and threatened to throw away his favorite toy. He screamed the whole time and STILL refused to eat it. I threw the transformer in the trash. (*** Don't worry. I am not that mean. I secretly got it out of the trash and will give it back to him when he eats something new that he has never tried.) He was traumitized. He asked to go to bed. I let him. He came out about 10 minutes later and calm.

I left the sandwich and soup out and 3 hours later he ate the whole sandwich (all while saying, "YUMMY!) Then he licked the soup! STINKER!!!

William NOT sleeping

Jack and I read them books, said prayers and kissed them goodnight. We made sure they were sleeping. Three hours later, I was about to go to bed, and I looked up and saw the kids light on. We went upstairs to check it out. Poor Tre was passed out (with the lights on) and William was caught red handed in Tre's shoes and playing with his toys. I ran downstairs to get the camera because I thought it was so cute!

I be excused?

My little Stinker!!!!!!!!

This video makes me laugh. Tre (my clean child) hated that the Easter Bunny made a trail of M & M's (even though it's his favorite candy). William (my more messy child) LOVED that the Easter Bunny made a trail of M & M's. It took a LONG time to convince him to come down stairs just to see what he brought.

I love my husband, BUT...

... I just went on the second to worst date in my life (the first worst was in college, but I won't go there.)

Jack had an idea to take a self defense class. I thought it was a one hour quick summary of what I should do if someone approaches me. Boy, was I wrong. It was called Krav Maga. It was punching bags, knee pads, spinning on you back terribleness.

My first red flag was that Jack couldn't be my partner. WHY? This was supposed to be a date. I wanted to spend time with him.

Then we started kneeing bags that our partner (who, may I remind you, was not Jack) was holding and after the millionth knee I wanted to shoot myself.

Then we started punching bags until my knuckles bled and my skin was peeling off my hands. (All while working with a complete stranger who never said ONE WORD!!!)

In my head I was already wanting to kill Jack and then I look at him and his partner was KICKING his ASS! Jack later told me that he was sweating so much and working so hard that snot was flying out of his nose with every punch the other guy gave. I'm still laughing about that.

AND THEN, we start simulating being knocked down onto our back by our opponent and turning around on our back. I'm not explaining that right enough to let you know the pain this was, but it was burning my back and causing my skin to twist and I thought it was going to look like my knuckles! OUCH! Why would anyone pay to have their back scabbed in their bathing suit.

By the time we walked out I wanted to KILL Jack for submitting me to that.

NEVER. NEVER. NEVER EVER AGAIN!

Oops!

Jack's out of town tonight, so I took the kids to Frankie and Roger's house. We took a stroll after dinner and ended up at the park. Tre was having a great time and then he stopped in his tracks and yelled out, "I HAVE TO PEE!" With no toilet around, I was unsure what to do and then I knew. I knew by looking at his face that he wasn't going to make it. So right then and there I pulled his pants down. I didn't get very far. The minute his "junk" was out, he peed. Yep... he didn't even wait for me to move my hand. All over my hand, all over his underwear, all over his shoes, and all over his pants. The problem is that he refused to wear his clothes after that. How were we to get home? He even refused to ride his bike. I already had William in the stroller, so I couldn't push a bike. I told him we were going to leave his bike if he didn't ride it and that did the trick. He got on the bike and could have cared less after that! His shirt even got a little wet, but thank God I convinced him to keep that on. THat would have been a site!

Tre loves to clean up!

Tre loves to clean. I have to brag.

I picked him up from school the other day and the teacher told me that he's always the only one cleaning. This particular day she was frustrated, so she made Tre stop picking up and sit while the rest of the class cleaned. He was going to be able to go play outside early with the other class, so he was waiting for that. Anyway, the teacher pointed out something in the kitchen area that needed to be cleaned and Tre jumped up to get it! She had to remind him that he didn't have to clean! I thought that was too funny. Most kids would LOVE the fact that they didn't have to pick up! Not my Tre. He probably thought he was punished!

Traumitized Tre

So ever since Tre flushed his pants down the toilet is it TERRIFIED to flush the toilet. We hadn't put two and two together until we asked why? This is how it went:

Jack: Did you flush the toilet?

Tre: But I don't wanna flush every time?

Jack: Why not?

Tre: I don't want to flush my pants down the toilet!

Poor guy!

Wii boxing

I crack up watching Tre play this game.

Easter train

We took the kids to the famous train that our mall puts together during any holiday. Tre LOVES it, and so do I since it's only a buck! William's never been a fan, but he usually happily watches Tre. This time, we attempted to have him ride and he about had a heart attack, so he watched Tre again. However, this time he just kept saying, "I wanna ride! I wanna ride!" We gave him a second shot and it looked like it was a go and then he started freaking at the last minute, so I hopped in. He was good unless he saw his daddy...

Christmas in March?

I asked Tre what they sang at school today and he responded with this! I thought it was cute, too, how William got involved!

Have you ever heard of that song by Ludacris that is called, "How Low Can You Go?"

It has kind of a chipmunk sound to it. I find it quite funny that Tre HATES this song. The minute it comes on, he literally cringes and begs (with an "uuua umph!) me to turn it off! I think it's hilarious since I think it's pretty irritating too!!

Tre flushed his pants down the toilet!

So, an out of town guest (for those of you that know him, Punchie... for those of you that don't, single and no kids) had just walked into the door when Tre started screaming louder than I've ever heard. It was like someone died right in front of him. I couldn't understand what he was saying but I was hearing "pants", so I start looking every where and they were no where. He finally got out the word "toilet" and we put two and two together. We bought him brand new Lego Star Wars PJs and he LOVES them and he accidentally flushed them down the toilet! Poor guy! Jack plunged them out and it seemed to help him calm down, but it took a while to really realize they were back. Before we got them out, I told him we'd go buy him more and he wanted to leave right then! I guess we know how much he loves those PJs.

The funny part is how traumatized he was from it AND the fact that our poor house guest probably NEVER wants kids now!

Maybe things are looking up?!

We have a showing this afternoon. I heard back from the realtor and she said that it’s either the second showing to the same looker or just a new looker with the same agent. She wasn’t sure.

She has emailed the agents who have showed the house to her client and hasn’t heard back, but she is thrilled with the number of showings we’ve had. She thinks that it’s the nicest looking house in this price range, so that is good.

Jack got a call from a company looking to hire. It is a job with L-3 located in Patuxent River, MD. He would rewrite the F-18 Tactics module. The guy thought Jack would be perfect since he flies that jet, just graduated from Top Gun, and has a degree in English. Jack told him he wasn't available until December or January (assuming he doesn't get promoted). He said he needed to check to see if they could wait that long and he would call him back. Even if this isn't the job for him, it's nice to see that people are looking at his resume.

We took the kids to city park this morning to get their two and four year old pictures taken. My good friend from college, Colleen, is trying to start her own business so I hired her. She took the kids pictures last year and they were awesome! I can't wait to see how they turn out. Tre was soooo well behaved and cooperative that he was even saying, "Take a picture of me over here!!!"

We have a showing in about an hour and I am excited.

Jack found out this week that he is for sure eligible for this IA (it's kinda been up in the air with his lack of chances for promotion and not being able to complete the whole year). I am fine with that and happy to at least know for sure. They said they will just send a replacement when the time comes. We still don't know how early they are going to send him back, but at least I know he won't be there until next June. My guess is he will be home by the end of the year.

The Good News...

I've lost five pounds since this whole stressful situation arose... without even trying. Three more pounds to go to get to wedding day weight, but I am still happy with this number. I won't complain.

Tre hasn't had an accident in his bed for almost two weeks! Those transformer sheets worked wonders!!!

It's official... I'm crazy!

Tonight we were cooking dinner (enchiladas) and playing with the kids in the back yard. I noticed a couple of cars pull up in front of our house and immediately panicked. I wasn't sure they were coming here, but I thought they were so I did a QUICK sweep through of the house and sure enough the door bell rang! A realtor and her clients were here to see the house and no one told us!

Thankfully, Jack and I have been doing a really good job of having the house "show ready" if anyone called at the last minute, and, thankfully, it was pretty clean. I had even just vacuumed (I think God was talking to me). Anyway, we apologized and waited in the back yard so they wouldn't feel like we were hovering.

Jack and I were giggling because the way it looked was this one happy family, cooking dinner, and giggling in the back yard with a spotless house! They probably thought we lied about not knowing.

Anyway, they only looked for about 10 minutes, so I am sure nothing will come of it, but it was still SOMETHING! Something is better than NOTHING, right?!

Jack keeps laughing about how crazy I am about all of this. I am glad he thinks it's funny, otherwise, I am sure I would be driving HIM crazy too!

I called the realtor and she said her office called my phone and it just rang and rang and she thinks there must be a typo in the system. She is going to check tomorrow. I joked that maybe they've scheduled more people and we didn't even know it and we were at the gym or something. Who knows... maybe 10 couples have already looked ;-) Just joking.... kinda ;-)

I took the kids to the dentist today. Some things amaze me. How come Tre is a nightmare when he gets his hair cut, but an angel when the dentist scraps his teeth? How come William is an angel at his hair cut and a nightmare at the dentist?

Both of their teeth are in great shape. She LOVES Tre's "gappy" teeth. I am hopeful his permanent teeth won't be as straggly as mine. I am in no denial that both kids will have to have braces, I'm just hopeful he won't be as bad as mine. William, on the other hand, does not have "gappy" teeth, so I am not as hopeful.

We put a deposit on an apartment this week. It's right by my parents house. My dad can pick us up on their golf cart so that we can go to my mom's for dinner or to use their pool or what not. That'll be nice. It's right by their school too and comes with a free gym membership and community pool. I think we'll be fine there. It's so sad to move there alone without Jack, but I guess it's better than being in this house and city alone, right?

We listed our house for sale this week. The pictures have been up on the MLS for one day and no leads. I know I shouldn't expect much, but I can't help but OBSESS over it. I listed it on www.militarybyowner.com today, so maybe we'll get lucky with a buyer or a military renter before too long. The realtor said that the military is your best bet because they tend to get home loans more than most people who apply.

I've been nauseous for about a week. I got sick on Sunday (really sick) and haven't been physically since, but I can't rid the nauseous feeling (and NO I am not pregnant). I don't know if I am still slightly sick or just letting all the nerves and stress get to me. I'm drinking a well deserved margarita now. Hopefully, that'll be a short term solution to the nerves and stress!