Update

Hello everyone!! I am still alive and doing really well! I have finally adjusted to Army wife life, aka a lot of silence and hoping for a break in the silence. I finally received all the info I needed to get my ID, it was wrong. So I had to fax my social and it is in the process of getting corrected. It could take a couple of weeks so I will be lucky if it is finished by the time I go to pick KS up. I want to give you all a big thank you! I can feel your prayers working in my life daily. My spirits have been so high since Thanksgiving (I got a 20min phone call, but more on that later). This is without a shadow of a doubt the life I was meant to live, and I am so excited to live it! I haven't received any letters yet but I know I have at least two on the way. Hopefully I have more than that coming!! Unfortunately I did not hear from him his past Sunday, but its okay no news is good news in my book. At least I know that if he doesn't call all is well and he is busy training to protect his country and family.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. The kids and I woke up and layed around watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade all morning and then the best thing happened, at 12:15 my phone rang. It was KS! We spent the next 20 minutes talking and catching up on everything that has been going on these past couple of weeks. I am thrilled to announce that he is really enjoying himself. He said the Victory Tower was "interesting" and coming from someone who is not all that keen on heights I was just glad that he didn't hate it. I know it will help him to overcome that fear and make him a stronger man. After his phone call the kids and I headed over to my grandparents for a wonderful meal. I can say this my family waits like a big dog waits on a little dog to eat. Everyone had already got their plates by the time the kids and I got there, but I didn't care. I told them I had better things to do than eat, I was talking to my hubby! They all agreed and then drilled me about how he was doing. They are all so happy that he is enjoying himself.

The kids have been out of school since Tuesday at noon so it was bittersweet taking them back to school today. I do miss them when they are away, but Cayleigh-Grace and I got to spend a wonderful morning with my parents going grocery shopping at Walmart. It isn't very often that I actually get to spend time with my parents minus my sisters or the boys so it was a wonderful treat. Plus Daddy bought steamed shrimp to snack on on the way home, yum!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

A Happy Thanksgiving to You!

To start off this post I would like to wish you all a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. May God be with you this year as you travel with your families.

Thanksgiving this year holds a new meaning in my heart. With my husband leaving to go follow his dreams I have truly found out who my friends are and who they weren't, and for those of you who have stood by me during the pretty and the ugly phases I have gone through the past few months leading up to him going to BCT and now during these past few days I thank you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for standing beside me and making me know that I am not alone. I love you all and your support has helped me immensely.

I am so thankful for my amazing husband who has been in my life for almost 9 years now and whom I have been married to for the past almost 7 years. KS you are my soul mate and my other half and I could not be any more proud of you than I am right now. Thank you for wanting to defend your country, thank you for looking at the bigger picture and wanting to do a job that you can not only be proud of and support your family but also that you can make a difference with.

I am thankful for my children. For Kiale and his unexpected appearance in this world during my senior year of high school (when I got pregnant). God puts us all on this Earth for a reason and it might not be the most convenient time but it is all on his time. For Colin, my husbands little buddy. You are so sensitive and caring and you spread joy wherever you go, and for my Cayleigh-Grace. My little burst of pink amongst our sea of blue. I cannot wait to see what the three of you do in this world, you all have already done so much in my heart.

And to my family, Thank You. Thank you for being my rock and my hard place to come to when all of the world seems so shaky and weak.

I am also so thankful for all of my new friends and family I have met through our journey into the "Army Life." You girls have provided me with a wealth of knowledge and support, I fear that without you all I would have been lost. Thank you girls.

Thank you Lord for all that you have given me, I am truly blessed.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Feeling Good!

Oh, I have a renewed since of energy and spirit today, God sent me an emotional pick-me-up last night in the form of a picture!! That is right everyone there is my man!! His battalion posted pictures from their activities yesterday at the Victory Tower. This is exactly what I needed. I bet he was having a blast!! He was really looking forward to all of the new experiences he would have going through BCT and I am sure this is just the beginning of a hard but good few weeks for him. I think I am going to have him take me rock climbing after this if we get stationed near the mountains, since he obviously already knows how to propel down walls now!! I am still so thrilled and excited that I was lucky enough to see a picture of him, I think I can definitely make it through these next few weeks now!

On a side note, man does he look HOT in his ACUs!!! ;) Gotta love a man in uniform!

A Hangover minus the drinking...

This is what I have felt like for most of the day today... I have had a headache and felt physically and mentally exhausted all day. Having that meltdown last night really took a lot out of me, but I knew it was coming. I hadn't even really had a good cry since Kiale left so I wasn't surprised when once I started crying last night I couldn't stop. Hopefully I got it all out of my system last night although I have still been very quick to cry all day today, hopefully it wont last too long. Colin had his fall festival at school today and as soon as I walked though the doors and saw all the kids playing and parents watching I immediately teared up again and it took me a couple of minutes to get the strength and composure to go find him and enjoy the morning. The thing is Kiale wouldn't have come to that anyway but that fact that the option of coming and enjoying simple things like school activities is out of the question is hard to deal with. I do know that with time it will all get easier, but in the in between time sure is hard to deal with...

Tears & Prayer

Tonight has been a terrible horrible no good very bad night! Everything finally hit me tonight and I have been nothing short of a blubbering mess of tears and snot... but hopefully I have got it all out of my system and I can go on just looking forward to picking him up in a few weeks... it was bound to hit me eventually and I am so glad it hit me here at home rather than out in public. I would rather be a puddle of tears on my bed than a puddle of tears in a store or something... I have a feeling I am going to sleep wonderfully tonight... I am exhausted and KS has a 3 page letter coming his way just from tonight alone. I knew my stone walls would crumble, now I get to rebuild them and hope they stay.

Lord, give me the strength to get though this and everything else that this new life will bring our family. I know this is the direction you want us to go, I have complete faith in this decision and that this is your will, just give me a little more light... Amen

Another Call!!!

I am so excited and happy right now Kiale just called to confirm all of his exodus stuff, basically he needed to confirm with me that I would be picking him up. It was another 2min call but it was wonderful. I may have just talked to him on Thursday (It was Thursday right...?) but it seems like a lifetime ago that I had talked to him last. He was able to give me his platoon and battalion information and that was about it , and he said I will be getting a letter soon!! Time to stalk my mail lady!! He couldn't have called at a better time Colin has been having a rough day missing Daddy so he actually got to tell him he loves him. One week down only 3.5 more to go until he is in my arms again!!

He Keeps Me Singing

I wanted to put out a big THANK YOU to our wonderful photographer for taking all of these amazing pictures of my family. You can find her website here at He Keeps Me Singing please check out her website, and if you are local contact her. She is a wonderful woman who is full of God's love and uses that inspiration to capture wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. We have already talked to her about doing pictures for us next year after KS completes all of his training.

My Little Forest Sprite

Our Hunter Bug

Pooh Bear

This sucks...

I couldn't find her so I walked back to the laundry room and this is what I found. Cayleigh-Grace had found the pile of dirty hunting clothes Kiale had worn on Sunday...
She kept rolling around in them for a good 10min or so. I cant wash them, they still smell like him... so I put them in her room so she can enjoy them in there.
I just piled them on top of her toddler bed, I don't know what else to do with them and its not like they stink they just smell like KS. She pulled everything else up there; I think she likes them there.
KS did manage to shot a turkey before he left, he was hoping to get a deer or two so I wouldn't have to worry about buying meat, but that is why its called hunting and not shooting. Sometimes it just doesn't work out the way we want it to, but the 14lb turkey works we used part of it in Taco soup last night.

KS's Going Away Party

I am so late in posting this but spending time with my hubby was way more important! Here is some of the pictures from KS's going away party. We celebrated his party on Halloween and we were so thankful to all of those friends and family that came out to support him on such a busy day.

His amazing cake, it was delicious!!

Best friends since they were 4.

The birthday boys! October 23, 1982 & October 23, 2009!

Go Gators!!

P.S. Over the next couple of days I will be posting pictures from our November 7th photo session!!

News

KS just called me for all of 2 min and 37 seconds. He should be shipping out to basic tomorrow once he gets his dental X-ray and his shots completed. He said they have been doing everything backwards and it has been a whole lot of paperwork and waiting around. It was really awkward talking to him, I just didn't know what to say b/c I don't want to make him more anymore homesick then I am sure he already is. He didn't have much time to talk anyway. He gave me his unit number and that was about it. I am just so glad I got to hear from him again, he said this was the first time he has even had a chance to call. So tomorrow the fun begins... as well as the silence.

Good News

I forgot to mention that when I talked to KS on Monday he said that his promotion did go through so he is going in as an E-2 instead of an E-1. Which means that he will have his first stripe on his uniform once he gets them and he will be classified as a Private. I know he is happy we were hoping to be able to get him promoted to E-3 before he left but we couldn't find anyone who wanted to enlist and you have to recruit 2 people and have them enroll into the future solider program for that promotion to happen before basic training. I am just happy that he received the promotion that he did. Starting out as E-2 is better than nothing at all!

Right now KS is going through the reception battalion which will last about 4 days and includes this...

General Orientation
Uniform issue and fitting
Personnel records and processing
ID card issue
Army Core Values card issue
Eye and dental check
Immunizations (he was DREADING this...)
Initial pay
Testing
and Interviews.

Also known as a lot of standing around for hours on end... I haven't heard from him since Monday so I am figuring he will end up calling me once they actually begin basic training or maybe on Sunday as long as no one in his unit screws up.

Dinner...

Man this is getting hard... cooked dinner for the first time since KS left. I had so much food left over... I started crying when I realized I had cooked way too much. Then the boys started talking about Daddy and Colin started crying, then I started crying again... Colin went and got the bear KS made him and played it, as soon as KS's voice started all 3 of us were bawling... This is going to be so hard but I know at the end of this all of us are going to be so much stronger. The boys are writing their letters to Daddy now and I had to tell Kiale that he cannot draw sad faces for Daddy he can only draw happy faces for Daddy b/c Daddy doesn't need to know when we are sad only that we are happy and proud of him. Praise the Lord he gave me strong understanding boys who are able to see and understand concepts far beyond their years.

300th Post + 2 Missing Teeth

So its my 300th post! In honor of having that many posts on my blog I figured that on this special post I better make it extra special and post something really good on here so....
Kiale lost his first and second tooth last week!

Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle

First tooth out November 8th

Second tooth out November 9th

The oddest part is that the tooth that was loose for the longest was the one to fall out second, it had been loose since last school year. KS did not want him "working" on getting his teeth loose enough to fall out b/c he didn't want him running around for months on end without his bottom teeth and I am so glad that we laid down that rule because once these two bottom teeth fell out we realized that his two adult teeth had already cut. So there were no worries about an extensive toothless grin! Although his toothless grin sure is cute. The Tooth Fairy arrived at our house two nights in a row! Kiale got $1.25 both nights. I am so glad that KS was here to see KJ loose his first tooth, I was so worried that it would fall out after he left, and thankfully they fell out a day after our Nov. 7th photo session!

A Phone Call!

*6:27pm update* Just got another call from KS, he is 2 hours out from Ft. Jackson. There are 4 other people headed up there with him. I just hope he doesn't hate it... I don't want to think of him not being happy...

I just got a call from KS they are on the bus and headed to Ft. Jackson. There was a lady speaking in the background that I could hear telling them to rest now b/c they are going to be up a full 24 hours once they get to the post. They will be stopping for dinner at least so he will have a full stomach... yes I worry about him being hungry. I put the phone on speaker phone so the boys could tell them that they loved him. It was so nice to hear his voice again, I wasn't expecting a call for at least 3-4 days from now.

He's off to BCT

I cannot believe I am finally typing these words but here goes, KS is off to basic training. I am handling it a lot better then I thought I would, but considering that this is just the first morning... I'm sure its going to hit me eventually. The kids handled it pretty well we were all a teary mess, but that is to be expected. Yesterday was a pretty good day considering we had to say goodbye. We went by my parents and said goodbye to all of them. Then we headed to meet the recruiter and pick up all of the paperwork KS needed to take with him. After that we went to dinner... all I have to say is I will NEVER go back to Sushi Rock for the hibachi grill again. They chef almost made Kiale cry. I was so pissed, needless to say he got a $3 tip and he's lucky he got that. All the guy kept doing was shooting insults at everyone, I guess he thought he was funny. Once we got to the hotel things got really hard for Kiale and I. We were able to hang out with KS until he got his room key and then for a few minutes in his room before he walked us back down to the truck to say goodbye. Colin didn't get what was going on until KS shut the door on the truck and walked away. He knew that we were dropping KS of but I don't think he really grasped the entire concept of it until then. Thankfully I have a lot of back blogging to get done and so much sewing and cleaning to do that I know will keep me distracted for the next few days. I know I am going to need it, but at this point I just cannot wait until KS calls me. I'm not expecting it any time soon though.

Army Bears

These are the kid's special Army Build-a-Bears. Each bear has a special message in them from Daddy, so when they miss him they will always be able to hear his voice and his special message for each of them. Please keep us in your prayers as tomorrow is the big day and pray for KS to enjoy basic training as much as it can be enjoyed and as well as for his safety and health while he is away.

Add a caption

The kid's special Army Build-a-Bears. Each bear has a special message in them for Daddy, so when they miss him they will always be able to hear his voice and his special message for them.

All is Good

Just wanted to drop in and let everyone know that you will be hearing from me again after Sunday night. KS is home with us now until he leaves for BCT so I will be spending all my time with him and the kids. I will update everyone after he leaves. Stay safe and God bless! Also please keep all of us in your prayers as we face this trying time of saying "see you soon!" to KS.

Wordless Wednesday

Time Ticks On...

Had a WONDERFUL day today. We had a photo session with a wonderful local photographer, don't worry I will share pics as soon as I get them! Everyone behaved themselves and overall I think it was the most enjoyable photo sessions we have ever done.

BTW... 8 days... until he leaves for BCT!... wow, do you realize how short that is??? So far since last Monday's complete meltdown I am feeling strong and confident. Lets just pray that this attitude stays in place and doesn't falter.

Mom Still in Hospital

Well Mom is still in the hospital... She has had an elevated heart rate since she was admitted on Wednesday and they cannot seem to figure out why that is exactly. So they are holding her in the hospital and running some tests to try and get to the route of the problem. Dad made it back on Friday but she didn't want him just sitting at the hospital pacing so she sent him back home. She hasn't wanted anyone up their since that would just cause her to have more stress. She did tell me that her stomach is feeling a little bit better so that is some good news.

Moment of Silence for Ft. Hood

Copied from the FIC website... thanks TripWire.

This comes from the Secretary of the Army:


The Department of the Army, Washington DC has requested a moment of silence to honor the memories of the victims of the shooting incident at Fort Hood.

A moment of silence is to be observed Friday, November 6, 2009 at 2:34 p.m.

The Secretary of the Army writes:

There are moments that cause great pause, even for the steadfast.

The tragedy of the shootings at Fort Hood is such a moment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Families and friends of those how have been killed or wounded. Our warrior ethos states that we will never leave a fallen comrade. Our Army is strong. Our character is proven in battle and reliable in all conditions, especially in the most disappointing of circumstances. Professionalism is our watchword.
Compassion is the unique measure of the American Soldier and the Army Family.

I call upon our Army to join together in a moment of silence, to honor the service of those who lost their lives and to reflect on the merits of our own service and the privilege of serving one another in this nation. We commend our thoughts and prayers to the Families of those suffering in the aftermath of this event. We will maintain our focus on caring for each other and the Army Family and emerge from this tragic event as an Army strong community. May God bless our Army and may God bless America.

What is ICAN?

We women need to stand together and support each other. We need to encourage and give each other the strength we need to over come the increasing risk of unnecessary cesarean sections. Please do not get me wrong I am 100% for cesarean sections WHEN and only WHEN they are deemed really and truly necessary. NOT when they are convenient for doctors or because women think this is the easier route to take. It is NOT. Please do your research. Every woman is capable of handling the pain of labor with the right support and knowledge. God made us strong, he made us to our birth babies into this world, he made us mothers for a reason. Not because it is easy or painless but because it is our destiny to rise above the things that seem so difficult. He gave us this to build us up and make us stronger; to prepare us for what the future will hold.

Heart and Prayers to Ft. Hood

My heart and prayers go out to the families, soldiers and victims at Fort Hood. May the Lord be with them and comfort them always.

Mom Home Tomorrow

Just got off the phone with Mom. They are going to be keeping her one more night due to the infection that she had. Her appendix did not burst but there was a pretty bad infection, so I will be picking her up in the morning after I drop the boys off at school. Thank you for all of your prayers and please keep them coming!

Mom Surgery Update 2

So, Mom is not doing so good. She spiked a fever last night to the point where they had to bring in ice bags and place them throughout her body to get it to break. The doctor has not been in this morning to talk to her yet, but she did tell me she is in a lot of pain and is not getting around anywhere near as good as she was expecting. She does not want me to come up there at this point... and I am not liking that very much at all. I went ahead and called Dad and told him that he needs to come home and he is on the phone with her now so hopefully I will know something soon. I have a feeling she is down playing the severity of what happened. She hadn't even told Dad about the fever yet... and I fear that she has "Super Mom Syndrome" and doesn't want to admit how bad she is feeling... I am just praying she doesn't get an infection from all of this... I could tell how much pain she was in when I talked to her on the phone...

Mom Surgery Update

Mom made it out of surgery okay. She was able to call Dad last night and let him know she was doing okay. He is down south for work and could not come back up to be with her. I will be picking her up later today once she calls and lets me know exactly what is going on. I don't want to call her yet because I am too worried about waking her up, but knowing Mom she will probably be up pretty soon anyway. Unless the drugs have her that knocked out... Thank you for your concern and prayers. Now we just need to pray for a speedy recovery, and for my sisters to be considerate and NOT STRESS HER OUT!!! (Dixie...)

Please Pray!!

*update* She is in surgery now...

My mom just called me from the hospital ER. She has to have surgery tomorrow for appendicitis... I realize that this is a very common procedure but I would still appreciate any and all prayers you could send my Moms way. Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday

14 Months

Well its official our little princess is 14 months old today. Wow. I don't know what else to say... boy does time fly by. Here are some Cayleigh-Grace facts...

Diapers- size 4
Breastfeeding- 4 to 6 times a day
Words- Mommy, Momma, Bubba, Baby
Eats- anything that doesn't eat her first
Teeth- 12, cutting 4 more any day now
Laugh- its the most amazingly cute thing I have ever heard
Attitude- coming in strong, this girl knows what she does and does not want
Bed- Had to lower her mattress to the lowest setting and she is still trying to climb out of it
Weight- 24lbs
Height- 30.5in
Shoe Size- 4
Clothes- 18months to 24 months
Random- She has found her belly button. She keeps poking at it and will look down and say UT OH! I guess she thinks there is something wrong with her.

It has begun...

Well the freaking out that is... and the bickering and the anger... and the tears. The worst part all of this is me. He is his usual calm cool and collected self, and I think that is what is pissing me off so much. He doesn't even act like it bothers him to leave us. If you have ever met my husband you would realize that he is the hold it all on the inside type. It has always irked me because I have NEVER got a straight answer out of the man and I never know what is going on inside that head of his... and this situation is no different... I have so many emotions going on inside my body right now... but at the end of the day I know they are all rooted from the same thing. I am sad because I do not want him to leave us. This road is starting to get really bumpy... and the tears have began to flow for two nights now. I cannot even look at KS without tearing up much less touch him. We have sat on separate couches for the past two nights because I just don't know if I can keep my emotions in check if I were to lay with him like we usually do. You see I am a cry silently and just let the tears roll type of girl. So KS never even knows when I am upset and having a rough time with things... guess we are a lot alike after all, just noticed that...

I completley took all of my frustrations out on Colin this morning, poor kid... all over him no keeping his jaw still while I was brushing his teeth... I threw the tooth brush across the room and everything. Then went into my room chilled out for a few minutes and then apologized to Colin and explained to the boys that I might be a little short tempered for the next few weeks but it isn't their fault I am just really sad that Daddy has to leave. They both said it was okay and that they understand. Then they asked me why I was talking funny and I said b/c I was trying not to cry. That got me two big bear hugs and two sweet boys telling me that everything will be okay. I am really going to have to keep my head on straight and make sure that I know when to walk away for situations for the next few weeks, I did not mean to take out all of my frustration on Colin... but sometimes you just cannot help it...

Kiale asked me last night once he realized that I was crying and basically having a complete breakdown why I am having all of the regret and second guessing our decision now and I told him I do not regret it at all. I am looking forward to being in the Army and I cannot wait for everything that we will get to see and experience, I just don't want him to leave us.... and really that is all it boils down to. I don't want him to leave.

12 days...

Trick-r -Treat!

Halloween began with my husbands going away party and ended with some wonderful Trick-r-Treating. KS and I dressed as happy Gator fans since they beat Georgia, Go Gators!!

After we walked around town for a bit we headed over to the boys school for their Halloween bash. There was lots of playing and fun to be had.
And even some face and hand painting. We tried to get Cayleigh-Grace's face painted but that lasted long enough for the camera to click and then she had had enough of that.
I was trying to get her a cupcake... oh well maybe next year!
My budding artist, they couldn't believe his use of color.
She thoroughly enjoyed herself the entire night... as long as we didn't take her pumpkin with her candy in it away.

All tuckered out and ready to go home. Overall it was a wonderful and magical night, just as Halloween should be. I love my kids...