Vampires!!

Do to SEVERE un-princess like behavior, Cayleigh-Grace pictures will have to wait. She sends her apologizes.

A Birthday & A BIRTHday

Today is the one week anniversary of my husbands 27th birthday. Yes I am a total slacker and I did not get this posted last Friday, but whatever. We cant all be perfect right!? This particular birthday was extra special for him, his best friends little boy was born was born on his birthday. At 1am on October 23 Patrick Christopher made his grand appearance. Needless to say KS was thrilled. We also found out on his birthday that we are going to be an Aunt and an Uncle!! KS's sister Trish is 12 weeks and counting!!

My sweet Niece or Nephew!! (I am so EXCITED!!!)

KS's birthday was full of his favorites, my spaghetti casserole and some Carvel Ice cream cake. The boys were in charge of wrapping his present and giving it to him. Overall he had a wonderful birthday. The picture of Cayleigh-Grace eating some of KS's cake was from the next night, I forgot to get a picture of the cake, before we all devoured it.
Tomorrow we are having his 27th birthday/Going Away celebration at my parents house. I cannot believe that we are down to just a couple of weeks before he leaves for basic training, 15 days to be exact! This is going to be one heck of an adventure we are about to embark on!!

The Time Has Come...

I do not want to flip the calendar on Saturday.

I do not want to see the word November.
I do not want to see that we have so few days left...
and yet...
I cannot wait until he leaves.
I cannot wait to see my man in uniform.
I cannot wait to see the man that he will become, the man he was born to be.
I cannot wait to wrap my arms around him and feel the love and devotion that only comes from being apart.
I cannot wait to see the look in our children's eyes when they see their Daddy again, their very own GI Joe to play with and love.
I do not want to say goodbye, and yet I cannot wait until I do.

Pumpkin Carving

Kiale, Colin, and Cayleigh-Grace's finished pumpkins. Her's has a bow! KS drew C-G's since hers was way too small to carve.

Cayleigh-Grace's Toddler Blanket

This is Cayleigh-Grace's toddler blanket that I made for her last week. I love it!! It is by far my favorite of all the blankets that I have made so far. I just cannot wait to actually be able to use it once it finally gets cold here. Our days are still in the mid 80s and it doesn't look like it is going to cool off any time soon either. Global warming my ...... well you get the point, its HOT!! As of right now her blanket stays draped over her toddler chair since it is way to hot to bundle her up in it at this point, but as soon as it finally cools off it will be traveling with us everywhere. The fabric is all Heather Bailey's Freshcut line, it is discontinued now and I am so happy I got my hands on what I did. You can still find quite a bit of it on Etsy and some other online stores, so it hasn't completely disappeared yet.

Pumpkin Patch

*KS was finally able to get my pictures off of my camera disk!!*

After the boys went to church on Sunday with Dixie and Dylan we met them at the pumpkin patch. The church that they attend puts on one every year. The kids had a wonderful time running through all of the pumpkins trying to find just the right one. Going to the pumpkin patch is always one of those things that I look forward to going to every year. It just shows that its the little things in life that truly make kids happy.

I love our kids so much!!!

Dixie & Dylan

Murphy....

Why is it that whenever you have important pictures on your camera disk that you cannot redo it decides to go and screw up on you??? I have two weeks worth of very important pictures on my camera, including the pumpkin patch and carving our pumpkins as well as the football game from a couple of weeks ago. Can I get them off of my card?? NOPE! It is showing my pictures through my camera but it will no upload them onto my computer and I do not know what to do... It keeps saying that I need to format my disk but I do not want to do that since it will wipe out those pictures... HELP!! If you have any ideas of how I can get those pictures off of my disk PLEASE let me know!!

Purple

Please join us in wearing purple tomorrow to honor the memory Somer Thompson, purple was her favorite color, and please keep her family in your prayers as they go through this difficult and heartbreaking time. No family or child should ever have to go through this, it just isn't right. I hope whoever did this rots in the flames of hell and suffers greatly for all of eternity. At least the Lord is holding her in his arms now and she will never be hurt or sad again...

Exhausted But Well

I don't know how else to better title this post, because that is exactly what the five of us are right now; exhausted but well. At 8:30 last night we headed out to big Shands after talking with a friend of mine who is a Nurse. Cayleigh-Grace's fever was up to 104 she was extremely lethargic and her legs were twitching a little bit. She has been running a fever since Saturday afternoon. We were scared to death to be perfectly honest. We got to Shands at about 9:15, they called her into the triage room to get her vitals at 10:00, 1:00, and 4:00. They gave her what looked like a double if not a triple dose of Tylenol. They finally had a bed for us in the Peds ER unit at 5:00... 8 hours after we got there! As my Mom said Shands is not the fastest place in the world but it is one of the best. Once we got to the unit things went really quick. The nurse started a pic line and did a catheter for a urinalysis, KS stayed with her during both of those. I just couldn't watch, hearing her scream and cry was hard enough for me. I was in charge for watching our sleeping boys and making sure they didn't get into trouble. She also took two vials of blood They were concerned that there was some underlining cause for her just having a fever with no other noticeable symptoms. Thankfully all of the test came back fine and all of her numbers were in the normal range. They went ahead and ordered a scalene drip to rehydrate her. The boys were wonderful they slept most of the time thankfully. They didn't run around or act up at all. It was wonderful... well as wonderful as waiting for 8 hours in a waiting room in extremely uncomfortable chairs can be.

They decided that she just has a virus right now. She is still running a fever but we just have to let it run its course. Hopefully it will start easing up soon and she will get over this thing. They said that Kiale has the same virus as well. So I am very happy to say, No Swine Flu here!! We made it back home at about 9:30 and slept until 1:00, no school and KS only went into work for a couple of hours, I have a feeling we will all be in bed by 8:00 tonight!

C-G is Sick + *Update*

*Update* Spent 3 hours at the doctors office with my sick baby this morning. They are not completely sure what is wrong with her since she only had a fever and some mild coughing here and there as well as diarrhea like poo. They were able to finally get her fever to break with a double dose of Motrin. We are thinking and hoping that this is just a reaction to the MMR vaccine that she got last Wednesday. I am furious with myself for letting her get all three shots at one time, this is the first time I have done that with her, and the last. I am just hoping that this is just a reaction to the shots and not something more serious. I just put her down for a nap but I had to give her more Tylenol first b/c her fever was coming back. I just hope she isn't worse by the time she wakes up. Her doctor is going to call whenever she gets off of work to check on her again, she called during her lunch hour too, I just hope I can give her a good report.

*original post*
I am not really sure what is wrong with my little girl other than I know she is sick. She has been running a fever all weekend that just wont seem to break, and when it does finally break it shoots right back up as soon as her Tylenol or Motrin wears off. She is breathing really heavy and has had some not so normal poos for her. We have a Dr. appt at 9:45 so hopefully they will let me know what is wrong. I just hope it is a regular virus and not something major. Her fever has been bouncing between 101-103 all weekend... Thankfully she is still nursing and eating great, so I am not worried about her being dehydrated, although she has begun breathing really hard. I just wish this fever would go away.

We have been very blessed to have had three extremely healthy kids and the only ER visit that we have ever had was for me when I tripped while prego with Colin. My kids have never been to the ER and I don't really want to start now.

Better!

Feeling so much better today, and once again looking forward to moving and everything that being "Army" has to offer!! What would the world be like without total meltdowns and freakouts!? Right!

I...

I love me some Gators!!!

untitled

Well... I was hoping that after last night I would wake up fine and happy like I have been these past couple of weeks again. Didn't happen. I even got to the point last night where I was asking KS to switch from active duty to active duty reserve so we wouldn't have to move. He just said and I quote... "damn, you need to make up your mind." The problem is is that I will not ever be able to fully make up my mind. I don't think I have ever felt so torn about a decision in my life. On one hand I want my kids to see and experience more than small town USA... and then on the other hand I don't want to take this from them at all, and to be blunt I don't want to leave my family. I have been pushing the sadness about the move away so much that now that it has finally hit me... well once it decided to hit it hit like a freakin Mac truck going 90 and then head on slamming into a brick wall! Basically I want my cake and I want to eat it too (did I ever mention how much I HATE that saying.) I still know that going full active duty is going to be the best route for our family. We are going to pay EVERYTHING off and start fresh debt free (once we sell our house that is) and then from there the world will be my kids playground... so I guess it is time to put my big girl panties on... I just don't think they are fitting very well right now. It might take me a while to grow into them so please bare with me... I am going to need lots of support to get through the next few months if I am going to get through this and still be me at the end of it.

Feelings...

Wouldn't it be so easy if we didn't have feelings, if we couldn't feel pain, sorrow, guilt... I guess I should say if we didn't have some feelings. I broke down and started crying on the football field after watching my sisters cheer and their boyfriends play. Our families were all huddled around talking and we were all just having a wonderful time. My dad was chasing C-G and the boys. Big KS was racing Kiale up and down the field and all I could think about was how we will be leaving this all behind... how this could be the last time we get to do this together. You know when they say growing up is hard they meant it. I know this is what we have to do to give our family the best life possible... but do we have to leave everyone else behind to do it... it sucks. I love my family and I do not want to leave them. I want to be able to go and get a little uniform for C-G to cheer on the boys and I want to be able to watch my kids play pop warner on the same leagues that my sisters and their boyfriends played on but that isn't going to happen. I want my kids to graduate from the same school that their Aunts/Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, and Parents all graduated from... I think leaving this town and our family will be the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and frankly I don't want to.

The good news though, we won 28 to 14! Good playing boys and girls, good push-ups!! Now for tomorrow, lets Go GATORS!!!

Halloween Decor & Big News

*First off for the big news, my sister, Dixie, and her long time boyfriend, Dylan, made Homecoming court!!! I am so excited for them, Congratulations you two!!!*

I am all for quick and easy Halloween decor this year and I have been so good about not buying any large decorations. I just keep reminding myself that whatever I buy I have to move. So I cannot wait until we get to our PCS orders(permanent change of duty station) and get settled into our new house next year. Then I can decorate as much as I want!!

Wordless Wednesday

My 6 Year Old Architect

Give this boy freedom to pick up random building supplies/scraps and this is what you get! I am so proud of this little man, the way his mind works never ceases to amaze me!

What melts my heart...

I had to share this because out of my three kids she is the only one to do this at this age. The boys did it once they got quite a bit older... to be perfectly honest I don't want to forget it down the road when life gets too busy to remember the little things... Cayleigh-Grace will come up to me and just hug on my legs and she will just stand there holding on to my legs and rest her head against me. It just melts my heart... I love my boys more than anything but the bond between a mother and a daughter... well there is just something else there.

Not Me or My Child Monday!

I did not completely forget to announce the winner of my giveaway until Saturday when I was supposed to announce it on Thursday.

I did not realize that there is only about 11 weeks until Christmas and I have about 11 quilts to make and complete for Christmas presents!!

KS and I are not overwhelmed with the amount of cleaning out and purging that is going to have to be done to our garage before he leaves in a month... I just hope we can get it done in time!

I did not bawl my eyes out during the Army Wives season finally and I was not and still am in a funk b/c sad stuff like that just crushes me inside and I do not refuse to ever watch that finale again. I just cannot handle it and it will be added to my list of movies/shows I cannot watch.

We are not going on 33 days until Kiale leaves for basic training... I can handle this right?? I better.

Cayleigh-Grace did not manage to fall and either scratch or bruise her face and head every day this week, I swear she must have known we were getting family pictures done with my family on Sunday.

Cayleigh-Grace is not already living up to being my daughter and she is not just as klutzy as I am.

Kiale and Colin did not have a wonderful week at school and even got to get one of their boxes of toys back again, since they proved that they could keep their room clean. They did not get that box taken away 3 days later b/c they refused to pick it up and put it away!

Kiale did not make it 3 weeks before he broke the chain KS bought him for his birthday, and he does not have to pay with his own money to get it fixed.

Kiale did not get to go and enjoy watching my sisters and their boyfriends at the football game on Friday. Both of my sisters are varsity cheerleaders and their boyfriends are both on the varsity football team.

Giveaway Winner!!

The winner of the free hair bow is... Brittany from Social Butterfly!! Send me an email with your choice and your address and I will get it mailed out to you! I will actually be adding some more bows this week if you want to wait to pick. Just let me know in the comments, thanks!

Yeah for Homebirth!!!

The first Duggar grandchild is here and it was a home birth!! Such a wonderful way to get the idea of home birthing out there in the media under a good light!! Catch the article from People here. You can catch the Today Show clip here. Notice how they stayed mum on the whole home birth aspect of the sweet baby's arrival... guess they were proven wrong about the horrors of home birthing.

Big News!!!

Well after a wonderful discussion with my Army liaison today I was able to get lots of questions answered, and I am feeling better about the whole process. I found out when I can get my military ID and when our insurance kicks in, but the good news is the best part. We will be moving in June!! No waiting until this time next year to move!! I am so excited, I did not like the idea of being away from KS for that long so I am so happy to now know for sure that we will be reunited with him in June!! As soon as Kiale and Dixie graduate we are outta here, and back in his arms again.

Labor Views Part 5- A Solid Point

How is the woman planning a VBAC any different then a woman planning a normal, vaginal birth? Answer: there is no difference. Uterine rupture rates are less than 1% in both a VBAC with one prior uterine incision, and in a woman giving birth vaginally for the first (or second, or third...) time. Less than 1%!!! (taken from At Your Cervix's post about this article.)

Labor Views Part 4- VBAC, Always an OPTION

My Journey to a VBAC from Lindsey Meehleis on Vimeo.

I realize that this is a long video but it is well worth taking the time to watch it. So many women, my cousin included, have been sentenced to a c-section because of the words "too big," and they have been told that VBAC is not an option. Women we need to stand together and know our options when it comes to childbirth. Know your intended hospitals c-section rate as well as your doctors and the doctors in their practices c-section rate. Be strong and stand your ground, you know what is best for you and for your baby. Personally IF I ever have another baby and I can find a close homebirthing midwife that is the route I will be taking. If I do not have a homebirth option, it is illegal in some states for Midwives to attend homebirths, I will be birthing through a freestanding birthing center, but if there happens to be some sort of unforeseen challenges with the pregnancy I will be in a hospital. Don't let doctors tell you that since you have had one or two c-sections you are automatically sentence to another c-section there are plenty of women out there who have gone on to have successful VBACs after multiple cesarean sections. If your doctor or hospital does not support VBACs look elsewhere and see what your options are, it never hurts to ask around. Who knows what wonderful birthing experience you could encounter. Birth is a wonderful and beautiful event, as well as very empowering moment in a woman's life. EVERY woman has the ability to have a natural birth, it is what we were made to do.

$10 Snow White movie Coupon

Has anyone else been waiting on pins and needles for Snow White to finally be re released??? I know I have, click HERE to get $10 off any DVD or Blu-Ray discs!! The coupon expires on Saturday, so what are you waiting on??? Go Shop!!