Radiance Giveaway!

Thanks to the charming Savannah of Books with Bite, there is a Book Giveaway for Radiance Arc. Which I am of course excited for, I love the sound of this new book and hey, you cannot beat a free book. I hope you do not get bored of these giveaways I keep posting about the last couple of days, but I figure there have got to be some book lovers out there who may be just as excited at the chance to win a new book as I am. I am still anxiously waiting to hear the results of two of the last ones. So I guess we will wait and see. Even if you don't want to enter this giveaway, check out the book reviews that are available on Books with Bite, because you never know when you'll find your next favorite book or if you're like me I'm always adding new books to my ever growing list of books to read!

Wordless Wednesday

Signature Sunday: Where Did You Get That?

So, I know its not Sunday, but this was meant for Sunday.

Christopher and I were downstairs cooking dinner, and both kids were upstairs playing. Christopher came upstairs to get the kids' highchairs set up for dinner, when he hollered down to me that I needed to come upstairs right now. I was thinking, "Oh no, what did they get into." Normally we close our bedroom door, but we had cartoons playing on our TV and so we'd left the door open.

When I got upstairs, he called to me from inside our bedroom. He told me, "This is something you need to see to deal with." That kind of scared me and so I made my way down the long skinny hallway into the inner part of our room.

This is the sight that greeted my eyes:

I tried so hard not to laugh, he had made himself quite comfortable in my spot on my bed. And from somewhere he had found one of my Twix bars. I tried to sound stern, but that kind of went out the window, "Aidan, where did you get that?"

"Mommy," he happily replied.

How could I not laugh at that? I wasn't quite sure where he had gotten it from, somewhere on the wreck that is my nightstand I thought.

My husband then asked, "Aidan, did you ask Mommy?"

His little chocolately smile widened, but he didn't reply. It was really difficult to remain stern, because he had gotten into Mommy's things and yet that little face just melted my heart.

Trying to be straight faced, I then asked him, "Aidan, what do you need to ask Mommy?"

This was his response:

Thank You. Not what I was looking for, but it still was sweet and polite. And I couldn't be mad at him. I did explain to him that he needed to ask Mommy next time.

Then my Husband told him to put it away, because it was time for dinner. So, he leaned over and set it ever so carefully on my nightstand. Then hopped down off my bed and scurried down the hall to his room where he'd be eating dinner.


When I looked later to see where he'd put the candy bar, he'd set it right where he could reach it from where he'd been sitting on my bed. What a cute little stinker! Just another misadventure at our house.

Day 25 My Day (in great detail)

This isn't going to be all that exciting, but here it goes.

I was sick all night and so I didn't get asleep until after 4. I don't remember my husband coming home, he got my son up, feed and changed him. I got up at 11 and got my daughter up. I made her a bottle and changed her diaper. I laid back down, because doing just that little bit wore me out. I kind of catnapped, getting things for my kids as they asked or screamed. I laid Aidan down at noon for his nap. I turned on TLC and sort of watched The Little Couple. I checked to see if The Pioneer woman had selected my photo for group 6 of the Water photo contest and was sad that she hadn't. Oh well. I laid Aislynn down for her nap at 1pm and I crawled back into bed and slept until 230. Aidan woke up and wanted to be let out of his room. So, I changed his diaper and I got back into bed, but not sleeping. Aidan came in about ten minutes later and wanted to watch Kung Fu Panda. We cooked dinner at about 415pm and ate very hot food just after five. I kissed my Hubby and sent him on his way to work. I watched the most amazing thunder & lightning storm. (I still am) I typed up my alive post and read a few blogs. I posted on a couple posts. I laid my daughter down at 7pm because she was grouchy and now I' m going to put my son down. So, that's my day. Boring, huh?

I Am Alive

I'm alive, if barely (or so I feel). I hoping I'm on the mend now. Whatever it was ran me through the wringer several of times over and secretly I'm hoping that it means that good news will soon be coming our way. Although that will still be weeks away before we would know anything like that. My poor family has suffered while I have been down and out. I've been pretty much bed-ridden for days, so my kids haven't gotten all the attention they deserve from me and my sweet Hubby has picked up the slack although it was during the time when he should have been sleeping.

Although I'm sure my kids have been enjoying their new found freedom. They haven't had to pick up their toys, there are cracker crumbs & chunks everywhere, and cereal pieces here, there & everywhere. All in all, it looks like a tornado has struck my house. I did manage to run a few loads of dishes, as well as a few loads of laundry. Unfortunately, it didn't take much for me to become completely drained and exhausted. My Hubby had to help me back to bed a few times. I love my Hubby! I don't know what I would do without him.

Now, I have to put all my focus on my kids birthday party that's coming up later this week. There is still so much to be done, just thinking about it is wearing me out.  I still have presents to buy, food to buy for the BBQ part, an elaborate cake to create, gift bags to put together and of course I still have to set up the room we've reserved the day of. Does anybody want to come help me? It feels like so much to do all by myself.

Sorry, my post is all over the place. I'm still really worn out and this really does talk alot to sit up & type. I will post up my next Day of me. I can't promise how much I'll post until after the birthday, but I'll try to put a little something so you know I'm still alive.

One More Fabulous Giveaway

This is the last one before I go to bed. Yes, that's right I have  not been to bed and it is 0706 where I live. Between feeling horrible (I'm still really sick) and spending time with my Hubby, sleep has not come to me yet. I have found me another second home blog written by one amazing Reggie called The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really). Her giveaway is for five amazing sounding books and five packs of gum. Here are the five books:
Nightshade - Andrea Cremer (ARC)
Paranormalcy - Kiersten White (ARC)
The Eternal Ones - Kirsten Miller (ARC)
Halo - Alexandra Adornetto (ARC)
Pegasus - Robin McKinley (ARC)

I'm so excited about all of these book giveaways and I really hope that I can actually manage to win one of them. If not, oh well, I'm getting myself alot of new readers coming through thanks to it and Kate from Reads, Reviews, Recommends even told me that I had cute kids (which is like every mothers dream) to be told by strangers that they have cute kids! It made my day. Anyway, if you love to read go and check out this great blog. Read her super reviews and she has a lot of them and enter this giveaway! You don't want to miss out on this one either! Lots of love to you all. I promise as soon as I kick whatever this thing is in the butt, I will be back and really blogging again. I hate being sick!

Another Great Giveaway

I know I'm not really doing my 30 days of me, but trust me you don't want to know about my day. But you do want to know about the Fabulous Kate Evangelista of Reads, Reviews, Recommends and the great giveaway she is doing right now. She is giving away a copy of the Eclipse Soundtrack (hurray!) and the contest ends on the 31st! So, DON'T miss out! I am all about winning things, yes even if your chances aren't super great, you still have a chance. Plus I love the whole Twilight Saga! Yes, my friends, I am a Twi-Fan and am not afraid to admit it! So go over and not only check out this giveaway, but check out all the great book reviews that she has available. Her blog rocks!

Awesom Free Book Contest

If you love Vampire stories, free books and the like then head over to Shanna Silver. She's is hosting a contest until 1159 EST tonight to win Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel, the first in a new series about vampires. I'm not one of those who has one set idea about vampires nor am I one who gets upset about the Twilight Craze or the whole slew of new vampire & werewolf books that have poured out since. I thoroughly enjoy reading each and finding out how that author views vampires & what their take on them is. I love that there are all kinds of new ideas surfacing about them, a lot of them are straying far from the whole notion of unable to go out in daylight, stake in heart, garlic aversion and the like. So, here is the plot for this new story.

When Lenah Beaudonte, a 500-year-old vampire queen, wakes up a human teenager at an ultra-cliquey prep school, she must choose between embracing the humanity she’s always craved and saving her new friends from her vicious coven. The first in a sizzling new YA series.

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?



So, if this is your kind of thing head over and check it out. Tell me what you think about vampire stories? Are you a traditionalist, Twi-fan or what?

A Delay

I hope that you all will forgive me for not posting Day 25, but something is sure kicking my butt and I have no energy to tell you how crappy my day has been. So, hopefully I will feel much improved tomorrow and can continue on with the 30 days of me. I wish you all a Happy 24th of July! (Which is an important holiday to Utah Natives, being that's its the anniversary of the pioneers coming into the Salt Lake Valley.) Plus, another excuse for fireworks, except on post!

Day 24 Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

The Simple Moments that make me grateful that I'm a mom and that I have two of the World's Cutest Kids!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #5

1.Besides the horizontal mambo, what do you miss most when your spouse is deployed?
Having my best friend around, because he's the one I talk to about everything without sounding stupid, we talk about books, story ideas we have floating through our heads, how much our families frustrate us and so much more. I get super lonely, because there is no one who can be there for me the way he can.
2.What do you miss least?
The arguing, although we have managed to fight while he's deployed, but not as often. I can't be upset with him for as stupid of things because I always think do I want that to be the last thing I said to him. So I don't miss getting upset with each other. We really don't do it often, but even what little we do is too often for me.
3.You only get three crayons to finish your picture… which three do you choose and why?
Brown-because its earthy, homey and has become a color that defines me. I feel confidant when I wear brown and I love the warmth that it brings to things like my home. Blue-because its a very reflective color. Its a color that can portray & be viewed with a variety of moods, depending on its use and the intensity and shade of its color. I love the color blue, I can always find a way to use it describe me and my mood, its another color that is me. I am Brown & Blue. Yellow-Its bright & cheery and sometimes you just need that small bit of bright to complete a picture. Even if that picture is really you.
4.If you could have your own fragrance, what would it be called?
Evening Whispers
5.If the shoes make the man (or woman), what do your shoes say about you right now?
White slip on tennis shoes stained green from grass. What they say about me is that I like to be able to go places in a hurry, I think simple is better in most cases, not paranoid about getting dirty, don't spend small fortunes on clothes & shoes, the left shoe is laced loosely so I can wear my ankle brace since I'm not quite a year out of major ankle reconstructive surgery, they say I'm laid back and I don't care what people think of what I wear, comfort is important.

Me In A Nutshell (More or Less)

So, I was thinking about it today that I fill out questions every week and do the 30 days of me, which are all fabulous ideas and I will continue to participate. But they are so cookie cutter. There's more to me than my favorite books, movies, websites, etc. At least I hope there is *looks around kind of confused* Just kidding! Seriously though, there really is more to me than that, so let's see what I can tell you about me that can't be found any other way.

Obviously I'm married and have been for four years. I met the love of my life nine years ago, started dating eight years ago, but did a lot of on again off again dating until we got married. Crazy, huh. He is my high school sweetheart, because there never was anyone else for me even when I couldn't see it. I'm a Drama geek to the core and I have been accused of being overly dramatic about things, but uhm, that's kind of to be expected when theatre has always been part of your life. If you don't like that I can be dramatic, go away! I'm not going to change and I don't go out of my way to be like that, its just who I am. Anyway. I performed in Grease, Pippin, The Crucible and helped with tech for Les Miserables in high school. I even had my first speaking part in The Crucible and had to learn a Boston accent, which was very hard for a born & raised Utah girl (I did manage eventually).

I grew up in a home that supported our Troops, but from afar. My Grandfather served in the Army for quite a long time and had not given my mom a very good impression of Military life & soldiers. So, I tried to talk my Hubby, who was my Boyfriend at the time, out of joining to no avail thanks to the negativity that I'd grown up with. Funny thing is, about three years latter I went in with my Hubby to talk to a NCO, who had been a top recruiter for years, next thing I knew I was joining the Army Reserves. My parents weren't too happy about that one. I got a lot of girls don't belong in the Army, parents want better for their kids, and that kind of thing from everybody including my Hubby. It made me want to join all the more to prove to them that I could do it. And I did. I was one the top soldiers in Basic and AIT.

Unfortunately after I returned home, my health took a nose dive. I got married the April following the end of my training with four days between the end of his premob training and him shipping to Iraq. I spent the first year of our marriage alone with health that was taking me through the wringer. I blacked out at the wheel twice and couldn't drive for three months. (It sucked.) I was diagnosed with something called Syncope which has something to do with the arteries in my neck closing off and making me pass out, but they couldn't tell me what causes it or when to expect it to happen. Its something that isn't known alot about. Fun for me. I started having miagraines.

We survived the deployment. I don't think anybody (particularly my family) really believed I could do it and be sane. Or just be ok. It wasn't easy and I cried myself to sleep alot, but I got hobbies and wrote him snail mail as well as emails. We talked a lot more frequent than I had expected, but wasn't going to complain. Anyway, that's our beginning story. Hope I didn't bore you too much.

I was diagnosed with Endometriosis as a young teenager, which made periods horrific and kept me home from school for three days every time I had one. It wasn't until my Hubby was in Iraq and we were really hoping to have a family, and we'd already had three miscarriages (we'll never be sure if they were caused by the endometriosis or not), that we actually did anything about it. I had a laproscopic procedure done about three months before he came home that cut and cauterized all of the endometrial lining and put me back at square one. I'd say between this surgery and a car accident I was in a couple weeks before I got pregnant with my son must have done the trick. (The car accident has always been a joke with my family, they tell me it must have shifted things around inside so I could get pregnant.) Then five months after my son was born, I got pregnant with my daughter. Of course now we're trying and aren't having quite as much luck, but we aren't giving up yet. (Although Endometriosis can and does quite often causes infertility)

I'm going back to school this Fall as long as my financial aid goes through. I'm going to school to become an Archaeologist and including this Fall semester I only have three semesters to go till I graduate with my Associates. I'm really excited to finally be able to see the end of the tunnel. I do hope to get my Bachelors, but its one step at a time. I've only changed my major three times, but this time I truly have found what I want to do. I started out as a Communications Major, changed to an English Major and now an Anthropology Major emphasis in Archaeology. It was something that finally encompassed all of my hobbies and passions, to be something I would actually like doing. I love photography and I'm always trying to learn new things about it. I love History, finding 'Treasures' like rock art, trooping through abandoned mine buildings and the like. I always have my camera handy and can be found snapping away. I also love to take pictures of cemeteries. Weird I know, but they fascinate me!

I know the next thing you will ask me, but yes I do believe in ghosts! I love to read ghost stories. I love to scare myself with the good old-fashioned ghost stories. Now that does not mean I like the ones that are all blood and gore. I tried to watch 13 Ghosts the remake that came out a few years back and I couldn't do it, it made me physically & violently sick. Not a pretty picture. So, no slasher movies for me! I have lived in a haunted house. In the beginning I had a really hard time with that, but by the time we moved it wasn't a big deal. We'd learned to live together.

I want to be a published writer. I want to write a book. I have writer's block. Hard to believe, huh? I mean look at my blog, I always seem to have something to say. But this has been helping me so much. Yet, when it comes to writing my fiction stories I still find I hit a blank wall. I have ideas floating around, but I can't find the words to write it. I guess I'm a perfectionist about it. If you have ideas on how to get past writer's block, I'm all ears.

I don't know what else to tell you. What do you want to know about me? Feel free to ask me. As long as it doesn't break OSPEC than I will answer, if I feel that it does I'll let you know. But otherwise I'd be more than happy to answer your questions.

Day 23 Youtube Video

I love Jeff Dunham's Achmed the Dead Terrorist! So for your enjoyment please watch the Achmed segment of Jeff's show!





And I love this one because well, one its a good Christmas song (yes, you heard/read right Christmas), but a very good family friend is the one beat boxing in this song!

Thoughtful Thursday

Here is a thought to make your day, it sure made mine!

I am a nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, I am perfect.

Ramblings at 1am

So, I should be sleeping. But I can't. I'm tired, but the incessant pounding in my skull makes that next to impossible and I find myself drawn to my blog. It seems the only place these days aside from being with my Hubby & kids that I have friends or I pretend that I do. I write as if I know that people care. I ramble about this or that, not really sure if any of the traffic my blog gets actually reads what I write. I suppose though it doesn't even matter, cause I write for me. I've had writer's block for so long, but as soon as I started blogging it seemed to go away. I always have something to say, even if most of the time its to curse something or somebody out. ;) Its nice to get it out and not always be burdening my poor Sweetheart with it all.

I was thinking today about how my family really needs an official family photo done and then my kids need their individual photos done. I feel like such a slacker mom, because neither one of my kids have had any done. Its always been an issue of money and time. We live a couple hours from a photography studio and I want to go to a good one, but when I looked at the prices for Kiddie Kandid I just about croaked. I'm not going to pay $99 for their cheapest package no matter how good they are, because at least with some of these cheaper places I can slowly build up to that but don't HAVE to spend that much. But cheap or expensive I need to go get them done. I was going to get Aidan's pictures taken last year for Father's Day as surprise for Christoper, but the night before the appointment I ended up having an emergency c-section. So, it never happened. I guess I need to make a list of things to do and put that at the top. I guess I should look up some photography studios. Too bad stand alone photographers charge so much. Anybody know somebody in Utah, who'd do it for really inexpensive?

Another thing to add to my list of things to do is find inventive ways to store things and finish putting away my house. We still have things in boxes out in the garage, but our place on post is so freakin' small and I am NOT creative with storing stuff. I'm not sure how to increase storing capacity. I could really use help with my house, my poor Hubby is not really any help since he works graveyard shifts and sleeps all day. So, cleaning and house care are kind of my thing (not my favorite), but he works 60+ hours so I can stay at home I can be in charge of the house. He's more than willing to help, but when he's awake I don't want to clean I'd rather be spending time with him as a family. Anyway, if anybody has any ideas on increasing storage I'm all ears.

Aidan told me today that he wanted Buzz 'wear which translates to Buzz underwear. We've been kind of working on potty training, but haven't really been pushing it. I think I need to start, because he hates being wet & poopy. He'll even go as far as to remove his diapers, which can be quite messy. I'm not exactly sure how to go about it. Someone suggested pushing fluids and taking him every half hour. But we spend lots of time driving into town, which kind of kills that idea. How do I work potty training around that? I can't exactly not go anywhere for a month just so I can potty train him. Any ideas?

Ok, so I know I'm really dredging you all for ideas, but I really love hearing from you and I know alot of you are experienced moms. You have tricks up your sleeves. I'd love to hear what has worked for you. For those of you that aren't moms I want your ideas on decorating, blog ideas, etc. What do you want to know about me?

Alright, I'd better get some sleep if I want to get up with my kids. I hope my head will quit pounding! Good Night Everybody!

Wordless Wednesday

Day 22 A Website

This one is really hard for me, because I really spend most of my time on my blogs & bouncing around reading the couple hundred blogs. Yes, I really do follow that many, most are other Military wives and so it makes me feel connected, because they know how I feel about the military, sending my hubby away and the like. I do really like the website for the Archaeology Magazine because it always has interesting articles. I like Fairy Wonderful that has the cutest dr. esses for girls! (Little girls that is!). One of the blogs I follow is a Marine wife with a like seven month old little girl, whose husband died in March, it is a very heartbreaking blog, but its so beautiful because she's honest and I love it. Her blog is called A Little Pink In A World of Camo. I also really like reading my friend, Sarah's blog, because she is so funny and I never know what she's going to write about next. So, yah I guess those are some of my websites. I hope you'll check them out.

This Morning

I woke up this morning to my Hubby saying, "Sweetheart, Aidan wants a cracker." My thoughts were jumbled and still sleeping as far as I was concerned.

"I don't have any crackers," I snapped."

"Yes, you do. They're on your nightstand," he pointed out, sounding tired himself.

"Oh," was all I could say.

With very blurry vision, lifting my head I managed to pull a couple crackers and pushed them into my son's eagerly waiting hands. That's when my daughter toddled over and wanted some too.

But I was already asleep. So, started the cycle over again. We did this until the crackers were gone and I finally could wake myself up enough to be with my kids.

As you can see its been one of those days, I've got one of those migraines that keeps you down and out all day, but I have two of the cutest kids ever to help brighten my day. In fact Aislynn just tried to share a frosted mini wheat with me. I'm always amazed at how lucky I am to have been blessed with such amazing kids!

What I Need....

I decided today after drooling over my friend's pictures from her current vacation in Hawaii with her Hubs & one year old son that what I really need is a Real Vacation. Not a five hour drive to see family or a weekend spent in a tent (which I do love to do), but  a real vacation to someplace I have to really save for or a place that I only want to go with my Hubby. I want to go to a theme park that I don't have access to May thru October, or a beach that surrounds one of the world's saltiest lakes.

There are problems with such a vacation. One always being money, there is always something more important to spend it on. Loads of medical bills! The other is that if my Hubby and I want to go away together no one wants to help us by taking our kids. They might overnight, but not for a week they have far better things to do than help make sure that my husband & I continue to have a good marriage. We deserve to have a break & an escape. There are those who would do anything for some members of our family, but for the rest of us we can pretty much go to hell. Maybe its because we're actually nice and we ask, rather than demand. Maybe I should turn ferocious?

Some how I've got to figure this out. I really need a vacation! Aidan & Aislynn are really too little to take much of anywhere and really enjoy being there. (Too little for most of the rides in Disneyland & the like)

I'm done! I need sleep! Maybe sleep will clear some cobwebs.

Day 21 A Recipe

My family's favorite meal, I think we could eat it every night for weeks. It really is to die for. Enjoy!

Chicken Pillows

3-4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
6 oz of cream cheese, softened
2 -4 tablespoons green onion, diced
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms (I can’t add this cause no one likes mushrooms, except me)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 cans of crescent rolls (I used the new crescent creations)
Bread crumbs
1 stick melted butter
In large bowl, mix together cream cheese, green onion, mushrooms, 2 Tbsp butter,  salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken and set aside. Open crescent rolls and carefully unroll dough. Separate each tube into 4 rectangles. Seal seam in center of each rectangle. Place one heaping tablespoon on half of each rectangle. Fold over other half of roll dough and seal edges, creating a pillow. Dip each pillow in melted butter and then bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with cream sauce.

Cream sauce:
1 can cream of chicken of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon mayo
Milk

Combine ingredients in sauce pan and cook over medium heat until heated through.

A Bloggy Blog

As I looked at my blog in the wee hours of the morning (meaning right now) I realized I haven't really blogged anything that wasn't a cookie cutter piece based off of the '30 Days of Getting To Know Me.' It makes me look like a really big slacker! How Lame! I know I can do so much better, I know it! I can give you all the excuses: I've been really sick, spending time with my hubby & kids and all that. But an excuse is still just an excuse. I still have not written a real blog post thing in quite a while. Bad, Michele, bad!

Honestly though, things have been pretty chaotic at my house these days. We've (OK, rather I've) been planning my kids joint birthday party, which is just a few weekends away and I'm starting to feel just a little frazzled. Especially since a good portion of the RSVPs have been "Sorry, we're got blah blah blah or Its just a bad weekend, sorry." We put it off for over two months for Aidan's birthday and a month for Aislynn's to accommodate people (well, us too), but its still not good enough. Well *raspberry* on you! We didn't want you to come anyway! OK, not true. Especially since everybody with kids seems to be not coming. Sad, huh?

Not only am I stressed about the lack of party goers, but just all the last minute details. We're doing a BBQ potluck & games party in the theme of Princesses, Avatar & Toy Story 3. (Aidan could not make up his mind between Avatar or Toy Story 3, so Christopher said we should do both.) We reserved a room in my In-Law's Church House since it was free, closer to civilization and it meant I didn't have to clean my house! We still have to pick up the meat (hamburgers & hot dogs), paper plates, cups & utensils all of which we will get at Costco using my In-Law's card. We have to pick up a few more presents for the kids and then last, but most importantly, I have to pull together a fabulous cake. I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate all three themes into one cake. I'll make sure to post a photo so you can all see how I manage. Hopefully it doesn't turn out too awful!

Then on top of party chaos, you add the stress of my Hubby & I trying to get pregnant again. Yup you heard right. We are trying for our last pregnancy and things aren't going so well. We've been trying for almost 8 months now without any luck and I'm starting to worry, especially since I have a fairly severe case of endometriosis that was taken care of temporarily about three years ago by laproscopy, but that doesn't mean it couldn't have come back and caused infertility which is a high chance. Then again, I've been really sick lately and so maybe that means we'll be welcoming a new baby. Too hard to tell, too much to hope for and I'm stressed out. So, as you can see lots on my plate these days.

New Subject: Aislynn said 'Cereal' tonight in of course her cute little one year old voice, which still sounds just off from how you & I might say it. It was still too cute for words, especially since Aidan had been talking about cereal right before she said it. She looks up to him so much, I hope that they stay close as they grow up.

Alright, I hope that this can count for a more bloggy blog and not such a cookie cutter response to a question blog. I should get some sleep seeing as its almost 3am here and with two little ones mornings can start early (not always though). Plus, I have one heck of a migraine and I need some relief from the lights. Good night everyone.

Memory Monday

Its hard to believe that this is me. After two kids and three surgeries, and the weight gain that comes with I can't even fit in my wedding dress. I dream of fitting back into it. *Sigh* Anyway, my memory aside from my wedding day is of how unusual my bridals are. I actually had my bridals taken three months after I got married. We gave our families a weeks notice before we got married since he found out he actually had four days of leave in between premob training and actually going overseas. So, there really wasn't time for all the normal wedding formalities. Sometimes I wish I'd gotten my big wedding and all that comes with it, but then I see all the stress and the dollar signs that come with weddings like that & I change my mind. I'm perfectly content with just having gotten to have married my sweetheart. My best friend's husband took my bridals at this really cool old church in downtown Salt Lake City and he actually made me look sexy. I have to tell you aside from these photos I don't really feel sexy, especially now that I've had kids. You know stretchmarks and the like 50lbs I could really use to lose. So, anyway that's my Memory Monday.

Day 19 & 20 A Talent & Hobby of Yours

Its nice how these to days fit together and it makes it easier for me to do one entry instead of two separate ones. I have lots of talents and hobbies, not all of which that I have easy access to examples of at the moment. I write, scrapbook, quilt, blog, photography, photo slideshows and probably a whole lot more than I can think of at the moment. I guess that I have talents in all of them to an extent. Here is an example of my writing talent, it a poem I wrote when my cousin died about a month ago.

Until We Meet Again
I woke up this morning not knowing what was waiting for me, but know that now there’s no more hurting and I’m finally free. When I heard the sweet voice of my own Angel calling me home, know that I was afraid of letting go. Afraid of hurting all of those I loved so. But I was told that it would be alright and time would fade your pain. That you would know that I was finally going Home. And still I lingered and still I cried for all the heartache that I would leave behind. I asked the Angel one last request and was given one last chance. Did you feel that gentle breeze that touched your cheek? Did you hear that bird’s happy song? Did you feel that sunbeam that warmed your face? Did you see that flower that seemed to bloom before your eyes? That was me. That was me telling you I love you. Telling you I’ll see you again. It may seem like forever, but its only a little while in the grand scheme of things. My last request was to tell all of you whom I love best, those who touched my life, my heart and my soul in so many ways that I cannot begin to tell you, but I promise when we meet again I’ll have find just the words to say and I’ll say them all. Goodbye my friends. Until We Meet Again.

I thought of another hobby of mine. I make cakes. I don't make ordinary cakes, I make original cakes. I will show you what I mean.

Day 18 Whatever Tickles Your Fancy: Spouse Game

Sorry about missing Day 18 two days ago, but we were at a Family Reunion on Saturday and I've been sick yesterday/today. So here is my random thing. This is a cool little questionaire that circulated Facebook for awhile back in February. I thought you might enjoy reading it. I'll put up Day 19 & 20 later today when I'm feeling better. I want you to know I had not forgotten you all.

♥ What are your middle names? Robert and Dwan

♥ How long have you been together? Married 4 years, together total 8 years

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? a year

♥ Who asked who out? Chris asked me out, but I kind of tricked him into it, but I think we both agree it was worth it!

♥ How old are each of you? We're both 25, of course he turned 25 in February & I turned 25 a couple of weeks ago.

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? I think its a tie, cause we live far away from all of our siblings

♥ Do you have any children together? yup, Aidan & Aislynn

♥ What about pets? We have two dogs, Ranna & Danu

♥ Did you go to the same school? Yes, we are high school sweethearts

♥ Are you from the same home town? Sort of, we went to school in the same town, but I lived in Eagle Mountain & he actually lived in Lehi where we went to school

♥ Who is smarter? I think we are both smart in our very unique ways

♥ Who is more sensitive ? That's debatable

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Applebee's or Chili's

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Sturgess, South Dakota with our Army Unit, now that could be Albuquerque, New Mexico a few months back.

♥ Who has the craziest exes? That would be me, his only ex would be me (which is a very long story on how that works)

♥ Who has the worse temper? We both do, in different ways

♥ Who does the cooking? We take turns

♥ Who is more social? It really depends on the situation and who we are with

♥ Who is the neat-freak? I think he is, I'd rather spend the time with him doing nothing at all than cleaning

♥ Who is the more stubborn? We are both really stubborn to a fault sometimes

♥ Who hogs the bed? Sometimes me and sometimes him, I sleep alone at night since he works and I usually spread out, but when he's really tired he does the same thing.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Doesn't work for us, since his day and night are different from mine

♥ Where was your first date? Junior Prom. We went to One Man Band for breakfast, then to the park across from the Mount Timp Temple to play board games, lunch at Subway, more games at a park in Lehi, then dinner at Macaroni Grill and the dance at Provo Towne Mall. It was one of the best dates!

♥ Who has the bigger family? He does, only because he has five living siblings and two of his siblings are married with kids, where I only have four living siblings and none of my siblings are married and no kids!

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not really

♥ How do you spend the holidays? We rotate holidays

♥ Who is more jealous? I think that is debatable, but probably me.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? well, if by serious you mean the real thing serious try four years! We got engaged the first time in 2003, but didn't actually get married in 2006

♥ Who eats more? Chris

♥ Who does the laundry? Me, sometimes he does, but I do it more often

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Chris is

♥ Who is funnier? Chris

♥ Who is the better driver? I don't know, probably him just cause he's confident

♥ Name something you have picked up or adopted for your spouse? Trying to solve the movie or book before its over, I never used to do that.

Day 17 An Art Piece

Well, I'm not really big into 'Art,' but I really love work done by Amy Brown. I love fairies. I have shelves of fairy statues, wall tapestries and the like. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorites done by her, but I really do love all of her work.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #4

This is always so much fun. I hope you enjoy learning about me, as I love learning about you!

1. What food reminds you of your spouse?
This is honestly a hard one. But I think either horseradish or habenero peppers.  My husband loves spicy food. Every year he and his brothers compete who can eat the biggest spoonful of straight horseradish. Every year its my husband who wins.








2. Who would you rather sit next to in a cross-country plane ride: an irritating non-stop talker, or a quiet stare-er?
Probably a non-stop talker, because I can always put in some headphones and ignore them. Also I'm pretty good at ignoring people while I'm reading anyway, so I'd be ok. I'd rather not have someone stare at me the whole flight, just too creepy.
3. What are your best tips on how to save money?
I think opening a savings account in a bank or credit union that you may not have as easy of access as your normal account, then have so much per paycheck automatically deposited than it will accumilate and you won't even miss it.
4. What is your favorite summer memory?
Anyone of my family's big summer vacations growing up, they were always such adventures. It was Canada one year, Oregon another. We always stopped and saw whatever sparked our interest, planned to see museums, points of interest and always hiking & adventuring.
6. Do you believe in ghosts?
 Yes, we owned a house in an old mining town and it was haunted. We'd hear people running around upstairs when we knew no one was upstairs. My parents stayed quite a few times and my mom heard & saw many things that weren't quite possible. I loved having a haunted house.

Family Vacation To Colorado

Back in June, we took a family vacation just after my hubby got back from his fabulous 16 day vaca with the Army! Okay, so he really didn't have any fun and would rather have been at home, but that's besides the point. It was nice having a chance to get out of the house and go somewhere as a family, although Christopher pointed out it could have been at a more convenient time frame than it was. He wanted to stay home and recover from AT. So here is the scoop on our trip. I'll post pictures up later.

Our family vacation was an adventure in ways we could not have foreseen nor do I think we would have necessarily chosen, but we did have fun and it was well worth some of the hitches to be there together. The reason we chose to go to Colorado for this particular vacation was because my Aunt Kimmy was getting remarried and we were actually invited to be at this wedding (We weren't invited to the first one nor did we even meet the creep she was married to, no loss there.) So, Christopher and I decided well if we were going to drive the nine plus hours to this wedding we were going to turn it into a full out vacation and go see some of the sights. We had been to Denver a few years back and gone to the most amazing aquarium there, and our kids love fish. So, we decided that definitely had to be in and in doing my research of the area found that the Denver Zoo was really cool, as well as the Children's museum.

So, we got a late start the night we left, but we luckily have family in Grand Junction who had offered up their guest bedroom to us for the night before we headed to Denver. But what should have only taken 3 1/2 to 4 hours ended up being a 7 hour drive. Aidan got really sick about the time we hit Price, forcing us to stop and clean up vomit. Add in the fact that nothing is open after midnight there, yeah for us. So, our drive was full of stops for him to keep being sick and we finally arrived in Grand Junction as the sun was coming up around 5am. I had been hoping to be leaving from here at that time, oh well. We got a few hours of sleep, dealt with some more throw up and headed on our way just after noon.

Aidan seemed to be doing better after that, I think he threw up because he'd been drinking the pedialyte too fast, but try telling a two year old that. We made a few stops on the way, but we still made pretty good time and arrived in Denver around 5pm. The next trick was to find the Aquarium which was going to be our first stop of the night. It was a little tricky maneuvering through town since there was a baseball game going on, but when we finally found the aquarium it meant that it was pretty dead. The kids loved the fish and if we could have moved in I think they would have been in heaven. I'm not so sure if I would want to live there, but its certainly fun to visit. So, if you ever find yourself in Denver go see the aquarium its a must!

Next we made our way to Colorado Springs and checked into our hotel for the night. Chris brought us some dinner and we crashed for the night. It had been a long day and we were all exhausted. When we woke up the next morning, my Mom called to inform me that the big BBQ was starting at noon and they wanted to do the kids birthday party after that. I was like uhm, we had plans to go back to Denver this morning and go to the Children's Museum. We finagled things and we headed to Denver again. The Children's Museum is even better than the one in Salt Lake, I mean this thing was huge and in the like three hours we were there we still didn't see everything. I was sad that we didn't. :( It didn't help that I got sick while we were there and didn't really get to enjoy as much of the museum as I wanted. It had a Firetruck room, which Aislynn liked. Aidan was still waking up and was being really clingy. The room we spent the most time in was the under four room, which had a little village in it where they could 'cook,' care for dolls, garden, weigh things, go down tree root slides, cross carpet bridges over carpet rivers. It was a really cute room and my kids had so much fun in that room. Aidan also liked the train room where you could put together the railroad line and play with the trains and that's only a few of the many rooms. So worth what we spent.

We bought a cake for the kids birthday on the way back and headed to my Grandfather's place to do the birthday party. My Grandfather had never met my kids before so it was a real treat to see them all together, it was too bad that we didn't have more time with them. We sang to Aidan & Aislynn let them attempt to blow out the candles with help. Then they opened some presents from Chris & I. We just spent about an hour together, before everyone headed back to there respective places of residence since the wedding was the next day.

The wedding was very interesting, since my aunt wanted it to be done at noon on Summer Solstice. I got to be one of the 9 girls who gave her away since I was her oldest niece. Yeah, fun. I was wearing a new red dress, which is so not my color. I got to protect my family later against a really bratty woman, who was my aunt's friend and was treating my family horribly and I made sure my aunt knew there was a problem before I punched that problem in the face! I was pissed! Don't mess with my family!

Anyway, the rest of the wedding stuff was really boring and not worth describing. Afterwards, we went to see some Cliff Dwellings and that was really cool. We got lots of pictures of those and Aidan wanted to run all over the place in there, but we were mean and wouldn't let him. (The signs said that he wasn't supposed to.) The next day was when we started to make our way home. We went to the Denver Zoo, which is 80 acres and that's huge. If you want an idea of how big that is, if you have been to the Hogle Zoo that is 40 acres, so this other zoo was two of those combined. It took us like five hours to get through and we still had to skip over things. Alot of there building exhibits didn't allow strollers and so we didn't find it necessary to go in them. We all had fun.

After the zoo, we made our way to Grand Junction. It took us a little longer than it did before because I was once again sick and we had to stop a couple of times for me, but we made it there by midnight this time and we slept in til about 8 or 9.  We made the last stretch of our drive home and got back in time for Christopher to go to work. We were all exhausted, but we had a lot of fun on our trip. I can't wait to see where we decide to go next!

Sec4?

When my Dear Sweet Hubby got hired on down on the Federal Security here on post it was a relief to us. We were both hoping the change was going to relieve stress caused by a few people he worked with that were absolute idiots, not to mention the type of people who like to make trouble for anybody and everybody. Plus a lot of really dumb company policies that hurt the employees rather than helped them and such.

When I asked him what was the name of his new employer he told me it was called "Sec4." I thought, "Huh." I got that Sec stood for Security cause they are security guards, but I didn't get the whole "4" thing. You know, but whatever right it obviously stood for something.

Finally after a few weeks, I finally asked him, "What does the '4' in Sec4 mean? I mean I know Sec means Security. Its the number '4' I don't get."

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Sweetheart, For as in 'F-O-R.' It stands for Force. We are the Security Force."

Oh, boy! Please Somebody come stencil stupid on my forehead! In all that time, that had never crossed my mind, not even once. Makes me feel real intelligent. But I can laugh about it, cause I did. I mean I would have to right? Christopher sure did, he thought it was the funniest thing ever. I really just felt dumb at the time, but I still laughed and now of course I find it funny. Now you can all laugh at me being an airhead!

Day 16 A Song That Makes You Cry

I think it goes without say that any song that talks about a soldier/s not coming home or the like is probably going to make most of us a little misty eyed if not full out crying, then add pictures of wives & families saying goodbye to their soldiers, soldiers over in Iraq and then the photos that are the hardest to see the ones of soldiers caskets coming home, funerals, loved ones crying etc & I'm bawling like a baby. So, I think its safe to say that songs that are going to make me cry go along those lines and I hope you will forgive me, but I feel that this of all places is going to be the place that these will be the most understood and heartfelt. I don't know how many of you follow Mrs. P's blog, A Little Pink in a World of Camo, if you don't then I think you will find it a life changing experience. I did. It allows you into a world that is more often than not kept hidden, but the world of a Soldier's Widow and her daily struggle to live after he is gone & to raise a baby that will never know her father outside of what is told to her. With that being said I dedicate all of these songs to the bravest woman I know, Mrs. P!



 





I want to point out something ironic about a line in the last song. This used to be the ringtone for when Christopher. Anyway it would play the line, "I won't be there for the birth of our little girl." Well the irony of that is Christopher wasn't there for Aislynn's birth. We all laugh about that now and how ironic it is.

Thoughtful Thursday

I'm having Thursdays be Thoughtful Thursday and I'm hoping to find great thoughts, poems and the like to share with you. Today I found this to be such a fitting poem for this blog and it was so beautiful.  I got it from Jesstagirl and her officer's blog and I had to share it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Making of a Military Wife
Author: Unknown

When the good Lord was creating Wives, he was into his sixth day of overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "You're having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

And the Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, but must be sponsored to get on post; have the qualities of both father and mother during deployments; be a perfect hostess to 4 or 40; run on black coffee; handle emergencies without a manual; be able to handle flu, birthdays and moves around the world; have a kiss that can cure anything from a child's torn Valentine to a husband's weary day; have the patience of a saint when waiting for the Unit to return home; and have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her hand slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way!"

And the Lord answered, "Don't worry, we'll make other military wives to help. Besides it's not the hands that are causing the problem, it's the heart. It must swell with pride in her husband, sustain the ache of separations, beat on soundly when it's too tired to do so and be large enough to say, "I Understand" when she doesn't, and 'I love you' regardless."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve gently. "Come to bed... finish this tomorrow!"

"I can't," said the Lord. "I'm so close to creating something unique. Already I have one who heals herself when she's sick, can feed three unexpected guests who are stuck in the area due to bad weather, and can wave good-bye to her husband, from a pier, off a runway and understand that it is important to his country that he leaves."

The angel circled the model of the military wife very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

"But tough," said the Lord excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this woman can do or endure."

"Can it think?"

"Can it think? It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."

"What's it for?" asked the angel.

"It's for joy. Sadness. Disappointment. Pain, loneliness and pride!"

"You are a genius," sighed the angel.

The Lord looked somber and replied, "I didn't put it there."

Day 15 Fanfic, But Not Really

So, I don't really understand the point of this one. I'm a writer and so I've played at writing fanfic, kind of fun. But its not really your work because you didn't create the characters. I've read Buffy and Angel spin-offs, as well as Roswell ones. Some are good, but some are crap, it really depends. So, I'm going to give you another random fact on me.

I have had three major ankle surgeries since February 2003. One of which while I was pregnant with my daughter and I didn't know I was pregnant. The last one I had cost just shy of $30,000, although we don't owe that much (Thank heavens!). They had to put in two bone plugs from a cadaver that cost $14,000 alone, plus three screws to hold them in place. I'll hit my year mark in September and I'm hoping that if the screws will stop hurting I'll be able to work back up to running again. The last two surgeries were less than a year apart. Its no fun. I honestly hope its the last surgery, but like I mentioned the screws have been bugging me and they've talked about taking them out. So, we'll see. Anyway, something new about me!

Wordless Wednesday

My Two Year Old and Naps

I have three words for you: Aidan. Hates. Naps. Now this is a new development and an incredibly annoying one at that. He used to be so good at taking naps, but now he screams and cries like we are torturing him in the worst possible ways. I'm figuring that its got to be the age, but even then I'm not really sure. All I know is that its a source of stress for us all, because without this vitally important nap we have a very grouchy two year old more prone to being a bully to his little sister. (Not that she doesn't try to hold her own, but she still is littler than him.)

So, today he was in his room supposed to be napping and we were in our room with Aislynn. We decided to shut our bedroom door so that she couldn't get to his door and bug him, but we'd left her bedroom door open & the baby monitor on in her room. So, when Aidan started absolutely screaming murder, it was loud enough that the baby monitor in her room was picking it up through his closed door and making our receiver lights jump up like he was in her room. We're so mean! We actually were laughing, because I couldn't believe that the monitor, which isn't that great was actually picking up his screams. We also don't encourage temper tantrums, which was exactly what he was doing.

My comment than was, "Well, if someone asked what we did today, we could tell them that we sat around and laughed as our son set off the baby monitor from two & half rooms away." We're such nice parents! I wish I knew how to get him to nap. If anybody has any suggestions that will help me out, I'd be ever so grateful.

Just another day in the Misadventures of An Army Momma With Two Under 2

Day 14 Nonfiction Book

I think my favorite nonfiction book would have to be Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters. I really love the Mini Series Band of Brothers and my favorite character is Dick Winters, so I was excited to read the book that told his life story. It was a real page turner for me. We actually bought it for my father-in-law for his birthday and he let me borrow it as soon as he had finished reading it. Its a pretty interesting read, if you like war stories since it covers a lot of time during WWII.

They were Easy Company, 101st Army Airborne-the World War II fighting unit legendary for their bravery against nearly insurmountable odds and their loyalty to one another in the face of death. Every soldier in this band of brothers looked to one man for leadership: Major Dick Winters.

This is the riveting story of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary hero. After he enlisted in the army's arduous new Airborne division, Winters's natural combat leadership helped him climb the ranks, but he was never far from his men. Decades later, Stephen E. Ambrose's Band of Brothers made him world-famous. Full of never-before-published photographs, interviews, and Winters's candid insights, Biggest Brother is the story of a man who became a soldier, a leader, and a living testament to the valor of the human spirit.

Memory Monday

Okay, so I know I'm posting this very early Tuesday morning, but I have one of those horrendous migraines and so I'm going to cheat this Memory Monday. This is the first entry of my family blog, but I figure it works, because its a very important Memory for me.



Our son Aidan was born May 16, 2008 at 4:40 PM in American Fork. We were so excited to welcome him into the world.

It was the most amazing, horrific and wonderful experience of my life. Horrific in the sense that after two epidurals I still ended up having him natural and bawled my eyeballs out, I won't lie. It was the most horrible pregnancy with me nearly loosing my kidney to have him, but you know what once they handed him to me it was all worth it. Looking into those little blue eyes, I forgot all about everything else and cried because he was here. And now my son is two, where does time go?

Post Housing Controversy

I was reading on Military Spouse Facebook page the other day and they asked something about Privatization vs Military Controlled Housing. They wanted to know what people preferred and there were tons of answers, which showed that it was quite the 'Hot' topic. I kind of skimmed through because I was curious to hear what people had to say about either way. Now I will be honest I'm not quite sure if the housing on our installation is Privatized or Military controlled, my husband deals with them most of the time. With some of their standards I'd say Military controlled, but I know that to get anything fixed is done by a contractor so I have no idea.

The opinions varied from person to person from base to base. Some liked the privatized on this base, but not that one. Some preferred the Army running it on one particular base, but not another. It was interesting. But then I started reading a few comments that really started to irritate me. I am not a person who thinks that rank should have much to do with where someone lives or anything like that, I know that somethings are done by rank for reasons like they get paid more so rent for higher ranks tends to be more and things like that. I'm not sure all the specifics and I don't make the rules. I'm not someone who likes to be judgemental based on rank and job, okay that's just not me.

So when I start reading comments about Staff SGTs being housed next to PVTs, and the Staff SGTs family having issues because the PVTs are partiers and that higher ranks shouldn't be with lower enlisted. I really want to throw something at people like that. Not all PVTs are partiers, just like not all Officers are old. I mean you can't judge a rank based on something like that. I don't think you should segregate the community by rank, how do you think the lower enlisted feel if the Higher enlisted are all grouped together in another part of the community? Are they getting better housing? Do they deserve it more because they just happen to have more stripes? No. Now, I heard a comment about an older couple being in a four bedroom place when it was just two of them and that's not cool, because its supposed be based on the number of people in your household.

The other comment that really got my goat, was that Civilians shouldn't live on post. Now who are you to say who should and shouldn't live on post. If they work on post just like a soldier doesn't that give them rights to live there too? Or are we as soldiers and soldier's families cooler & specialer than everyone else? I don't think so. Now, this is my opinion and you don't have to agree. My husband is Army Reserves, so we aren't stationed on a Base and so we live on post because he works on the Federal Side as a Security Guard for the installation. Granted our name got put higher on the list for housing than the civilian contractors which are by the way going out. The President wants Civilian contractors to go away from being used by the Military. But if a stationed soldier needed to move onto the post at the same time as we were on the list, then they would get to move in first. But that doesn't happen very often and nobody really moves out here.

The point is that it made us sound like stuck up snobs, like because we're soldier's wives we're better than civilian wives and that civilians on post are nothing. Which is a load of crap. We are no better than anybody, nobody. I think pulling rank by a wife is such crap too. I have nothing against the wives of higher ranking soldiers most are very nice, but if you think that makes you better well...I don't even know...I just think you need to grow up!

Okay, so I vented. Its been something on my mind since I read these postings and I couldn't shake it. I just couldn't believe how petty some of these comments were. My husband is Specialist and I was a Specialist, but I don't think I'm better than a Private First Class. All the rank does, is show that I worked hard, passed my PT test and put forth the effort to keep advancing. That's it. I just hate the cocky attitude. I want to be able to be friends with everyone, no matter what their husband's rank. Just because my husband's a Specialist doesn't mean we're party animals. In fact the older couple next door, make more noise than we do and I have two kids under two and they don't.

So, I'm curious what do you think about segregation of ranks on post? What about civilians living on post? Is it really fair to not allow them to live here if they work here? What about denying them jobs on post, is that fair? I don't see us all rushing to get jobs on post and often they're more qualified. So, lets here some opinions. I promise I won't jump down anyone's throat. I really do want to hear what you have to say.

Day 13 A Fictional Book

So, I love to read and I could list hundreds and thousands of fictional books that I like & love. To pick one is not really possible for me, so instead I will tell you what one I am currently reading at the moment. I am Reading: The Kane Chronicles Book 1 The Red Pyramid

Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane.One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a research experiment at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe on a quest which brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

I am absolutely loving this book so far and it just appeals to my Archaeologist side plus my fantasy side, so I'm in heaven. I love it. What can I say! I'm not going to give it a review, because if it sounds interesting to you then you'll read it and if it doesn't you won't. Either way you can make your own opinions on it, cause I hate critics! Just know I love it!

Day 12 Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

I figured that since this is a "Whatever Tickles Your Fancy" Day that I would tell you something unusual about myself that you may not know about me. In order to tell you, I first I have to show you a picture or two.

So, I know that these are some rather unusual pictures from a headstone, a strange looking track that kind of disappears and a ramshackle house. Well, I took these pictures and my hobby is I that I like to take pictures of places and objects of our past. I like to take pictures in cemeteries, OK so that might make me sound really weird and freakish, but I do. This headstone is far nearer than most that I take, but unfortunately all of my older headstone photos are on my other computer which my husband has. I am fascinated by the past and cemeteries tell some of the most fascinating stories. The other two photos are of a 50 Caliber Gun firing track that soldiers trained on while driving in jeeps during WWII down in Wendover and the other is old Military Barracks in Wendover. I love history and so I like taking photos & helping preserve the things of the past.


So, I am actually going to school to become an Archaeologist/Anthropologist so that I can protect artifacts of the past, which puts all of my hobbies to good use. Makes them a little less weird. It also helps me work toward overcoming my claustrophobia. I actually went in two caves in May and spent several hours in them without having a panic attack, which is a first for me (you should just ask my parents or my husband). I even have photographic proof that I did. Go me!

I'm so excited to finally find something to study at school. I have changed my major three times, but I will finally be getting my Associates in three semesters and I am thrilled. Christopher's Dad is also an Archaeologist/Anthropologist and has been my mentor, giving me plenty of reading material, prepping me for my classes. I know I will have all the help I need if there is ever anything I don't understand. I hope you enjoyed learning something new about me!

Signature Sunday: Daddy...

This is going to be one of the many new things I'm going to be attempting to do on my blog, something I'd like to call "Signature Sunday." Signature Sunday is going to be a story, event or photo that classifies as one of my family's Misadventures, which is my signature. I hope that you will enjoy reading it, as much I will enjoy sharing it.

Signature Sunday
My Husband works the graveyard shift on post as a Security Guard and so he comes home & sleeps for a few hours in morning. He gets up around 2 so that he can spend time with the me and the kids before he goes back to work. Our son, Aidan, being two years old doesn't understand that Daddy needs his sleep, so as soon as he wakes up around 9am immediately comes to see Daddy. So, as a 'bribe'  to get our son to leave him alone my Husband keeps Hershey kisses in his nightstand drawer, but this last week I think it worked against him more than it do for him. He also had a package of ritz crackers on top of his nightstand. So, our son came creeping over, "Daddy. Daddy? Daddy?" His little voice getting slowly louder and louder.

He did this until my Husband finally rolled over and said, "What, Aidan?"

"Daddy, Chocolate?"

"Oh, you want chocolate do you?"

"Yeah!" His little face lit up and he jumped up & down in excitement. My husband opened the drawer just enough that, Aidan could stick his little hand inside and grab a kiss.

"Did you get one," my Husband asks him, before closing the drawer. He then helps Aidan unwrap the aluminum wrapping off of the chocolate and in seconds the chocolate has already been stuffed into my son's mouth using both hands.

"Hmmm," he says nodding his head, as he eats its chocolaty goodness. He then runs off to play with his one year old little sister, who is off crawling around somewhere in his room. My Husband sags in exhaustion against the mattress, happy to have made our son happy, but more than happy to be able to lay down and sleep again in peace. I move to cuddle up next to him, very happy to have him home, even if he is sleeping the day away.

Not more than ten minutes has passed, when suddenly a little red head pops up next Daddy's side of the bed and a little voice questions, "Daddy...Cracker?" It takes a few more minutes for my Husband to wake up enough to respond, but between the two of us we get Aidan to ask politely, "Daddy..May..I..Have..A..Cracker?"

"Yes, you may." My Husband, who is so sweet and patient (most of the time), hands our son three or four crackers and sends him off to play. Lays his head down and is snoring again in two seconds flat. Poor guy. You'd think he never gets any sleep. With a son who loves him and adores him as much as Aidan does, he probably doesn't.

Not two minutes later, "Daddy...Cracker?"

My Husband looks at our son incredulously, "Where are the other four I gave you?"

"Share...Baby." We both turn to see that our daughter, Aislynn, has all four crackers clutched tightly in her tiny one year old fists, smiling at us with her big toothy grin. What a sweet brother, but what a snot because he'll never let Daddy sleep at this rate. My Husband, being the sweetheart that he is, hands our son a few more crackers and sends him on his way. Then lays back down and is out before he knows it.

But before too long, we hear, "Daddy..."

Another Year Older & Wiser, Too?

It was my birthday a few days back and I don't exactly know how I feel about it. I honestly can say I don't really feel any different and I sure don't feel any wiser. Plus, you know it didn't really feel like my birthday either. Don't get me wrong there were many birthday wishes including at least 30 from friends and family on Facebook alone and my sweet Husband took me out to dinner and movie of my choice with a couple of friends. I guess now that I'm not a kid birthdays just aren't really exciting anymore.

I was excited at the chance to actually go out on my birthday rather than days or weeks later, which is normally how these things work. In fact last year, I thought my husband had forgotten my birthday because he hadn't said anything to me all day. Sad, huh? I was a little hurt and a little down about it, but I didn't bring it up to him because I didn't want to pointedly make him feel bad. He did wish me happy birthday later that night over the phone while he was at work and he told me that he just hadn't gotten a chance to do so before then. I forgave him, because he was so sweet and well, I love him! What can I say? So, it was so nice having him home on my birthday, although he worked the night before and so he slept part of the day so that he could function that night on our date. We did manage to work in a little Birthday Lovin' in the middle of his nap, which was very enjoyable!

It also was my daughter's 12 month well-baby appt that morning (boy did we have a crazy day!). My daughter weighs 19lbs 13oz and is 29in, you would never know that she was a premie now would you? They have finally taken her off the adjusted charts and put her on the normal charts for her age, she's just below the 50th percentile for everything. Hurray! She's hitting all of her 12 month milestones, the Dr said she is doing exceptionally well and he said we don't have anything to worry about anymore as far as her being a premie goes! Thank heavens!

My daughter the day she was born.

 She's getting so big! This weekend she's been toddling around even more and its most unfortunate that her Daddy is missing out on it again! Such is the life in the Army!

Ugh. Another mind-splitting migraine! Of course it would have to be at its worse when I have no help, but I've been managing and my kids are pretty good (for the most part). They diagnosed me with Chronic Migraines about three months ago and I've been taking all kinds of daily preventive drugs, but the pills for pain once the migraine has already set in costs a whopping $52 even with our Federal Insurance and we just can't afford it. Not to mention you can only take them twice a day and they wear out after exactly two hours, so what about the other 16hrs a day? If anybody has any suggestions I am all ears? Excedrin Migraine just doesn't cut it.

I know this has been all over the place today, but I wrote about what ever came to mind and that's kind of how I want to do it from now on. I want to talk about my crazy kids (because they are crazy and so entertaining. Cute, too.), but I want to talk about me, the Army, my husband and whatever is on my mind that day. I hope that you will find it interesting and can get to know me. Feel free to comment or not, but I do love hearing from you all.

Welcome to Misadventures of An Army Momma With Two Under 2!

Day 11 A Photo Taken of You Recently

I'm going to get a better one taken, but this was just a few weeks ago on our family vacation.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #3

1. What is your favorite household chore?

I don't have one, I hate cleaning! That is the honest truth, I'd rather be doing just about anything else, but houses/apartments don't clean themselves. I'd rather do laundry I guess if I have to pick something.

2. What is your favorite childhood memory?
Doing theatre in high school and I know thats not exactly childhood, but they were the best years of my youth and I will never forget participating in any of the plays that I did. I met and worked with my husband in theatre in high school so that adds to how special it was to me.

3. What is your most embarrassing moment?
A Freshmen friend of mine asked me to Prom my Senior year by giving me a 'Striptease.' He was in our High School production of Les Miserables and had to wear a tux for the end, so one night after the show, he stripped down to a white t-shirt under his jacket, vest button up shirt all to the "I'm to sexy song." His t-shirt read, "Will you go to Prom with me?" How could I say no to that?

4. What uniform of your spouse’s is your favorite?
I love my husband in his ACUs and his Class As! I mean who doesn't love their man in a uniform? I really love how sharp he looks in his Class As, but he really only wears those once a year at his Units Christmas party. But he still is sexy in his ACUs!

5. What canceled TV show do you miss the most?
That is such a toss up between Life and Dollhouse. Two amazing shows that were not given fair chances in the running of 'TV Land' because somebody decided that not enough people were watching! Stupid people!