Mommy of a princess, angel, and sweet pea!

More pics of the house...

2010-02-11T20:13:00.001-08:00

A view of the den and the master bedroom in the back.
Another view of the den.

Kara's closet, it's pretty big.

Another view of the Den...

Master bedroom

Master bedroom looking into the den.

Dining room

Bar

Whoops I put it twice, oh well!

View of living room into the hallway.

View from living room to front door.

Another view of living room, French doors lead to the backyard.

Livingroom and dining

Yet another view of the den.

And another, Nick really wanted to see it ALL! lol

I had to go take another look at the house today because I was worried some of our stuff wouldn't fit. Luckily I was wrong, the house looked much bigger this time. I am still totally in love with it. By far the best house I have seen. And the best part is we are under contract. We sign the papers on the 25th of March. Then the keys will be in my hands!! Can't wait!

The house we are putting an offer in for....

2010-02-04T19:05:00.001-08:00

So I didn't take the best pictures. I was kind of nervous about taking pics of the house when someone else's stuff was in it. The pictures really don't do this house justice, but it gives you an idea. So readers, what do you think?

View of the front with garage.
Front enterance

The kitchen with cherry wood cabinets!! I love them!

One view of the living room, wish I had taken a pic of the other view. See the curved archway, love it!

The foyer that leads to the living room. I really love the little shelf!

Breakfast nook with ceramic tile.

Light in the breakfast nook

Maddy's room-has french doors, but I think she will like that once I put up some curtains. It also has a nice sized closet.

Formal dining room, which will be our Den.

Kara's room-already painted pink like I wanted!

Kids Bathroom

Caden's room-no need to paint this one either, the color I was thinking to paint it.

Laundry Room

Master bedroom- notice the trey ceiling.

Master bath walk in shower

Master toilet

Master closet (it's much bigger than it looks it goes back on both sides).

Window above the master bath tub

Master bath jacuzzi tub!

Double vanity in master bath.

The view above the kitchen cabinets. The architecture of this house is so pretty!

Back of the house

The backyard

Another view of the back of the house.

Life changes

2009-12-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in forever. I actually considered giving it up. I don't have a lot of time to be on the computer with Kara running around and with the new baby on the way. For those of you that don't know, it's a BOY!!! I am super thrilled, but a little scared about his arrival. His name will be Caden. I had an ultrasound yesterday that was perfect! It was a big relief. He is due April 19th.

Now with the bad news....I have been in a life rut lately and don't see myself getting out of it too soon. I don't really want to go into detail about my situation, but I will say that the things that have been going on lately have been life changing. I have had to dig within myself to find out what it is that makes me happy and what I want out of life. I am still not there yet. I don't know all the answers. I do know that my children are the highlight of my life. I will do anything and everything to keep them happy and let them know how much they are loved. I pray they never have to endure the kind of pain and heartache that I have in my life. I guess that is every parent's hope. I am so thankful for them.

I feel very alone in this world. More alone than I ever have and it's very scary. I do have a good support system of family and friends, but no one that truly understands me or my situation. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way that people aren't always going to be there for you. Sometimes you think someone is your friend or that someone will love you forever despite your flaws. Untrue. Life is all about chances. We aren't guaranteed anything. I just wish I had been a little more knowing rather than in the dark. I'll know better in the future, right? Or will I just fall back into my old mistakes? It's hard to know. I do know that you can't make someone feel for you. I thought back on my life and realized that anyone that I ever loved still holds a place in my heart. I still love each and every one of those people. So how does love fade for some? It never has for me. I've never left anyone out in the cold, at least I hope not. Some of my friendships went on the back burner, but I have tried to keep in contact with all the ones that I truly cared about. Sure some people fade out of our lives over time, but we don't ever forget them or stop feeling for them. So where to go from here? I am still trying to figure that out.

I have been looking into what I want for my future. I am very interested in becoming an ultrasound tech. I've been interested in it since I was pregnant with Conner. Ultrasounds have always intrigued me. I have found a school in the local area that is a one year program. I am really excited at the idea of it, but I am not sure I will have the money or time to attend. It's quite pricey and the classes are Monday thru Friday from 8am to 4pm. Kind of hard for a mother of two small children. I have also heard there is a two year program at a local community college. It may be more my speed since I will have to work, attend school, and be a mother. The thought of having to be away from my babies is almost unbearable for me, but I need to be able to provide for them. Therefore I may have to sacrifice some time with them. With the economy down and no guarantee of a paycheck, it is super scary to me. Not knowing what the future holds is frightening, but I am trying to stay optimistic. We are now back in the states and life has changed a lot since I was here last. Things are more expensive, that's something I noticed right away. My biggest decision as of now is to decide where to live. As of now we are staying with my mom, but plan on finding a place of our own before Caden is born. I only have 13 weeks until I am due...time is running out. I am hoping that I will be enlightened in some way and will get some answers. Who knew deciding on a place to live could be so hard? I hope that all of you out there are having a great New Year. I pray that 2010 brings clarity, love, and happiness to us all.

Pregnancy update....

2009-09-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

First, I apologize for not blogging in a while. I had a bad time with morning sickness (more like ALL day sickness) that kept me on the couch for a few weeks. Luckily that has started to subside, I am now 11 weeks pregnant, making my due date April 22nd. Everything went well at the doctors, where I got an ultrasound and heard the heartbeat (160 bpm). I have another ultrasound scheduled for November 9th where we should find out the sex of the baby. Speaking of, I took an at home test to determine what the baby will be and it said BOY! I know it's not 100 % accurate, more like 82%, but it still was fun to do. Here's a few pics I have to share.....Not the best ultrasound pic, since I no longer have a scanner. Sorry!

Can't wait to see if this true or not. Either way I am happy, as long as it's a healthy baby!

A pic of my little bitty bump, taken two days ago, can you see it?

Big Sister

2009-08-22T17:32:00.001-07:00

It's true, I am expecting! Not sure on a due date yet. I am hoping to see a doctor in the next few weeks. I will keep you updated! We are so excited!

New furniture

2009-08-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that Nick and I finally decided (we've been thinking on it for over a year now)that we would get a new bedroom set. We didn't necessarily need one, but this one is just GORGEOUS! It is fancier and nicer than anything we have ever owned (although our entertainment center is pretty close). We are also upgrading from a queen to a king size bed. Nick says I hog the bed too much, hee hee! It is better to get it here because we don't have to pay taxes on it and it just happens to be 15% off right now. *SMILE* We are also getting the nightstands and dresser. I am still debating on the chest, because it is so expensive. The tops of the nightstands and dresser are marble and the drawers are lined with black velvet. The bed has four post that go to the ceiling that have roses and vines carved in them. SO PRETTY! Talk about feeling like royalty. I have always dreamed of being a princess and now I will feel like one in my beautiful room. I am still in search of a comforter. I have changed my mind about doing the light green/blue room for us. Nick didn't really like those colors, so now I figure I will build around what ever comforter I happen to find. We also found some end tables and coffee table for our living room with marble tops. I really like marble tops, can't you tell? I like it because it is easy to clean. Anything that is easy to clean (and pretty) is right up my alley. So I know you are wanting to see these beauties so here they are ....

What do you think?

Okinawan grocery store

2009-08-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I couldn't wait any longer to venture off base for some fresh veggies and fruit. I have been wanting to go to Naval Kadena and the Farmer's market for a while now. And to make things better I remembered my camera! I didn't take any pics at the Farmer's market because it was so crowded/busy... maybe next time! The grocery store that I went to is actually pretty small, but still fun. I took as many pictures as I felt comfortable taking. Most of the time the locals were looking at me like I was insane. I guess it would be weird to see someone taking pictures in the grocery store. But anyway, here you go...

Here is what you see when you first walk in. Looks normal, right? Well if you walk past the fruit/veggies you find this stuff. I have no earthly idea what this stuff is. It all looks really weird and being the picky person I am, I have no intention of trying ANY of it!

Here is some of the meat, which has a lot more selections than you would ever find in say an Albertson's. But keep in mind that the Japanese love fish and all sorts of meat, where Americans tend to be a bit more selective. Speaking of fish...here are some whole ones in their freezer section. I gaged a little just taking the pic, but thought you might like to see it. (Did I mention I HATE seafood?)

I can't even begin to tell you what this might be, maybe some type of seaweed? All I know is that it looks D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G

Now for a few things that you might recognize. These are bags of rice, LARGE bags. I don't think there are little bags of rice in this store. Which makes sense, because the Okinawans use a lot of rice. Sticky rice is what the Americans here call it. It is different than the rice we have in the US, much more well stickier. YUM!

I had to take a picture of his for my father-in-law. He loves Mountain Dew and will be glad to know it's even in Japan. The bottles are slightly different and a bit smaller than a two liter bottle.

Fun at the pool

2009-08-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Lately we have been going to the local pool 2-3 times a week. At first Kara was unsure of the water, but now she is putting her face in the water and kicking her feet. She loves the pool! When I tell her we are going there she gets so excited! We will be so sad when it closes down in September. It's hot here until at least October if not November!!! Oh well, we plan to enjoy it while it last. Is anyone else out there enjoying some pool time?Kara and mommy loving the swimming pool! Notice the cool water slide behind us. I still haven't tried it, maybe this weekend.

Daddy was trying to get her to swim on her back, but she's still a little leery of that.

Kicking her feet in the water! YAHOO!

Attack of the ants (and a spider), YIKES!!!

2009-08-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

Being that Nick was on leave this past week, we decided that a camping trip was a must. Why we decided to do this in the middle of the hot, humid Okinawa summer is beyond me. We both came to question this later. So on Wednesday, after he reenlisted five more years of our life to the military, we packed our little bitty car to the max and away we went.

Life was good as we traveled for almost two hours to the campsite. We got there and got set up pretty quickly. We only intended to stay one night, but it was still exciting!

The campsite is right on the beach so we decided to go take a swim to cool down. Kara was so excited that she took off toward the water. She usually is kind of skid dish about water, but we've been taking her to the pool a few times a week to get her used to it. She was so excited and you can see that excitement in the pictures.

After we swam, I went to look for shells, while Kara tried to drink some of her daddy's Monster energy drink. That's all we need is a hyped up Kara, she has enough energy on a normal day! I tried to get Kara into looking for shells with me, but she wasn't having it. I was sure missing Maddy at this point, she was always down with shell hunting with me. I found some pretty cool ones to add to my collection. Maddy would be proud!

Dinner time was near so I began grilling the potatoes and corn, we also had steak, YUM! I was surprised how good the potatoes were on the grill. I had never tried cooking them that way before. While eating dinner we noticed some ants on the table, so we had to kind of rush our eating (hence the lack of pic of our food), but it was still very tastee.

Kara and I went and checked out the little park that was near our campsite. She was so funny on the slide, she just likes to sit on it. She also is getting pretty good at climbing the stairs and bridges. She will go a little bit and look back like, "Come on, Mom!"

After dinner, we blew bubbles and then went to watch the sunset. It was so pretty and relaxing to watch. We also enjoyed looking through all the coral for shells! Luckily we had a nice ending to the day because the night had some surprises in store for us....

After the sunset, we got Kara ready for bed. She fought me until her daddy came into the tent and calmed her down. She was out like a light for him in minutes. It always happens that way. So Nick and I made a little fire and roasted some marshmallows. I would have taken pictures, but my camera's battery was dead at that point. It was the first time I ever used this camera, so I had no idea on the battery life. My new camera is really cool being that it is waterproof!!! But on with the story. Not too long after we ate our marshmallows, Kara woke up. It was very hot outside and she was sweating so bad. It was around 9:30 so Nick and I laid down with her. She was so hot and upset that Nick took her to the car to cool down. I stayed in the tent while they were in the car. I looked over and saw a HUGE spider on the side of the tent. We're talking about the size of my fist people. No joke! I wasn't sure if it was inside the tent or not. As Nick was coming back into the tent, I could barely talk to tell him to turn the lamp on. I was so freaked out. Turns out it was inside our tent. My husband was a trooper and killed that massive thing. I wish I could have taken a pic of it to show you, but I was way too horrified to think of anything other than creepy crawling things. When we finally got over the shock of that we tried sleeping again. Kara was still resisting, with the help of the men that decided to play basketball right outside our tent at 10pm. At this point none of us were happy campers. We were hot, we were tired, we wanted peace and quiet. So Nick took Kara to the car once again to cool and calm her down. This time I decided I was so hot I would make myself a little ice pack to sleep with. I then saw that ants had invaded our ice chest. They were EVERYWHERE! It irritated me, but I tried not to focus on it too much. I. NEEDED. SLEEP. Finally at around 10:30-11:00 I think we all dosed off. It was a rough night with the heat and my not wanting to walk to the bathroom that was forever away. We awoke at around 6:30 am to find that our tent had also been invaded by ants. Luckily they weren't on us or our bed, but the rest of our tent was covered. YUCK!!!! We were fed up with the craziness so we cleaned everything out and packed our little car up. We were home by 9:15am and took a nice nap that day. I think we have learned our lesson about camping. DON"T do it during the hot summer or on a rainy day. Ha ha!

POSITIVE thinking!

2009-07-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

According to my MIL's blog it was POSITIVE thinking day yesterday. Being that I am on a different time zone, I am just going to go with today being POSITIVE thinking day for me. A young girl came up with this idea, which is really exciting! I love the thought of doing a post that is entirely (well almost) POSITIVE. If you are feeling happy (or down) and want to read others POSITIVE thoughts then just click on http://dustbunnyhostage.com/. There you can read other posts and find out how this day got established.

On with the POSITIVE talk....Let me first say that POSITIVE has not been in my house lately. It started with the death of my sister-in-laws husband. It was tragic and very sad. He was only 26 years old. This got my husband thinking that death may be just around the corner for him. I mean heck, we are 28 years old, already older than Russ ever made it in life!!! As soon as we got back from the funeral, we celebrated our daughter's 1st birthday (which was a happy time). But that was also the start of several TDY's for my husband. There was no down time for him to truly grieve or come to terms with it. It became a dark time in our lives, being that several things also came up. I won't go into detail, for the details don't really matter, but it was a hard time. Truth is that it's still a hard time, but this week has been better. Nick has been home on leave and we have had time to hang out and reflect on a lot of things. I have been a POSITIVE thinker most of my life, and refuse to let the negative things to get me down anymore. There are so many POSITIVE things in my life right now that I would like to share with you. The number one POSITIVE thing in my life is my daughter. She is the happiest child! It's hard not to be happy around her because she's so happy and full of life. We tried for a long time to have a child and were blessed with an amazing little girl. She is absolutely breathtaking! Secondly, my husband and I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. The odds have never been in our favor so this is a huge accomplishment! We had a couple's massage, nice dinner and lunch, and watched a movie at the theater (Harry Potter). It was the first time that we have left Kara with a sitter for us to go and do something together. It was much needed, and I think we may do it more often. More good news is that we will be PCSing in Feb./March of next year. We have missed the states so much and are so happy to returning soon. This week has been filled with talk of houses, decorating, and furniture for our future! We are also keeping POSITIVE that we will end up back in Florida, which is near Maddy, my family, and friends! Nick has even agreed to try to hang out with (and get to know)my friends and their husbands! This is a super HUGE deal to me. Nick has come out of his shell so much since being in Okinawa. He has learned that having friends is fun and vital in life!! We have been spending a lot of time at the local pool, which is so stress free and fun. I also enjoy having a tan from doing so!!! We are trying to appreciate the time we do have left here and make the best of it. In November, we have a trip to Tokyo Disney planned!!! I can't tell you how trilled I am about this. I love Disney! The thought of going to Disney in Japan is just so exciting. The memories we have to make!! It gets me all happy inside. Speaking of... FALL is always a happy time for me and it's just around the corner. There is something about the crispness that the air brings when the temperatures start to drop. Thinking about it gets my heart all a flutter!! YAHOO! So there you have it just a few reasons why I am feeling POSITIVE today. I will end this with my most favorite (and a little cheesy) quote: When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!!!

Where is the meaning in things?

2009-07-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Recent events in my life have caused me to think about things, a lot of things. So while lost in these thoughts I have started to wonder why people do the things they do. Why is it that we usually throw out "love ya" instead of "I love you"? Are we really so lazy we can't say the full phrase? I may be a little silly in saying this, but doesn't "love ya" sound kind of dull and less meaningful than "I love you"? I think most people I exchange these words with say only "love ya". It was brought to my attention the other day when my mom actually said all three words to me. Not that I have ever doubted her love for me, but she usually just says "love ya" or we don't say it at all at the end of our conversations. It actually made me feel really good when she said it. It meant more to me for some reason. Which brings me to my next thought. Why are people such creatures of habit? You know, everyday my husband kisses me goodbye before he leaves for work and goodnight every night. What's the problem you ask? The problem is that this is a habit, not something he does because he is feeling romantic or loving. Not that I don't enjoy him kissing me, I do, but I miss the times he would kiss me for no reason at all. What happened to those kisses? What happened to the "I missed you so much that I want to kiss you right now" or the "I am so attracted to you I want to show you" kisses? Sure there are times my husband will kiss me other than the usual two times a day, but usually it's because he wants something more (you know what I mean). I look at teenagers and feel envious of them. Silly I know. But don't you remember when kissing was all you did, so you did it often and it had so much meaning? Sometimes I wish my husband and I would make out like teenagers and it could end there. Not that I don't enjoy the other things that usually happen with our make out sessions, but we have a one year old and there isn't always time for that. Where is the spontaneity? Does anyone else wonder these things? I know I am not entirely alone in these thoughts because my BFF (April) said she feels the same way. My main reason for posting this is to get some insight on why people think things get this way. Do you feel that habits can make things lose meaning? Do you thing saying "love ya" after every phone conversation can make it lose meaning? I have so much more I could go on and on with this topic but I don't want to bore you to tears so I will stop for now.....tomorrow I maybe back on my soapbox. LOL Stay tuned!

A girl and her monkey

2009-07-21T17:09:00.001-07:00

Kara loves her George so much! He is her best friend, that goes everywhere she goes. I actually managed to give him a much needed bath the other night, while she was sleeping. She didn't even miss him because I returned him as soon as she woke up. You have to be sneaking with things like this. He is in most of the pictures I take of her lately, but the top one of this post is by far the sweetest and most precious one!

Nothing is safe

2009-07-21T16:53:00.001-07:00

She's into everything...Drawers, countertops, and cabinets are her playground these days!

Decorating in my mind....

2009-07-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

It seems the closer we get to leaving the island the more I think about about decorating my new house. Yeah, the house I don't have yet!!! But in my mind it's beautiful and colorful!! And I am hoping, wishing, and dreaming it is in Florida!! But anyway, while thinking of color schemes and decorating ideas I have come up with a few things I want to do. But before I reveal those things here are a few things I found at a local store to help my inspiration.

This is a picture frame that I chose for my room. I actually bought two of them so that both, Nick and myself, can have one on our nightstand. They are 5x7s, which is my favorite picture size!!! They are a lime green with a small light blue stripe. LOVE these colors together. I also bought a candle plate in the same green for $2 in the clearance section of Target.com. YAHOO! Now if I could only find a comforter to match. Anyone seen anything that might look good with this? If so tell me where!!!Now this is what really got me excited... A picture frame and candle holder for Maddy's room. I knew I wanted to do her room in bright colors, so when I saw this I was in awe! I know what you are thinking, it's just a picture frame....but it's lovely isn't it? I have also found her a comforter set on JCPenny.com that is just gorgeous. I am thinking of painting one accent wall in her room of this same pink and doing the other three walls in this green-blue. What do you think? Oh and another reason I liked the candle holder so much is that it has a little Japanese decor on it, which Maddy will love. I wanted something to remind her of her time here!!

As for the rest of the house.....I know most of the color schemes but am still working on what I need to buy for them. One thing I am certain on is how I want to paint Kara's room, but am having a hard time finding a comforter that I like for it. Her room will be done in the lovely pink/brown that I wish I would have done for her nursery. I want to do the bottom half of her wall in 12 inch stripes of alternating chocolate brown and pretty pink. Then the top half will be solid pink with large brown polka dots. I will need to get some kind of molding to be the separator, which will most likely be white. I am also planning on redoing some old book shelves we have in storage for the girls rooms. I am going to paint them white and may do some stenciling on them for extra flare, but I am not sure yet. That way the girls have somewhere for their books. Both of our girls love books and need somewhere to put them.

My living room will be done in blue/brown. I have several little items that I have been collecting for a while to decorate with. But we will need to buy new living room furniture (in either brown or tan) and end tables. I figure that will be something I do when I get back to the states. CAN'T WAIT!!!

My dining room will be done in purple, because I just can't give up having at least one purple room just yet. I have a really pretty purple tea set that's going to look so pretty in a china cabinet. Also that will leave me with a place to put my purple/silver Christmas tree! hee hee! Have I mentioned I can't wait?

The kitchen and bathrooms are still up in the air for me. The are really last on my priority list of things to decorate, because they will be easier to do. I know one bathroom will be done in blue/brown because I already have the stuff, but otherwise I have no clue. This is the stuff that keeps me up at night. But it is fun to think about. I am so tired of plain white walls. Help me Tom Cruise...help me! Okay couldn't resist a little line from the movie "Talladega nights" sorry!!

So thankful...

2009-07-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I have been having a time with Kara getting into my cabinets in the kitchen. I have the locks to put on them, but it looks too complicated for me to do. At our friends house she loves playing with their kids refrigerator magnet toys. So I had an idea: get her the same magnets to keep her out of my cabinets. At our BX they didn't have what I was looking for so yesterday we went to the PX and found it. Once I handed Kara the box, she started grinning from ear to ear. Then once she realized that I was getting it for her she kept signing "Thank You" to me over and over again. It was the cutest, sweetest thing ever! I love that she thanks me when I give her things. I hope she will continue this in the future and always be thankful for what she is given. The magnets are working out pretty well for now. So far she ha s only gotten in the cabinets twice. And it taught her how to say cow. She was walking around saying, "Cow, cow". She is learning so much these days. I almost can't keep up with her. She mimics most things I do and sometimes things I say. I think this is my favorite age so far. We have so much fun together.

Back in action

2009-06-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

After a LONG month, I finally got my camera back. I can't tell you how happy I was to get it. As soon as I got it up and running again, I snapped about 100 pictures. Kara now believes that I am the paparazzi. She actually was running from me with her hands over her face this morning. I thought it was funny, but I guess that should be telling me something. But I truly can't help myself. I feel like I missed out on so many pictures during the month my camera was gone. I can't tell you how many times I would think "Man, I wish I had my camera right now!!"

I am SUPER excited about taking pictures this weekend. I have never been able to take decent pictures of the fireworks. However with my new camera, I just know I am going to get some great ones! It snaps pics in like 2 seconds. I am hoping to get some good family pics also. I LOVE the 4th of July. It's one of my favorite holidays. We haven't finalized any plans yet, but I am hoping to make this one extra special. It will be the last one we spend in Okinawa. I am thinking some good food and time with friends will be great. I am also thinking of making a red, white, and blue cake again this year. I will have to post pics if I decide to do so. I hope that everyone has a very happy and safe 4th.

And now for a few pics from the last few days of my crazy picture taking....

Tinkerbell giving Kara kisses. She loves her dog, dogs!
Sitting on her new couch with her Curious Georges. I know it's ugly but she loves it. I am hoping my mom will make a new cover for it soon.

My sweet butterfly girl!

Doing the sign for "Thank you". She is doing so good with her signing. She signs: milk, more, all done, dog, thank you, duck, and eat. We are working on please, juice, and bath now.

Sweet grin!

Pushing her George around in her new stroller! She loves that thing so much, not to mention George. If you notice he's in almost every picture. She always has him with her. He is her comfort, rather than having a blanket or pacie.

My little princess playing in her room

Isn't she precious? I love her in this tutu.

Daddy and Kara playing in her ball pit!

Kara as wonder woman!

Isn't she adorable? Her daddy thinks so!

My baby is growing so much!

A broken camera

2009-05-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

How is that my 5 month old camera is already broken? I mean really, what a pain! It has something to do with the card reader. I am not sure what happened with it but it all of a sudden couldn't format my card. So it is now getting quoted at a Cannon place off base. I dropped it off earlier in the week and have yet to hear anything about it. I am hoping that I get some news quick. For months I have been wanting to take a photography class, but have been unable to do so with Nick's work schedule. The class is every Sunday for 2 hours during each month. Being that Nick has no TDY's for June I am all set. But it's kinda hard to do a photography class with no camera. This class requires you bring your camera with you so that they can teach you specific things about your camera. I just can't believe it. Here I am all set up to do the class and my camera breaks on me. SERIOUSLY!! I am doing my best to keep positive that they will call really soon to tell me that it can be fixed this week. That would be awesome. Fingers crossed!!!!

Wanting her youth back

2009-05-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here's Chloe in Kara's rocking chair. She was much heavier then....

Chloe in Kara's bouncy seat.

Her newest love is the swing, which Kara doesn't use anymore. Oh and can't you tell my cat has been on a diet? She's lost a few pounds and I am proud of her for it!!!

It seems Chloe, our cat, has begun to wish she was the baby in the house. I have found her numerous times using Kara baby items as her own. I find it hilarious and wanted to share the pics that I have managed to get. I have missed out on a few...but snapped most of the funny ones. In addition to finding her in baby items I also caught her sleeping in our dryer once. Thank goodness I saw her in there. Could you imagine how traumatizing that would have been? This cat, while annoying at times, is quite amusing. If only I could keep her from shedding and using a few spots in my house as her own personal litter box, then she would be perfect! But I am going to take her to the vet to see why she's using my carpet rather than her box at times. I have heard it could be an underlying medical condition. Anyone else ever have this happen? I am at my wits end over it, which is my reason for this post to remember why I love her.....

Her in the dryer one night. Silly cat!

My Top 10 Pages

2009-05-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Nick and Kara are so adorable together. She is her daddy's baby. They light up when they see each other!
I love this page for the wording alone, it's so true.....

Some of our family beach pics from November. I love these pics!

These pics were taken in December on my step dad's birthday. You can't tell Kara is adored by them at all can you? Understatement of the year!

When we went to Florida in December my BFF, her mom, and daughter joined my mom, Kara and me for a day of shopping. We had so much fun. I had to title this "Generations" because there was three for each of us. Click to enlarge and read the quote, too perfect!

Maddy is always putting together crazy outfits. Most of the time I would make her change clothes before leaving the house. This particular day I just thought she looked hilarious and she wasn't shy when I grabbed the camera to get some shots of her.

Maddy with her little sister and cousins. The title is supposed to be Super stars, but I didn't see the point in adding the word star with the background paper. This is the simplest page I think I've ever done.

I just love the title, "Fresh from God". Kara had just gotten out of the bath when I took these pics. She is truly a gift from God.

This is from this past Easter. Kara and Maddy had an egg hunt in my in-laws front yard. They had so much fun!

This is actually a two page layout, which I NEVER do, but I just had to do this one. It is one of my favorite ones, I am actually not done with it yet. I still want to add a few embellishments. I am still trying to decide which ones to use, but I had to add it to my post, cause it's just too sweet!

My new year resolution was to do a scrapbook page for everyday of this year. So far I am doing pretty good. For January and April I am short 12 pages total, otherwise I am all caught up on February, March, and May!!! I don't scrapbook everyday (although I want to, life gets in the way a times), but I try to catch myself up when I do sit down to do it. It's my most favorite hobby in the world and my biggest stress reliever. It just calms me like nothing else. I wanted to share some of my recent pages, my ten favorite ones I have done lately. I am open to critics. Hope you enjoy!!!!

To stay in or not, that is the question.....

2009-05-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

We've been struggling with the thought of Nick staying in the military or getting out. It's coming down the wire now and we are still undecided. I've tried listing all the pros and cons down, we've had numerous talks about it and still no decision. It's especially hard to decide to get out of a stable life into an unstable one with the economy like it it. But we are both tired of him being gone, tired of him not being here for every holiday. I know that so many other families are without their spouses for longer periods of time, but they aren't me. So that's the leading reason why he wants out. He is thinking of becoming a cop so that he can still help others. I just worry that he won't be able to find a job, since very few places are hiring. Then there's the whole thing with me having to start back to work. The thought of leaving Kara all day breaks my heart. I have never been away from her for more than a few hours. How could I do it all day, all week? I know several mothers do it, but I know it has to be terribly hard. I know if we get out it's going to be a huge lifestyle change. But I would LOVE to have my husband home all the time!! That would just be weird, but so wonderful! So all I can do now is pray that God will lead us to the best possible life we can have right now. I know it will all work out.

My Sunshine

2009-04-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

Took this picture today and wanted to share it!

1 year

2009-04-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

*Before I start my post I wanted to ask that everyone keeps my sister-in-law, Desiree in their prayers for she lost her fiancee, Russell, to a car accident on April 5th. They were to have been married April 19th. It is so heartbreaking. We were able to fly to Texas for the funeral last week. It was a hard week, a very sad time for the family. Please just pray that Desiree finds some peace and comfort during this hard time.

My Big 1 year old! Kara's smash cake. Not exactly what I pictured, but still cute!Her Care Bear cake!

She LOVED it!
Happy, messy girl! It was everywhere, we had to wash her down before taking her home. It was even in her diaper, YUCK! About to open her 1st present!

Her Bedtime Bear from Granny and Grandpa.

She really wasn't that into the present opening but in her defense it was past her nap time.

On a happier note, on April 17th, our Kara turned a year old! It amazes me that it's been that long, but then I can't hardly remember life before her. She is a joy to be around for everyone that knows her. How she has blessed my life I can never explain. She is the greatest gift that I've ever received in my life. Watching her grow and learn is always entertaining and fulfilling. I am so thankful for my little girl. I have a few pics to share. Once I get the others I will try to post those too.

An eventful week

2009-03-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

This past week has been so crazy and stressful! Kara started running a fever on Thursday night that has continued through today. On Friday night it jumped to 104 so I took her to the emergency room (under her docs orders). They looked in her ears, nose, mouth and found nothing. Then they checked her urine, which means she had to get a catheter. It was horrible to watch them do that to my baby (she totally freaked out). Once again they found nothing. We still don't know the cause of her high fevers. Being that she's doing everything normal besides eating, I am going to go with it being teething. It looks like her top left tooth may be coming in any day now. I took her to the doc today for a follow up and they ordered blood work. Unfortunately her veins were no where to be found so we have to go back in the morning for a retry. My poor baby.

On Friday afternoon, I noticed I hadn't seen Tink (my female yorkie) in a while. I had left the sliding glass door open so the dogs could run in and out that day. After calling for her, I realized there was a little area that she could have gotten out of the yard. Unfortunately she had done just that. We searched the neighborhood and still no Tink. I was crying my eyes out when my neighbor came home and offered to help. We searched the neighborhood once more and still didn't find her. A woman we saw said she saw her down the hill. I kept thinking that we were going to find her ran over. We looked and she wasn't there. When we got back home, my neighbor offered to drive around the neighborhood. After about 5 minutes she came back and said she saw a woman walking and she told her she had taken her to the vet. I was SUPER relieved. God was good to me that day, he answered my prayer that Tink was safe and would be able to come home. So I left Kara with my neighbor (my first time leaving her with anyone but family) and went to get Tink. The vet office (which isn't where I take Tinkerbell) wouldn't let me have her until I could prove she was my dog. I had to pull all her shot records out and bring them up there. Then I had to go to her other vet (off base) to get her most recent shot records. They still wouldn't let me leave with her until I had her get a microchip and a heart worm test ($65 total). It was insane. To be blunt, I was PISSED off big time! Luckily seeing my little puppy cooled my nerves. I am so glad to have that little rascal back, even though she drives me crazy sometimes. Oh and I made sure to fix the fence!!

So now that I have went on about all the bad things going on around here something good happened... Kara took her first steps tonight! We were in her room and I was sitting on the floor calling for her to come to me. She was standing holding on her her rocker and turned to me and took 4 steps into my arms. It was SUPER thrilling. Of course she looked at me like I was crazy when I was singing about what a big girl she was. I was very proud, but sad her daddy missed it. By next week I may be second thinking this whole walking thing, but for tonight I am celebrating.

The little things

2009-03-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

I realized that lately all I post about is my darling little girl, but in all honesty she's my life. Day in and day out I am with her 24/7. My husband is gone for weeks at a time, leaving just the two of us on this little island to entertain ourselves. While I enjoy every second I am with her, I often miss my husband, my confidant, my lover. It's hard not having a grown up to talk to and share my day with. I have told him numerous times that I wish he would do sweet things to let me know he feels it too. He does his best to call me whenever he can, which is pretty exciting (I know some husbands only call their wives a few times while being gone). If he can he calls EVERY day, and sometimes twice a day. (I guess I shouldn't ask for more than a call, right? )This particular TDY he was feeling very sad about leaving. It's nearing both my and Kara's birthdays and he doesn't want to miss them. Plus he knows this trip was the start of several trips in the next few months. It is heartbreaking, it's lonely, and it doesn't get any easier after all these years. So anyway, he wanted me to know that he was feeling the pain, as I was and left me this on our bathroom mirror:

It says "I <3>

I am thankful for a husband that listens and takes time out of his day to let me know he loves me. It is a blessing that I have such a man in my life!

Nick- thank you for all you do! If we haven't talked by the time you read this then I want you to know I am thinking of you, miss you and love you very much. Oh and when you call I have some EXCITING news! Love you!

Almost a year

2009-03-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

Looking sweet and pretty!
Her famous nose wrinkle!

For Kara's 1st birthday I am wanting to make her birthday invitations with pictures and photo shop, but it may be harder than I thought. She is quite the little busy body and could care less about doing the perfect photo shoot like I want her to do. As a test run, I took a few pics of her in my best friend's daughter, Caitlyn's 1st birthday dress. She let me borrow it in case I couldn't find one for Kara. I did end up getting Kara her own personalized birthday outfit,

but couldn't resist taking some pics of her in Caitlyn's dress. So I set everything up perfectly and got to snapping. She was being silly as usual! I wanted to share what pictures I did get, so I hope you enjoy them. I am hoping to get her invitation pictures done tomorrow, but I am waiting to see how her mood is... Stay tuned!

Her showing me that she pulled her bracelet off.

Showing her destructive side....

Who me, destructive? No way! (Notice her little ring on her finger, it's so sweet!)

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to....

Queen O' The Green

2009-03-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

Playing with her green block!

She looks so beautiful in this pic!

Who me? No way mom, I would never do anything that crazy....

For Kara's 1st St. Patrick's Day we did a little photo shoot. It was quite challenging being that she hates things on her head, because I got her the cutest little headband to wear. As soon as I would get it on her head and get the camera ready she had pulled it off. After a half hour of doing this over and over I finally managed to get a few shots. The balloons were a great attention getter. The only problem was getting her to stop trying to eat them. She's teething pretty bad these days and EVERYTHING finds it way into her mouth. I am most certain she has swallowed at least one hair rubber band. It's kind of scary how many times I have caught her with things in her mouth that most certainly don't belong there. On St. Patrick's Day her daddy had to leave for a trip so we had to find something to entertain ourselves. What better way celebrate than to make some lasting memories with pictures? Here my little Queen O' The Green!

Mommy and me class

2009-03-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday we attend a playgroup for an hour. Kara loves seeing other kids; she begins squealing when we walk in the room. (She's the loudest in the group!) She is very much a social butterfly. She is also very aggressive in her playing. I am constantly having to call her down or give back toys that she takes from the other kids. One mom joked that she was a girl that knows what she wants. I guess so! I keep telling myself that I shouldn't be upset or embarrassed that she does these things. It is her personality. She isn't like me at all in that sense. I am usually really shy around new people. She on the other hand tries her best to get there attention, and usually succeeds. Every where we go people flock to her. Usually they tell me how pretty her eyes are or how she looks like a baby doll (or cabbage patch kid). I think we may be in for living with an entertainer. Last week another mom told me about some other play groups on Monday and Friday that I think we will start attending also. Kara needs an outlet for all her energy and I think it will provide that. I will keep you updated....
Playing with a ball

On the parachute waiting for some bubbles!

Alli the Alligator giving her a kiss.

Watching the bubbles. Look at the little guy in the back right corner. Isn't he so cute? Chubby little thing!

She was clapping her hands! Bubbles are her favorite!

My little graduate

2009-03-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

Playing in the balls
Kara, Ms. Larrissa, and Bebo the bear.

So proud of her certificate!

It's been six weeks since we began our baby sign language class and now it's over. I enjoyed learning the signs and Kara loved playing with the other kids. So far Kara has signed "more" a few times and "brush". I couldn't be more proud. She has really started to pay attention to the signs that I show her. From my understanding she will be signing on her own before I know it. I have always wanted to learn how to sign. I tried taking a course in college, but the class didn't have enough participants. Then I tried to learn at church a few years back but the class was canceled due to the teacher having some issues at home. Therefore when I found out they were teaching a class here, I signed up as soon as I could. I was even more excited that it was a class for babies. I learned about 50 signs that I can use with Kara everyday. Things like: eat, drink, milk, sleep, bath, dog, cat, cheese, cookie, and toothbrush to name a few. I've been teaching them to Nick every week. He has really done well using with her too. Studies have shown that teaching your child to sign cuts down on tantrums because they have a way to show you what they want. I am really hoping this is true. Also it's supposed to help them learn to talk sooner. It was a great experience for us ; I can't wait to take the next one. Since yesterday was our last class Kara received a little diploma. It was so cute!!!

Pizza inn

2009-03-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Good food at good prices!
Our taco pizza after we took a slice to eat!

Being that it's our last year in Okinawa, Nick and I have decided to take advantage of this time to try new things. Last weekend we ate at two new restaurants: Obbligato (Mexican-obviously) and The Pizza Inn. Obbligatos is known as the best Mexican restaurant on Okinawa according to local papers (although we love Mike's Tex Mex). Nick and I love Mexican food so we gave it a shot. It was actually pretty good. The tacos tasted like the ones you make at home. The chips and salsa were pretty good. They make their own soft shells right here in Okinawa. We wish we wouldn't have got the same thing as each other so we could have tried more, but overall it was a good experience. I will have to take pictures next time!!! On Sunday we went to the Pizza Inn. The waiter tried to encourage us to try the buffet but we opted to order our own pizza. I LOVE taco pizza and haven't had any in ages, so we chose to order one. It was really good! The sauce was just right. As you can see (in the picture)they have an array of different foods. Next time we want to do the buffet so we can try all the different things they have to offer. I was so surprised at how good the food was that we had a both places. I wish we would have tried them sooner. Hopefully this weekend will bring some more good memories that I can share. Have a nice weekend!!! :)

Thomas Kinkade Gallery

2009-03-03T03:28:00.000-08:00

It's my 300th post and to celebrate I am going to share some pics from my visit to the Thomas Kinkade Gallery. My sweet husband brought me there, knowing I would love it, while we were visiting Texas this past winter. It was so beautiful and breathtaking. It wasn't a large gallery, but big enough to get me excited. They have dimmers that you can mess with so that you can see the lights in all the pictures. Thomas Kinkade is known as the "Painter of Light" because he paints his pictures to light up even in dim light. It's hard to explain but really breathtaking once you've seen it done. He is my FAVORITE artist of all time. His paintings make you want to go to a place with little cottages and cute stores. Anyone know a place like that? If so sign me up!!! He makes sure that he puts an "N" in each painting in honor of his wife, Nanette. In my Sweetheart Cottage II painting there are actually 5 "Ns". How sweet and romantic is that? I love doing his puzzles and am reading a book series that he helped write. So anyway, on to the pictures. These are for my dear friend, Samantha. Enjoy!!!

How pretty is that?

I would love to have a piece of land like this with a little log cabin!! SO pretty!

Snow White's cottage, love it!

Looks like the gate to heaven...

I love the snow!!

I just finished this puzzle!

One of my most favorite places in the world!

Some new scraps:click to enlarge!

2009-02-23T04:25:00.000-08:00

My mom wanted to see some of the pages I have been working on and this is the easiest way to share them. I have been sticking to my one page a day rule pretty well. I am happy to say I have done 48 pages since I got home from the states. Pretty impressive huh? I am going to apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I took them in a hurry and didn't take time to edit them, but you get the gist of it. Enjoy!

I apologize that this one isn't turned the right way. I am too tired to change it.

Born in Japan

2009-02-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

Kara wearing a Japanese outfit that I got from a friend before she was born! I had to do a photo shoot of her wearing it! Great scrapbooking later....

She looks like a little doll, doesn't she?

She loved this fan!

Happy to have been born in Japan. You can't really tell but I put her hair in a little bun. It was so cute!

Japanese grocery store

2009-02-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to the grocery store off base yesterday. I was really wanting some fresh veggies/fruit. I heard they had some good deals, so off we went. We went to a smaller store rather than the large one, since it's closer to where we live. It's always an interesting experience. Next time I really need to bring my camera; I didn't even think of it today. Anyway, we got some strawberries, lettuce, kiwi, broccoli, and Aussie beef. This was our first time buying meat off base. I am really anxious/curious to use it. It looks like the leanest beef I think I have ever seen. Nick wants me to make it into beef tips. I was thinking of making some soup with it. We will see.... Anyway here's a pic of what the packaging looks like. Not too different, but kind of cool. Don't you think?

PS I meant to take the picture before the beef was frozen, but time got away from me. OOPS!

Our camping trip

2009-02-21T23:25:00.000-08:00

Mommy and Kara on the beach. It was cool out so she was still in her PJs.

Daddy and Kara on the beach. Notice the yucky weather.

Our Valentine's picture=true love!!

They adore each other! Notice she has a baby in hand. She always has to have a baby near.

Nick eating his first smore EVER!

Kara and mommy

Our tent you can see daddy and the monkey inside.

This year for Valentine's Day I wanted to do something fun, something out of the ordinary. My first idea was for us to hike up to Hiji Falls, however my neighbors said it's closed until April. BUMMER! So we were racking our brains as for what to do and I casually mentioned camping. Nick said it sounded like fun, so the planning began. We were both so excited. We've had a tent for a few years now that we've never used (although my friend Samantha and her husband used it once). So anyway, we made a trip to the BX and Commissary to buy some supplies and food. I had read on the Internet that the weather wouldn't be the best but tolerable. Only a 20% of rain expected for our first day there. The next day called for cloudy weather. Ha ha you can see where this is going. So anyway we packed up the car and made the 1 1/2 hour trip up to Okuma. I kid you not that as soon as Nick was inside the place to reserve our spot, it started raining. No big deal; we can handle some rain I thought to myself. Nick had to put up the tent in the rain, hence the lack of pictures of that event. It was only drizzling so I helped him with the last finishing touches and unloaded the car. Kara was having a blast crawling around in the tent. The rain continued off and on throughout the night. Poor Nick had to eat half cooked hot dogs ( I had already cooked mine) and cold beans because the rain started up as he was cooking. We had smores later that night, but they weren't melted all the way for the same reason. It was overall kind of funny. We ended up staying in our tent for the entire afternoon with nothing to do. Kara seemed to enjoy herself until it got dark; then she was upset. I think it's because when it's dark in our house it's night-night time. Kara is no fan of going to bed. It was a rough night of sleep, being that we were on the hard ground (next time we are taking an air mattress). I know it sounds spoiled, but I have to have comfort during sleep, it's a must!

The next morning we went to their restaurant for breakfast. It wasn't the best food, but we were thankful to get something that was at least fully cooked. After breakfast we walked on the beach for a little while and then packed up for home. The cloudy weather was miserable. The sun was no where in sight. It was so foggy and gloomy, but we will plan better next time. We know to bring a cover to cook under, some board games, and air mattress to keep ourselves content! I can't wait for our next adventure!!!

An apology

2009-02-09T03:28:00.000-08:00

She loves her monkey, actually she loves ALL of her monkeys.
Her first Valentine's Day!

My little love bug.

She has a Snow White thing going on in this one.

This one looks like my baby pictures. Probably because you can't see the color of her eyes! I made it look like an old photo using Photoshop.

K is for Kara, duh!

She takes big girl baths now! It's her FAVORITE time of day.

I was so PROUD of this pic. It was my first time using the close-up setting on my camera. I love how it fades out the background. No Photoshop needed.

Kissing the back of her baby's head.

You can see the joy in her face.

Not happy to be Wonder Woman. Supergirl is more her cup of tea.

Chardae trying to pull Kara closer. I love their faces in this one.

After reading what I wrote on my blog, my husband called to apologize to me. He felt so bad that I got upset. He was clueless that I had even felt that way. Silly man! He called me that next morning to say that he does love my blog and doesn't want me to quit. So there you have it, I am back in the saddle again.(not that I was really going to quit, just take a break!) :) Unfortunately that blog helped me learned that there are some RUDE people out there. My time is far too valuable to waste time on people who are so unkind.

I have been wanting to blog for a while now but life has been too busy to do so. Speaking of my little monkey just woke up from her nap. She has a slight cold and isn't feeling the best these days. It breaks my heart, poor baby. But before I go I would like to share some of my favorite photography moments from the last few weeks. ENJOY! I will be posting more soon.....

Downer

2009-02-05T04:31:00.000-08:00

I was excited about blogging tonight. I finally had some time and some thoughts to share. However after having a discussion with my husband, I am no longer in the mood (and may not be for a while). I mentioned that I was going to blog before bed when he said, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that.... you have several grammatical errors in your posts." He wanted to help me I guess, WHATEVER! I was hurt and angry. I mean really who wants to be called on their mistakes? I know I'm not perfect. I know I make mistakes. I don't always proof read my stuff. Usually I am so tired by the time I am done that the words are running together. I am a mother that usually has all of those duties on my own. He's gone a lot. I don't have a lot of free time to myself. When I do get the opportunity to blog, I enjoy it. I use it as a release, something to share with my readers (yeah all 5 of you). I am not doing it to win a Nobel Prize. So now I am down and no longer happy about blogging. What a pain in my ASS! Yeah I said it. Now what he should have said was, " I liked your new post, they were cool!" or something along those lines. I never said anything to him when he wrote me emails that had errors like using to instead of too or putting alot instead of putting a space in between them. I just was glad he wrote me. (Don't make me pull out the proof!!) Sometimes my husband really sticks his foot in it! Who wants criticism about something they enjoy doing? I don't. It's my blog, grammatical errors and all. Thank you honey really I love that you only see the error of my ways. UGH!

PS I DIdn't prOOf ReaD thIs one EitHer fOr yOUr enJOYmeNT!?@!$%&

Kara.....the barbie doll

2009-01-31T05:13:00.000-08:00

As I said in the post below, I got the name Kara from my favorite barbie doll growing up. She was actually a punk rocker barbie (hence the bangs I had to hide in her ponytail), but I changed her into a charming stay at home mom. LOL I was fascinated with this doll because she wasn't your typical barbie with blond hair and blue eyes. She did have blond hair, but with brown highlights and brown eyes. I thought she was the most BEAUTIFUL barbie I had ever seen and named her Kara. I circulated all my other barbies around her. They were either her sister or cousin or friend. She was married to my BFF's brown hair blue-eyed Ken doll (named Cody). They had several little children to include one named: Blakely (which is Maddy's other little sister's name). Weird I know. As I said before, I was very into my dolls. It was almost ridiculous. When I would go spend the weekend with April, I had one bag for clothes and one for my barbies. We played with them for hours and hours. I still have a box of them at my mom's. Therefore when I was at home visiting, I couldn't leave without fishing out that one special barbie: KARA! I know it may seem silly to people, but it just seems weird to me that when I was around 10 I got this barbie that I thought was beautiful and gave her the name of my future daughter. I guess it makes since that I would give Kara her name. Being her mother I happen to think she's the most beautiful little girl. Just wanted to share a this story and a pic of the doll. Introducing Kara (the barbie):

Our Superboy and Supergirl!

2009-01-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

Our Superboy, Conner
Our Supergirl, Kara

It's pretty funny how things work out, but I guess fate has a way of stepping in sometimes. Before I was pregnant with Conner, Nick and I were trying to decide on names for our future children. It took us forever to agree on a name. I actually got Conner from a short role my favorite character (Nicholas) on General Hospital played. (Nick argues that he came up with it because that's the Highlanders name, but he's confused). I said the name and he agree because it was the Highlanders name. He has this thing about names having to be after some comic book or movie hero. So it was settled that Conner would be our boy name. For a girl name we first agreed on Alyssa Kirsten (which I still love). I later mentioned the name Kara (after my favorite Barbie doll) and he said he liked it too. At the time we had no idea that Conner and Kara were actually the names of Superboy and Supergirl. (Who knew Nick wouldn't know this being the Comic book buff he is?) But anyway he found it out after we found out about Conner's diagnosis. Then it was settled that weather he was a boy or girl he would be our Superboy or Supergirl. So on the day he was born we gave him the name Conner (Superboy) Jeremy(after my brother). It was perfect. He was buried in a little Superman costume, so cute and fitting! After we had our Superboy, we knew that if we had a daughter she would have to be Kara (Supergirl) Elizabeth (after an extraordinary woman I knew) to complete our trend. I absolutely LOVE that our kids names have meaning. It's really cool and I know once Kara is old enough to realize she has Supergirl's name she's going to eat it up. It was all meant to be.....

Her second tooth and love of babies!

2009-01-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

What mom? Can't you see I am busy here?

"Talking" to her baby

"Kissing" her baby

There it is tooth #2!

She has babies in all sizes and she LOVES them all! The big one was as big as her when she got it for Christmas! Thanks Nanny!

It hasn't been that long since Kara got her first tooth and now she is sporting a new one. I can't believe it; she is just growing so quick! She is well on her way to walking and loves to be in her walker. She also has a profound love of baby dolls. I so LOVE that she likes dolls. Maddy wasn't really into them all that much. She was much happier with Scooby Do and color books. She did have a love for tea sets, which was pretty cool. But I was always sad she didn't get into dolls or barbies that much. I am really hoping Kara will keep her love of babies for years to come so that I can join in on playing with them. I LOVED my dolls and ADORED barbies. (Truth be told I cried when I packed them away!) It is so exciting to me that I will have an excuse to revisit them. :) Girls are so much fun!! I would enjoy a boy if we were to have one next, but I think girls are just easier for me to relate to, obviously!! Isn't she just precious?

So much to do so little time!

2009-01-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

Wow how busy it has been around here. (As I am doing this I have pics downloading to Walgreens, Myspace, and my scanner going to town too!) No, we aren't going anywhere and doing wonderful things. Instead I am chasing around my little girl that is into EVERYTHING these days. You see this is how I found her the other day after her nap.....

Yes that is her standing up in her crib waving at me. And then later in the day she was doing this in her playpen (if you are wondering why she has different clothes for the same day just picture a mess beyond my control!!):

She's so rotten! She pulls up on everything she can manage to get to. I know walking is in the near future, Lord help me!! She's so funny. We couldn't get her to sleep last night for a while being that she keep standing up in her crib and laughing at us. As I type this she's into more stuff. I can't do anything for having to chase her down. For proof here she is a few moments ago (she looks guilty doesn't she?):

Well, crap, I have to go she just pulled the video camera down on her. See the cord hanging down in the pic above. Luckily she's okay, but not too happy. Hopefully I will see you soon. :)

Our Vacation

2009-01-17T17:58:00.001-08:00

She loves sparkles!
Kara and her Aunt Desiree

Kaleb doing his Zoolander face! LOL

Daddy's baby girl, always!

4 generations, their expressions are so funny!

My adopted family: April, Caitlyn, Gloria, and Nanny! Notice Kara is holding on to my hair, she always does that to me for some reason, a security I assume.

Me, April, Caitlyn, and Gloria before a day of shopping!

Caitlyn and Kara in the bath together, aren't they so cute?

Me and the girls at Build a bear. They had a blast. Making their "pup-pups".

Us and our girls. Aren't their matching dresses so cute?

We had such a wonderful vacation to the states (Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma). I realized just how much I miss living there and all of the people. We did so many fun things and shopped so much that we had to ship 8 boxes home (well some of that was Christmas presents!) It was truly the best time I have had in a long time. We went to Chucky Cheese, Build a Bear Workshop, Toby Keith's Restaurant, to see Santa twice, the movies to watch Four Christmases, the graveyard to see Conner, Scrapbook stores, the Outlet Mall, the Thomas Kinkade Gallery, plus several restaurants and places to shop. It was GLORIOUS!! I am so thankful for my family and friends. They really made us feel welcome and showed us a wonderful time. If only every vacation could be that great. Right? I was so sad to be leaving to come back here. At first I felt my depression kicking in, but then I decided to enjoy being back here. We only have a little over a year left here and I still have things I want to do here. So I am embracing this time. Enjoying Kara being a baby. She is growing up so fast. Too fast if you ask me. I can't wish away the next year because I am homesick. I have to enjoy this time with her. Her birthday is coming up and I am so excited to celebrate that time. There was a time where I didn't think I would ever get to enjoy having a child to raise of my own. I had almost given up on the idea that I could have a healthy child. God gave me the greatest gift when I got Kara. I felt blessed to have Conner, but my heart ached to have a child that I could hold in my arms. I now try to enjoy these moments and cherish them as much as I can. Family and friends are precious. Let's never forget their importance in our lives. Be THANKFUL!! I know I sure am. :)

PS More pics coming soon. I have ones from my mom's house that are coming in the mail so I will scan them in soon. Plus tons of others!

Her 1st tooth!

2009-01-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

She's such a happy baby!
There the little pearl is, click to enlarge!

It finally happened, Kara got her first tooth. I was wondering if she was ever going to get it. She's been teething for months now. On the plane ride home was when I first discovered it. Then I realized that may be why she was screaming her lungs out (that and the lack of ear popping on the way down). It was a very emotional time for us (I felt helpless, how could I stand seeing my baby in pain like that?). She was crying, I was crying, Nick was looking at us like, "What is going on here?" It was a memory for sure.

Oh and I am proud to say that I took these pics with my new camera. My MIL and I both got books about digital photography and it gave me a few tips! I have to admit the pics I took using my tripod came out better than the ones I took without it. So always remember pictures taken on a tripod come out clearer and nicer because there's no movement from your hand. Trust me it works! I will be posting some more Christmas stuff soon, promise!!!

I'm back, well sort of...

2009-01-10T04:12:00.001-08:00

She was the cutest little baby in this dress!
Hey Grandpa! I love this pic, so cute!

My niece, Skye! I adore this kid.

Back off ladies, he's all mine!

The prettiest girls around!

I know it's been forever and a day since I last blogged. I was in the states with family for a little over a month and then came home and got the flu. YUCK! It's been crazy around here. We had a WONDERFUL trip back to the states and an even better Christmas. I hope you all had a great time too. I have tons of pictures to share, but that will take me a while. I got the greatest gifts from my hubby: a new Canon Rebel camera (with all the fixings) and The Sweetheart Cottage II painting by Thomas Kinkade. I am a lucky woman! I am still trying to learn about my new camera, but once I get the hang of it I will be unstoppable. I can't wait! I am really tired so I am going to add a few pics and head to bed. I promise it won't be another month before I come back again. :)

Catch up post

2008-11-22T02:23:00.000-08:00

November 18th- I am thankful for cooler temperatures. If finally happened. It started getting cooler around here. It has been heavenly here the last few days. I have been wearing jeans and long sleeves all week. Kara is finally getting use of here little hoodies and warm outfits! It is WONDERFUL!!!

November 19th- I am thankful for opportunities. The opportunity to be a mother, wife, friend, ect. I have been so thankful lately of the things I have been able to experience in my life. I've had the opportunity to go to college and get a degree, to travel to foreign lands, to meet different types of people. In the end, I have come to appreciate these things and what they have taught me.

November 20th- Conner's 3rd birthday. I can't think of anything I am more thankful for than to have given birth to a perfect soul (as my mother in law would say). He was too perfect to stay on this earth. He didn't have any work to do it had already been done by the time he took his first and last breath. I miss him so much and will post soon about how we celebrated his 3rd birthday.

November 21st- I am thankful for good food. I am a lover of food. I love to eat. It is enjoyable to me, probably too much. There's nothing I love better than some good country cooking. Lima beans, cornbread, pot roast, mmmmmmm! However I have come to realize that enjoying food can be done without over indulging. Which brings me to what I am thankful for today.....

November 22nd- I am thankful that I am now 5 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Kara. I am down to 120. It finally happened on the scale this morning. I know it sounds silly, but I was always a small girl. In high school, I never got over 103 pounds, which was probably too small. I am happy at the weight I am now. I still need toning, but overall I am happy. My goal weight is 118 so I am only 2 pounds away. It is awesome that I have got my weight down without feeling deprived. I still eat most things I want I have just found alternatives in things like baking with whole wheat flour. I also limit my treats. If I want chocolate I eat 3 Hershey kisses and it usually fills that void rather than eating 8 chocolate chip cookies like I use do to. I am thankful that I have the will power to get myself and keep myself at a good weight.

20 reasons I know I live in Japan

2008-11-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

You know you live (or have lived) in Japan (on or off base) when:

1. You know that someone saying hi (Hai) doesn't mean hello, but yes.

2. You bow when greeting people, even after you have left the country.

3. You have rushed home to beat the 5pm national anthem that makes everyone stop on the side of the road.

4. You have stood up for the National Anthem before a movie.

5. You show your ID EVERYWHERE you go. So much that when you are on leave you still accidentally pull it out at Walmart.

6. You own something with Kanji on it.

7. You know what Konnichwa, Arigatou gozaimasu, and Dou itashimashite mean.

8. You know how to count to 10 in Japanese: ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, hachi, kyu, ju

9. You have used a toilet that is in the floor.

10. You have eaten teppanyaki.

11. You have come to hate small parking lots, unless you bought a tiny car.

12. You have a mink blanket as does everyone in your family.

13. You have mailed everyone you know either a Japanese doll or some type of china.

14. You have at least one child with Japan as the birthplace.

15. You think Vonage is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

16. You have to count the time difference in your head almost every time you call home.

17. Driving on the left side of the road is no big deal, after you've hit a couple curbs, been on the wrong side and someone waves you to the correct side of the road.

18. You know that you can get an array of different foods in Japan to include: Mexican, Thai, Chinese, and Mongolian (and they are awesome!).

19. You've been to a beloved 100 yen store and end up spending 2000 yen before you know it.

20. While the experience of Japan is cool, you can't help but miss the little things like Walmart, Target, and Arby's!!!

This is a list I made up all on my own. I was just thinking about it the other day and came up with the list. I could probably have added way more but I am about ready to hit the sack. Happy blogging!!!

A little of this, a little of that...

2008-11-17T04:22:00.000-08:00

November 13th- I am thankful for fresh air. Sounds kind of crazy but it's it nice to go outside and get some air? I love this time of year when the temperature is cooling down and it feels so nice out in cool air. Love it!

November 14th-I am thankful that I get along with my in laws. I have several friends that despise their in laws. I am so lucky to have a nice relationship with mine. I couldn't be more pleased with mine. It makes for an even happier time when we can all get together without drama!!

November 15th-I am thankful for pictures! Yes pictures! I am thankful for them because they are our link to the past to memories. Isn't if cool to look at pictures of yourself as a baby and then see the comparison in your children? On Saturday we did pictures with our friends on a cool beach here in Okinawa and it was so much fun. I will post some later....

November 16th-I am thankful for fresh produce. We went to a little store off base and bought some fresh lettuce and a few other things. It was so nice. We came home and had a salad for dinner. That was the first time that I have ever bought food off base that wasn't in a restaurant. I know, I've been here almost 3 years so that's kind of crazy, but I will be returning to do it again once we get back from the states. And if I remember I will try to take pictures in the grocery store to let you see what stuff looks like. :)

November 17th- Wow Kara turned 7 months old today. I can't believe it. Time is just flying by. On reflection of today I will say I am thankful for a routine. No just in my everyday life but in things that you always know are going to happen or something you are going to do. It's a little comfort that we all have. Most people have their morning routine that feels comfortable. I enjoy mine and am thankful for that.

Catching up on thanks....

2008-11-12T01:20:00.000-08:00

Nov. 8th- I am thankful for travel. Thankful that I am getting to see and experience things that I never dreamed that I would. I never knew I would live on another continent or that I would be there for 4 years. Sometimes ( more like, most of the time) I complain about living here, but overall it's been a cool experience.

Nov. 9th- I am thankful for my home. A place to be warm and cozy. The place I feel the most comfortable in. I see people that live on the streets and pray for them to find jobs and homes. How awful must it feel no having a place to call home, a safe place to lay your head down. Yes, I am certainly thankful for my home.

Nov. 10th- I am thankful for my time with Kara. We spent all day on the 10th shopping and just spending time together. I was thinking how cool it will be when we have mommy and me days when she's older. We can talk about boys, clothes, anything. It is awesome.

Nov. 11th- I am thankful for my husband and the service that he gives to our country. I can't tell you the times he has told me he has volunteered because it's his duty. He can't face the thought of something happening to someone going in his place on missions. I joke (not entirely true) that I will run him over if we ever have a bad war break out so that he can't go. He then tells me that's not right. He says he would rather go than someone else go. How selfless is that? Also I am thankful that he's a good husband. Most of the time, he acts sweet and tries to make me feel special. I am thankful for the things he does for me.

Nov. 12th- Today I am thankful for my mother. She is and always has been there for me. I know so many parents that have ran out on their children or mistreated them. My mother never did. She always put me first and made me top priority. I can only hope to be as great of a mother as she has been.

Friends and being a step-mother

2008-11-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

As always I am a day behind on my thankful post!! Oh well. So anyway. For yesterday I will say I am thankful for friends. Real, true friends. Ones that are there for you no matter what. I only have a handful of these type of friends, but they are the BEST!! They are so great! My trip home is going to be awesome. I am staying the first week with my BESTEST friend in the whole world, April. She has been so sweet in trying to make us feel at home when we arrive. She has offered to stock up on baby food for Kara and anything else I ask for. Last year she had all my favorite foods (including a welcome home cake) waiting on me. What a comfort to have a friend that in tune with me. My other group of friends are arranging a baby shower for one of them while I am there so I will be able to attend and see everyone in one place. How cool? I am so excited. I can't wait to see everyone and to show off my baby girl!!!

Today in the states is Maddy's birthday. She turned 9!! Wow. She was only 2 when Nick and I started dating. Crazy how quickly time goes by. I am thankful that she and I have a good relationship. You know several step-parents have trouble with their step-children. I have been fortunate in that Maddy and I haven't had any problems out of the ordinary. Sure there have been times I have frustrated her or vice versa, but overall we get along great. Therefore I am thankful for my relationship with Maddy, my step-daughter. Happy Birthday silly girl!

My Sunshine

2008-11-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Almost every night while I rock Kara to sleep I play her lullaby CD. She usually falls asleep by the 4th song on the disc, "You are my Sunshine". I have always liked that song but didn't know all the lyrics until I started listening to her CD. After hearing the lyrics, I came to realize that it reminded me of my son, Conner (My Sunshine). I cry every night I hear it. It's kind of surreal holding Kara asleep in my arms, while I am thinking of him. I can't explain it, but it's weird and comforting at the same time. His 3rd birthday would have been next week and I guess that's why I am writing. I want to talk about him to make myself feel better, if that's even possible. I keep thinking I should be planning a party right now rather than feeling sad. I should be putting my almost 3 year old to bed right now rather than typing this out. I have come to realize these are things I will always think about. He is in my thoughts every day. Oh how I miss him and wish he was here. If you were wondering the lyrics that play on her CD they are as follows:

You are my Sunshine,
my only sunshine.
You make me happy
when skies are gray.
You'll never know dear
how much I love you
Please don't take
my sunshine away.

The other night, dear,
As I lay sleeping,
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke, dear,
I was mistaken
And I hung my head and cried.

Repeat chorus.

( It only plays that part of the song, a condensed version, I guess. I realize this song was written for torn apart lovers, but I think this particular verse fits for my situation.)

Thankful post for yesterday and today....

2008-11-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

As of yesterdays' happenings, I was having a hard time being thankful. Sounds horrible, but it's true. So yesterday the thing I was thankful for was rest and sleep. Rest that lets your mind be at ease and not worrying. I was thankful to go to bed no longer wondering who our next President would be. I was thankful for sleep that let my mind and body rest and not be in dismay. Yes, sleep was the highlight of yesterday for me (I took a long nap with Kara!!).

Today I will say I am thankful for hope. I am thankful that hope lives in me. I am thankful that I have hope for tomorrow, next year, and the future beyond that. I am thankful that I can rise above being scared for our nation and can hope that good will come to us all. Hope is a wonderful thing. Today I am very thankful for the hope in my life.

PS. I have a few pics of the monkey to share. She's such a little doll.

Laying on daddy's shoulder at the Halloween party. Aww!

Sitting with mommy in front of the Halloween display.

Trying her first taste of funnel cake at a festival!

She wrapped herself up in the blanket. Recognize it Aunt Sandi?

Kara and me at a castle ruins.

Just the three of us! Daddy and Kara at the castle ruins.

She and Chloe are becoming friends!

Pure class

2008-11-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

First let me say that I am saddened by Americans choice in President of the United States. I feel that they way he got elected was wrong and uneducated. However I am willing to put my bad thoughts aside and pray for Obama, that he will go to God for guidance and will bring a change that is good for our country. My fingers are crossed and my hands are at prayer almost constantly now with that in mind.

As I watched John McCain deliver his speech yesterday, I wept. I wept for him, for our country, for my friends and family, and for myself. It was truly heartbreaking to me. I watched a man that was a true American hero speak with such class. He was so kind in his words about "his new president, Obama" and the passing of Obama's grandmother. Several times he tried to hush the boos that were being done. I've always respected him, but that respect grew so greatly yesterday. He proved to be far better person than me. I couldn't have been more proud. I was saddened that America won't get to see what John McCain could have done for them. I know many people will disagree with me but he would have put the "Country First" no doubt about it! I will be honest and tell you that I didn't' watch Obama's speech, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was angry because a friend of mine (an Obama supporter) called me all excited that he had won. She knew that I didn't vote for him. She called to gloat, something I would have never done if the tables were turned. I can't tell you how disappointed I was in her actions and felt that many other people probably did the same. I found it appalling and disrespectful. I never once argued with her on her choice. Oh well, I at least know that I handled the situation with grace. I pray that I have been wrong about Obama and that he will treat our country right. God be with us all.

Pets and clothes

2008-11-03T23:37:00.000-08:00

I guess I will be doing post every other day due to my clingy baby. She's been pretty grumpy lately and only wants to be held, talked to, or played with. She drifted off to sleep so I have to get going on this....

I am thankful for my pets. While they get on my nerves at times, I am so thankful to have them in my life. They provide me with entertainment and love. The best thing about pets is that you are never alone. They are always there with you or up under you (as mine are) 24/7. Anakin is my sweet dog that loves to lick (sometimes too much) and be played with. Chloe is our temperamental cat that has a very sweet nature. Tinkerbell is a feisty little tyrant, but loves to cuddle. Leia our chipmunk is just so cute and funny. Their personalities are all so different. I can't imagine my life without them.

Today I am thankful for clothes that fit just right! I have been trying to figure out what outfits I am taking with me to the states so I tried on almost all my clothes today. In my amazement all my pants fit. It feels so great to be able to get in them without having to squeeze or pray that I am having a "skinny" day. I have such a broad spectrum of clothes now. I didn't realize they would all fit so I have been trying to not put them on lately. I am overjoyed over it! I love winter clothes the best. I feel most comfortable in a pair of pants and a sweater. Cold weather come my way!!!!

Just for your viewing pleasure:

Kara in her cute pigtails today!!

Behind already but that's me these days.

2008-11-02T04:27:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to post everyday on the things I am thankful for, but it seems I am already running behind. Figures. Anyway first and foremost I want to say I am thankful for my faith. These next few days are so important to me. With the presidential election coming to an end, I find myself praying throughout the day that God will provide us with a leader that will not only help our country but will be under his hand. I am going to be a wreck on the morning of the 5th for me (Nov. 4th for the US). However in saying that I am trying to keep optimistic about it. I have to at this point. The so called polls are all pointing the other way and I am trying my best to not believe them. I know I am getting off track. Point is I love God and am so thankful that I have him in my life. I can't remember a time that I didn't and that is so very comforting. I have faith in him and what he has in store for our country.

Secondly, I am thankful for the gift of motherhood. I always knew I wanted children. I grew up playing with dolls. I am thankful that I was able to have my children. So many people miss out on the opportunity to have babies. I feel so blessed that I was able to do so. To be able to feel their little arms and feet moving around in my belly. It was the coolest feeling EVER!! I wouldn't change that for anything. Kara brings joy to my life everyday. She's so amazing, wonderful, and awesome!! I wish that I could have enjoyed these times with Conner. Everyday is something new and it's so much fun. I always knew it would be cool but I didn't realize how great being a mother would truly be.

Homemade Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

So as you know I live in Okinawa, Japan where there seems to be a lack of a pumpkin patch. Or there is one that I am fully unaware of and need to be informed. Any takers??? So anyway, being that I love fall and have so many wonderful little pumpkin scrapbook embellishments, I decided to get creative and make one on my own. It couldn't be that hard, right? At first I thought of getting a few different families together and we could all bring our pumpkins. ( We may still do that this weekend??) It would have been a win win situation. Everyone could use the pumpkins for family pumpkin patch pictures. Unfortunately I came up with this idea last weekend, which was a little late to start. By now most people have carved their pumpkins being that it will be Halloween here tomorrow. So this morning I could wait no longer. I got Nick to drop Kara and me off (we now share one car)at the park up the road with all of our pumpkins in tow. I know I must have looked like a loon having a stroller full of pumpkins, but I didn't care. So we found what I thought was the perfect spot and I set up the pumpkins. I changed Kara's shirt, sat her up, and went to snapping. It was so much fun. I was overjoyed at how well she sat up. She hasn't sat up at home by herself since she fell a few weeks ago and hit her little head. She was so into the pumpkins that I couldn't get her to smile but I think she still looks adorable. Don't you think? I wish I had thought of this last year when Maddy was here. It was also nice that I got my morning walk in. We walked over to the shoppette where a woman commented on all the pumpkins. So I showed her the pics on my camera and she was like, "Wow that's a great idea!!" I really love taking pictures but just need people to take them of. I know I will never catch up on my scrapbooking with pics of Kara. I already have over a thousand pictures of her!!! Truth is even if I had other people to take pics of I would still take as many of her as I do now. I am an addict. LOL

PS I want to thank all of my readers for stopping by. I know some of you leave comments and I don't leave them on yours. I apologize. Kara has been a very clingy baby lately. Therefore I want you to know the even though I don't comment I am still reading your blogs. I am lucky now if I can even get the time to post these days. I read in a baby book yesterday that at this age she should be taking at least 2 naps a day at an hour each. YEAH RIGHT!! I am lucky if she gets 20 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon. She dislikes sleeping. However I am going to be thankful for an active baby, it's going to pay off one day, right?? Speaking of thankful. I am starting my thankful post on the 1st this month, like I did last year. Let's all post one thing we are thankful for each day of November. Happy posting to you!!!

Ready for sweaters!

2008-10-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

I am so ready for sweaters, jeans, jackets, comfortable clothes. Luckily it seems the weather is cooling down. But it isn't happening soon enough for me. Kara has all kinds of little long sleeve outfits that she fits in now, but can't wear because it's too warm outside. Back home in Florida it's 44 degrees right now. No fair!!! I know I should come to realize that I live on an a tropical island. I am just so thankful that we will be in the states for the holiday season and will get to enjoy those cooler temperatures. Now my friends it's off to make a homemade pumpkin patch!!

I love this guy!

2008-10-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Pageant girl

2008-10-27T05:33:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago Maddy was in a pageant. Unfortunately she didn't win anything but it was only her second one and they seem to be fixed around that area. My mom got to go and took these lovely pictures. I love the color of the dress. She said Maddy looked scared to death, poor thing. She had some stage fright, but overall had a good time. I wish we could have been there to cheer her on, but at least we got to see pics. No matter what she's a beauty queen to us.

She's famous!

2008-10-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

Remember the pictures that I had to get done a few times before it finally worked out? Well this was one of them. I think it's adorable and wasn't the only one. Apparently the photography place thought it was so cute that they blew it up and have it on their wall of children. How cool is that? Even better you can see her bracelet with her name on it. She was so tired taking the pictures that by the end she had fallen asleep in my arms. It was a sweet moment and I am glad they were able to capture it. Oh and luckily for all the hassle I had to go through they gave me double my order of prints for free!! The story is actually a little longer but I am tired and want to get one more post in before bed!! The other pics will have to be a surprise.... :)

BEWARE of Vacuums

2008-10-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

So there I was trying to catch up on my cleaning. I had vacuumed the whole livingroom and had decided to get out the attachment so that I could get all the little spaces clean too. I

got down on my hands and knees to vacuum under the couch and it happened. My hair somehow got sucked into the side of the vacuum, into a little hole I had never seen before. It twisted, it pulled. I finally got my senses and turned the machine off. At first it felt like a dream. Surely that didn't just happen in real life. My hair couldn't possibly look like that. I began to panic because it WOULD NOT come out. I tried untwisting it. I tried to unknot it. The damage was done. I luckily had a phone in arms length. So I called my neighbor to come help me. I was thinking, "I can't cut it, it's in the front of my hair". She walked in and helped me get it out and began to laugh. I realized at that point that it was quite funny. I mean what are the odds right? We came to the conclusion that it had to be cut. So I did it. I cut a big chunk of my hair out. If you click on the picture it will get larger and you will see how messed up it was (although I used my old not- so-great camera to take the pic). So there it is another crazy off the wall thing that would only happen to me. I know you must be laughing. I don't blame you, I find it quite amusing myself. :)

The monkey is growing up

2008-10-11T05:53:00.001-07:00

She exhausted herself in her Jumparoo! We have already had to lift it three notches since we got it not even 2 months ago.
She likes to dress up. Of course I think she's the prettiest snow white I've ever seen!
She holds her own bottle.
She rolls over.

See how long her hair is getting? It's almost in her eyes.
She can sit up all by herself now!
Always has to be hugging a doll or stuff animal at nap time.
She eats cookies!
She loves the beach.....

and playing in the water!!

Carrot face

2008-10-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some pics of Kara tonight after she ate her carrots. She was being so silly and had me laughing out loud. These pictures make me smille from ear to ear. Enjoy!!

Beautiful

2008-10-11T05:07:00.000-07:00

Before I start my actual post I want to say that I haven't really been in the blogging mood. I have been a negative, stressed, and busy with a clingy baby (let me note, she's not the reason for the negativity). Therefore I can't promise that any post that I do in the near future are going to be lively or even interesting, so don't say I didn't' warn you.

So for my actual post:

Have you ever done something different to your hair or got a new outfit in hopes that your husband will find you more attractive or in the hope of getting his attention? Then after he doesn't notice or say anything about it you feel frustrated. I believe all women at some point and time have been there. Sometimes I believe it's intentional and other times not (you do have to get your hair cut every once in a while). So this has been me for a few weeks now. I haven't really done anything different with my hair or anything like that, but I have managed to lose a few pounds. I am down to 121 pounds, which is the least I have weighed in over 3 years. So I have been excited and wanted that little bit of extra attention from my husband. Sure it's hard to notice a few pounds being shed, but as a woman, any pounds lost is a victory. So anyway I have been thinking that maybe if I dressed cute or left my hair down (rather that up in a messing bun) that he would say those little words I've been wanting to hear....."You look beautiful", "Don't you look pretty today?", or something really nice like "Wow!" Well, you know how men can be. They don't seem to realize that sometimes their wives, girlfriends, or significant others may need to hear those things. Sure they think them, but they don't seem to say them enough, at least my husband doesn't (for me). Don't get me wrong I know he thought I was beautiful on our wedding day (he brings that up often). Being that was just over 5 years ago, I don't look much different now than I did then. And I'm not saying he hasn't told me sweet things about my appearance since then, because he has. However, here lately he's been slacking. So today he had to leave yet again for another TDY. I had mentioned this whole not saying the sweet stuff a few days ago so he was in tune to my frustrations. Being that he was leaving I put on a cute little dress, kept my hair down, added a little blush and mascara in hopes that he would comment on my appearance. Nothing, Nada, and at first I was depressed. What the heck's the point I thought silently to myself as he left. I was just getting frustrated and mad when I realized that he had told me that I was beautiful today, this morning to be exact. We were laying in bed playing with the baby and I said something about how she stares at me all the time. He replied with, "because she sees that you are beautiful" and told Kara "you have a beautiful mommy don't you." When this thought came into my head it made sense. There I was in the morning without my hair brushed in a tank top and no make up and he said I was beautiful. I have a husband that thinks I am beautiful with out all the glitz and glam. He sees me at my worst and still manages to find me appealing. He says that I am one of those girls that doesn't need make-up to be pretty it just comes naturally. He thinks that I am pretty no matter what. He may not say it as often as I wish he would but I realize that I don't have to hear it everyday. All I need is for him to still see my beauty when I am plain and simple, natural me. That my friends is what I call love.

Clarity

2008-09-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe in my previous post about my choice for President I didn't post enough reasons why I choose McCain. Therefore I want to add that I am not voting for him based on being in the military. I would be voting for him regardless of what my husband does for a living. I have heard that McCain isn't for all of the military. He voted against this and that or didn't support certain things. I never claimed that I agree with everything he's ever done. I just feel he's the better choice for President. One of those reasons is that I am against abortion and stem cell research on embryos. Obama supports both of these things, which was a big strike against him in my book. I have always been VERY against abortion. I have heard several reasons why people validate abortion: rape, down syndrome, being too young, not having financial security. While I haven't been in any of these predicaments, I still don't agree they are good enough reasons to end a life. Yes, I believe that at conception life begins. No one will ever change my mind about that. I have posted before that I had a mentally retarded brother. Had my mother believed in abortion he may have been here for 15 months. While I know it was a hard time for my family, I know my mother would not have given that time up for anything. I would have never had a brother, my precious sweet little brother.

My feeling is that you should give your child up for adoption if you don't feel you can handle raising them. I have several friends that don't have the luxury of having children biologically. As a matter of fact, one of my friends is going to be adopting a baby boy in a month and a half. She and her husband were never able to conceive. The lady that is pregnant with him already has 5 children. She and her husband don't have enough money to raise the baby so they are giving him up. She said she didn't believe in abortion so she decided to give him up to family that can support him. My friend is over the moon that she finally gets to become a mother. Why should a child be killed because their biological parent can't or doesn't want to support them. So many people out there want a baby (yes even the ones with disabilities). My husband and I are still considering adoption in a few years. I just don't understand how you can support abortion or the use of embryos for stem cell research. Yes I know that stem cells can help save people from diseases, but why should it be at the expense of another life. An embryo is a life. It makes me so angry when people say that life doesn't begin until a baby is born. My son was born and only took 3 breaths. In his death paperwork it states he was stillborn. I still believe the hospital was wrong for labeling him that way because as far as I know taking a breath means you are alive, right?? Well since he was labeled stillborn, he was never given a birth certificate. Therefore to some people he was never considered to be alive. If that is true then how did he kick and move around in my belly? A plant is considered alive and it doesn't have that ability. How does that make sense? Like I said no one can change my mind on this subject. In truth it is one of issues I look at first before choosing my candidate each election year. I know there are bigger issues on the table, but to me it matters a lot, a whole lot. There are other reasons I am voting for John McCain, but I don't' feel I need to label each and every reason I feel that way. I just wanted to state that I have more than one issue that agree with him on. And that's all for today.

My ever shrinking family...

2008-09-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

So the last week I have been feeling really down about my physical appearance. I am sure most people know that having a baby changes your body in so many ways. In most cases, your hips grow wider, your chest begins to sag, your feet may grow, you get stretch marks, love handles form, and your body feels and looks like something you don't recognize. Not to say all these things happened to me but some I can relate to. So now when I look in the mirror all I think is "UGH!" Truth is that I was so excited after I had Kara because I lost all most all of my weight in the first 3 weeks. I felt at the rate I was going, I would look awesome before I knew it! I just knew that my skinny jeans were a few weeks away. Then after returning to my pre-pregnancy weight, I realized my body isn't as toned as I want it to be. I have been having a hard time making it to the gym being that we only have one car now. Also, Kara is on a schedule that I don't dare try to change. She gets grumpy with change. They have a mommy and me room at the gym that I want to go to, but Kara doesn't like just sitting in her car seat anymore. I was going to start walking a few miles every night but the rain has been hindering that also. So what's a girl to do? I have been eating healthier and luckily that has been paying off a little. Up until today I had only lost 2 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight of 125. I was so frustrated that I hadn't lost any weight in the last three weeks. Finally today I dropped down to 122. I am pretty happy about it, but still have a lot of work to do to get where I want to be. I don't think I would mind being this weight if I was more toned.

Most of my family has changed their way of eating and are all doing great with it. Nick has lost a total of 19 pounds in the last 3 months. I am very proud of him because he too has been feeling down on himself. I never saw a problem with his weight but he did and now he eats healthier and works out 5 days a week. My mother-in-law has joined Weight Watchers and has lost a total of 41 pounds this summer. She has really changed her life around with her new diet and having quit smoking. My mom is eating healthier also and is about to start walking a few nights a week. I don't know her weight loss, but she's been working hard to keep herself healthier. I am so proud of my family for their accomplishments. It seems like everyone I know is trying to better themselves. It's kind of motivating to hear about everybody's accomplishments. I am still going to do my best to get myself the way I want to be. Nick and I went walking last night and I plan to keep it up as long as the weather will allow it. At this rate we may all be skinny minis next year!!

It's here, it's here!!

2008-09-24T02:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago when I checked the mail, I was surprised to see my absentee ballot had arrived. I had just sent out the paperwork to get it two weeks ago. I was surprised that they would mail it out so soon, but I guess they want to make sure that you have enough time to send it back before they begin counting the votes. I was so excited about it. This will only be the third time that I have voted, but I believe this may be the most important one I have done so far. Things are so crazy with this presidential race and to be honest it has me all rilled up!

I talked to an old friend today on the phone that I haven't talked to in over a year. It was so nice to catch up with her. She asked me plain and simple, "Who are you voting for?" So I told her McCain/Palin. She was very excited to hear my choice because she too is voting for them. Usually I try to stay away from talking politics with ANYONE because I am not one that likes to argue. However this year I have so many opinions on the subject and could care less whom I may offend with my thoughts. Sorry if you don't agree with my feelings on the subject. I am really going outside of my comfort zone by posting this but I need to get it out. Anyway, my friend and I began discussing the presidential race and luckily we're on the same page. I was going on about how important it is to vote, when she admitted to me that this will be the first time she's ever voted (she's a few years older than me). I think she was kind of afraid I was going to question her on it, because she told me that she never really cared about it before. While I believe everyone should vote, I will admit that I think it's dumb for people to vote without being educated on who they are voting for. So I told her that I thought she was smart for not voting before since she had no idea what the candidates stood for. It really pisses me off when people vote for someone they don't know anything about. For instance, I know someone that's voting for Obama because they want to see an African American as president, not because of what he stands for, but on that reason alone. She wants history to be made. She also jokes that he's probably going to be assassinated a few days after being elected. But anyway, that's a whole different crazy post. Either way you vote we are making history. If you vote McCain then we will have our first female vice president. I know people are really excited about making history, but I just wish people would look at the facts before going to vote. Being a military wife I can't understand how anyone would vote Obama. The man won't even say the pledge of allegiance. He's got to be one of the most unpatriotic men in America. He refuses to wear anything with the flag on it. The thought of him coming into office scares the crap out of me. I fear he will get us all blown up before it's over with. You may not agree, but that's how I see it. As I said I am a military wife and therefore have to think about how this election is going to effect my family's life. (Not that I am saying the military is the only ones that matter, I would NEVER be like that). It's just that we live in a foreign country, not too far from North Korea might I add, because of being military. We can't have someone in office that thinks we can just pull out of this war without consequences. No, I am not all about the war. In truth, I hate it. I've had to send my husband over there more times than I ever imagined. But I do believe it needs to be settled somewhat before we pull out all of our troops. It is very important that we have someone in office that's willing to protect our country and what it stands for. I do not feel that Obama is that man. I have been researching on both McCain and Obama's official websites as to what they believe in and what their plan is for our country. I have heard a lot of people saying they want a change in America. Somehow they seem to believe Obama's change is going to be a good one. I am not that optimistic when it comes to him being our president. Something about him really freaks me out. Am I alone in this? What do you feel on the subject? I am not trying to tell anyone how to vote in November. I just want people to be informed before they make their decision. I don't believe you have to vote someone only in your party of choice. I don't believe you should vote someone based on their age, race, sex, or looks. However, I do believe you should vote for the candidate that's going to do their best to keep our country safe and make our economy better. Get educated people and then get out there and vote!!!!

Pretty Little Pixie

2008-09-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Being that Halloween is almost here, I decided to do a test run with (one of) Kara's costume. I think she's the cutest little Tinkerbell. I got our dog Tinkerbell a costume to match but it hasn't come in the mail yet. I wanted to get Anakin the Peter Pan costume but it didn't come in extra small so I am still on the hunt for something cute for him to be. I can't wait to take their picture together, assuming that Tinkerbell with calm down long enough for me to do so. I tried playing a little with my photo shop yesterday but being that I am a rookie at it, I was only able to do a few things. I guess I need to invest in a book to help me. I also got a few of her in her monkey costume:

After about 2 minutes in it she was screaming her head off. It is a pretty hot suit so lets just hope it's cold Halloween night. If not I have reserves with the Tinkerbell costume and the Snow White Costume that my BFF is sending her in the mail. I know, I know why all the costumes? Well, I really like dressing her up and wanted her to have different outfits for the Halloween party and Halloween night. She must be in style at all times. Ha Tell me what you think of her pics.

Some new pages to share

2008-09-17T17:25:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I shared some scrapbook pages so I decided to add some today. I have been trying to get at least one page done each day, which unfortunately doesn't always happen. Some of these I have done recently, some a few months ago. Tell me what you think of them. I am really trying to use more than one pattern sheet on each page. It has been a real struggle for me but I am getting better at it. Scrapbooking is my FAVORITE thing to do, besides playing with my sweet baby girl. I will try to post some new pics of her soon. Have a good weekend!!

So Proud

2008-09-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

I just want to post these pics of some scrapbook layouts that my mom did recently. She is new to scrapbooking and wanted to get my approval, as if I was a professional at it. HA! Truth is the first pages I did are no where near as good at these. Heck some of my recent ones may not be this good. I am so very proud of my mother for picking up on my hobby and running with it. She has done a great job, hasn't she? I think my favorite is the one of Kara and Maddy. What a cute idea!! I LOVE scrapbooking so much and wish I had more time to do it. I have introduced so many people to it, man if only I could have made some money that way. Really I love to see people get interested in doing it. I get on a little high each time one of my family members or friends starts it. I hope that I can keep spreading the interest in it, because it is just that FUN!! Great job mom, keep up the good work.

Bios on the hill

2008-09-07T17:00:00.001-07:00

My husband is home!! On Saturday we went with Nick's friend, Steve and his family to a place here on Okinawa that I hadn't ever heard of called, "Bios on the hill". It was actually a pretty cool. We went on a boat ride that was nice. It had the coolest playground that I have ever seen, besides the rope one we took Maddy to here a few months ago. They had these really awesome swings that I fell totally in love with. I always loved to swing when I was a little girl! Kara seemed to like it too! As you can tell from the pictures she is enjoying having her Daddy back. They are so cute together. She thinks some things he does are funny and she likes to look at him and smile. We went to the beach after the park but just for about half an hour. We didn't bring swim suits or anything so we just hung out and let Kara put her feet in the sand. She really seemed to like it. She's such a happy little baby, until nap time and then she's crazy! Last night we gave her prunes for the first time and she LOVED them. I couldn't believe it. She's growing so fast and always so entertaining. I will be posting more pictures soon! I hope you are having a good week!

Monkeys, monkeys everywhere!

2008-09-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are all the monkey clothes I have bought for Kara in the past few weeks. It's kind of funny that these are all new clothes that just came out. I have been having a love for the pink/brown combination for a while now. It all just worked out so well. The little blue shirt that says, "Mommy's little monkey" was actually for boys but I had to get it. You can't really tell. I think girls can wear blue too. She's going to be so cute in these clothes!!!

Ahhh the torture

2008-08-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

So I went to the commissary today only to find myself drooling over the aisles of Halloween candy. I mean really should they have that junk out already? It wasn't even like you can avoid it there. It is located by the frozen section and the milk/cheese aisle. I know it's their way of getting people to buy it. I was wanting some candy corn so bad (I get it every year) but I refrained. I must remind myself over the next few months to make as few trips to the commissary as I can. I decided that getting some sugar free oatmeal cookies would be a better idea until I read the nutrition facts on it. Apparently sugar free doesn't mean healthy folks! For one cookie was 7 grams of fat and 160 calories. Oh my lord!!! So next time you see something labeled sugar free make sure you read all the facts. I looked at a few other oatmeal cookies and was surprised that they were all full of fat and calories. So does anyone know a good low calorie oatmeal cookie recipe? If so please pass it my way!! I have a weird craving for some. Also do you know of any good low calorie pizzas that don't taste like cardboard ( I am referring to the Southbeach diet ones, YUCK). I am doing my best to stick to eating healthy, but when my cravings kick in I have to indulge and what better way than a low calorie alternative, you know?? I have thought of making pizza on a wheat pita with the fat free cheese. I however am not sure if there is healthy pizza sauce out there I guess I will look next time I go to the commissary, which hopefully is a while away. Darn that freaking Halloween candy.....

Good news, better news, and the best news!!

2008-08-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

So the good news is I lost yet another pound this week!! YAHOO! Now I am down to 123, only have 5 pounds to go reach my goal!! I can't believe that I have even lost any weigh, because I still feel like I eat things that are bad for me. Damn those little 100 calorie chocolate cakes. They are so freaking good! I am about to go to the grocery store and am hoping to find some new exciting healthy, low calorie foods!!

The better news is that Kara rolled over for the first time earlier this week! I was so happy that I was clapping and yelling like a fool. I was just so worried about it with all the books I was reading saying she was due to be doing that already. I know, I know all children are different. I was just worried that she hadn't reached that milestone like she had all the other ones. She is usually advanced in most things. Now I know I will be wishing she couldn't roll over, cause she's going to be rolling all over the place.

The best news is that in a little over a week from now my husband should be home. I am so excited to see him. I know that things could still happen and delay this happy reunion but I am keeping my fingers crossed. I really hope Kara remembers him. In my little fantasy world she will see him and smile. I hope to have my camera handy for that moment.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures.

2008-08-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cute as a button! This pic is of today.

This is my favorite outfit she has.
Another picture mom, come on!
Waiting on the doctor to come check her out. She was moving like crazy. See the paper all balled up at her feet?
Pretty in purple

She's a happy girl!
Look mom, I can hold it myself.
Yum sweet potatoes!

Talking to her Grandma on the phone.

The Okinawans love to hold her. They love her blue eyes.
She may be big but she's not that fat, SEE!
She fell asleep like this in my lap, too cute!
It almost looks like she's going to pout. My beautiful, beautiful baby! What? I am trying to play here. Happy after her bath.

PS. As of now she is still a brunette. A few people seem to think she's a redhead. Her hair is lighter in some places. For some reason my camera seems to make her hair lighter in the pics. Or maybe she's going to be a redhead after all. As of now she's still a brunette. She could be either of those are blond, since Nick was as a child. I guess we will see.

Something I don't understand

2008-08-23T05:37:00.001-07:00

It seems lately I've had two instances where I have had to think about the following subject and truth is I just don't get why people do what they do(myself included). What I am talking about is why Hollywood (and many other people)choose to make fun of the mentally handicap. They don't chose to be born that way, they can't do ANYTHING to change it so why use them as a target? It all started with the new movie that's out called Tropic Thunder. I had heard about the controversy on the television and just flipped the channel (not wanting to get involved in that mess, thinking I would never see the movie). Then I went to another blogger site and read some of the quotes from the movie. She was rather appalled being that she has a mentally handicap daughter. Who could really blame her for being offended? Her daughter is one of many helpless people that are being hurt by the quotes of the movie. Now I haven't seen the movie, therefore I don't know what exactly it's all about. However I do know someone close to me that saw it and said that it's supposed to be making fun of how Hollywood is, rather than the mentally handicap, and that it was a rather funny movie. My husband and I own quite a few movies like this, that have some inappropriate phrases in them. We of course laugh at them and don't think on how it may effect some people's lives. Some of the one liners from this particular movie however struck me the wrong way. For instance, "Once upon a time there was a R****d" and "you went full R****d, never go full R****d". Although the movie was made to show how silly some actors/actresses can be, I don't believe they should have used these lines. It is just plain disrespectful and aren't what made the movie funny. The person I know that watched it said without these phrases it would have been even funnier. So there you have it, Hollywood made a HUGE mistake. They've done before and sadly they will do it again. Truth is I grew up in the time where calling someone a R****d or saying they were acting R****ded was just an every day occurrence. I will admit that I too joined in on the fun. This is not some thing I am proud of, actually something I am deeply ashamed of. Society has made it to where it is acceptable to use that word as just an everyday word and it's just flat out embarrassing. I try my best not use the word because I had a mentally handicap brother( he died at 15 months, I was 3 years old at the time). My mother would get highly offended when people would say that word. I am surprised she didn't slap the fool out of me when she would hear me say it. Instead she explained to me that it wasn't something I should be saying, because by doing so I was belittling my brother. Talk about a hit in the gut. Who wants to realize that something you've been using in your everyday slander is against your dead brother? To be honest it was a struggle for a long time to remove it from my vocabulary (and occasionally I still slip up). Now you may think I am blaming it all on society, but I know that it was my mouth that used the word. Therefore I have to take responsibility for my own mishaps and be a better person than I was then. I feel by admitting my mistakes to all of you I am saying I am sorry to my brother and to all the other helpless people out there like him. None of you deserve to be belittled or taught so unkindly. Which brings me to the most appalling thing I have come across in a very long time. So the other night I went and rented George Lopez:Why you crying? I have been watching the George Lopez show for a few months ( and even bought seasons 1 & 2 on DVD) now on Nickelodeon at night and it's pretty funny. There's usually a good message at the end of every show kind of thing. So I was pretty excited to find a stand up act from him at the video store. It was going pretty good until he got to talking about how Latinos hide their family members if they are, how did he put it...."special needs." The only descent thing he had to say was that he respects white people for including their "special needs" relatives in the family. He started talking about a friend he had that had a "special needs" brother that they hid in the back room. He happened to walk into the room and saw him and yelled in horror. Then he started making gestures with his hands, feet, and face mocking what the brother looked like. As if that weren't' enough he made fun of the "special needs" people in wheelchairs that can go like 5 miles an hour. I was so APPALLED at this. Why? I mean really why would you do that? Again I am going to blame it on society. I lost every ounce of respect I have for that man. There was no denying it he was flat out making fun of the mentally handicap people of this world. They can't help they way they are and to make fun of the way they look and act was just heartbreaking. Really it was, especially realizing that I had done the same thing in my past. The funny thing about it was he couldn't keep up with the joke because not many people were laughing (good for them). So he changed the subject. It's not funny to do that. It's not funny to make fun of people for something they can't change. I hope that when he goes back and watches his DVD he will realize how wrong he was. I can't say that I will forever hate George Lopez for this. People make mistakes. We do terrible things that we can't take back. I recall in middle school a phrase all the kids used, "dur de dur de dur" while hitting their chest with a down turned hand. Where did we all learn that that was acceptable? Thinking back on it now I know how terrible it was of all of us. If only I could go back and time and undo all those things I did. I just pray that I didn't ever do it in the presence of someone that didn't deserve that kind of treatment and took it to heart. Tonight I am truly truly embarrassed not only for myself but for the generation I grew up with. We were all so very wrong.

Good news and a birthday!

2008-08-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

First let me start with telling my wonderful husband HAPPY BIRTHDAY. While it was his birthday here yesterday it's still his birthday in the states. Nick- I wish so badly that we could have been together on your birthday. I hate all the things we have missed together since you've been gone. I just hope and pray that you will be home soon. We miss you so much. When you get home we have so much to celebrate: our anniversary, Kara's milestone, and your birthday. I really hope we get to take advantage of that week you will be getting off of work to have some fun as a family. We love you!!

So now for the good news.... yesterday I sold our car!! I've had it up for sale for 3 weeks, which seemed like a long time, but it sold and for our asking price!!! I was so happy about that. I was willing to go lower on the price if we needed to but luckily it didn't come to that. I am about to go cancel the insurance on it and get some refund back from that too. I feel so happy to be able to put the money in our savings. Lord knows it's going to come in handy with our trip back to the states that we have planned for December! I can't wait! And to make yesterday an even better day... I lost a pound. I have been trying to do a whole new way of life thing with our food. I have changed all the pastas over to multi grain or wheat, brown rice. I have been doing my best to eat healthier and with lower fat content. While I don't believe I am fat, I feel that I need to lose a few pounds and be able to maintain that weight. Therefore I am doing this lifestyle change before Nick gets home so we can do it together. I had made it back to my prepregnacy weight of 125 probably two and half months after Kara was born. Before I got pregnant with Conner I was 120 and was pretty happy at that weight. After having him I never got back there. So now I am determined to make it to 120 and would really love to be 118. But even more important I want to look in the mirror and think I look firmer than I am. I know that's going to take working out, which I really hope to do when Nick gets home. I try to do little work outs here at home, but it's hard with a baby. I figure that I need to take the best care of my body that I can. That's why I am starting now before it's too late or too discouraging to do. I hope you all have a nice day. Oh and it you want to get some healthy recipes jump over to my MIL's (Kari http://grannyskywalker.blogspot.com) blog and check out her new post with a few to try. Have a great day!

Answered prayer

2008-08-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

As you all know I had a son that I lost at birth. So after having him I prayed and prayed for a healthy baby. I didn't care if it was a girl or a boy, even though I secretly wanted a girl so I could differentiate between the new baby and my son. Hard to explain, maybe some other time. But anyway, I am happy to announce that Kara is just about the healthiest baby out there. She had her 4 month well baby check up today. I can't believe that much time has flown by.... but anyway. She was a whopping 15 pounds and 10 ounces. Yowza!! I weighted her two weeks ago and she was only 14 pounds (not sure about how many ounces). She is now 25 1/2 inches long. What happened to my little baby? She is in the 90% of babies her age. That means she's way bigger than most babies her age. So instead of getting upset that she's so large, I take it as a blessing. God gave me what I have been praying for these last couple of years: a healthy baby. I have been so blessed with her. At three weeks early, she didn't have any problems aside from Jaundice. She is just thriving in this world and I couldn't be happier about that. The doctor said she's doing great in every aspect, except that she doesn't roll over yet. The problem is that she HATES tummy time. I put her on her stomach and 5 minutes later she is screaming her head off. He did some exercises with her and discovered she uses her back rather than her arms to lift her body up while in tummy position. So I am going to have to force the tummy time each day. I didn't even attempt today since she had two shots in her leg, but tomorrow we are going to get on it. He did say that he has noticed that a lot of babies aren't rolling over before 6 months of age here lately. I read somewhere that it's because they are now supposed to sleep on their backs rather than her stomachs like before. Who knows, but I just hope she starts building those muscles soon.

I discussed her eating habits with him and he wants me to start her on baby food at dinner time. Cereal in the morning and a vegetable at night. WHAT? I was planning on waiting another month for that. He said for her it's the right choice. He wants me to start vegetables rather than fruit so she won't only want sweet foods. I was going to buy the banana flavored cereal, which was why I mixed bananas in her cereal this week, but he said just to start the baby food. He also said she can have juice now. I for some reason thought that was after they were 6 months. My baby is growing so fast. Nick is going to hate it. He feels like he's missing so much with being gone. She's just moving right along and I can't seem to slow her down. I must remind myself, she's healthy, that's all that matters.

As I mentioned before she got two shots today along with an oral medication. She did pretty good until the first shot was done and then she started crying and turning red. I felt so bad. After I calmed her down and put her in her stroller she looked at me like, "why did you let them do that to me?" It was so pitiful I almost cried. She just looked so upset. She was grumpy for the remainder of the day. Who could blame her? I am hoping she will feel better for tomorrow's pictures. Which brings me to a funny story, well not really. Remember my post about the pictures we got taken? How Kara was so mad and all. Well, I got a call two days later from the portrait studio saying they accidentally erased her pictures. I was very nice about it and told them maybe it was a good thing since she was so grumpy that day. However now that I have thought about it, I may be in for a bad time. Being that Kara just got her shots today, I am going to assume she will still be in pain tomorrow. I can only pray that she's happy and we get some good pictures. A girl I was talking to the other day said I should demand a discount. I am not really one for confrontation so we will see how it goes. I do feel a little frustrated that it will be my third trip there. It's not particularly easy to get a 4 month old baby ready for pictures during her normal nap time once let alone three times. The first time wasn't really their fault, you can't really work with paint fumes everywhere. The second time however was their fault. I laughed about it when I got off the phone with them thinking now that's just my luck. I am hoping it's some kind of blessing in disguise. After all I was kind of mad I forgot to put her bracelet and necklace on her last time. I will update you all tomorrow. Have a good day!!

Awards....

2008-08-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you Aunt Sandi and Jana! I love you guys too!
Thank you Donna for this award. I know my site is beautiful because of my two girls and son, thanks for helping me remember that.
Thank you Karen for this award and the kinds words you wrote. How sweet?

Thank you to everyone that has passed on these awards to me the past few weeks (I know I am behind). I feel very blessed to have such wonderful friends out there in blogland. Thank you so much!!! I would love to pass these on, but I just did that and the stupid thing erased. So being that I am frustrated, I will say this.. If you are a reader of mine I am sending these on to you. You know who you are...

It's not funny, but it is

2008-08-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been dealing with Kara being reluctant to go to sleep. Every time she's getting ready for a nap or bed she fights it with all her might. At first I could get her to calm down within a few minutes. Now it's more like half an hour. And let me tell you she can scream very, very LOUD! All I know to do is rock her until she passes out. So tonight was probably the worst time we have had. I would lay her down and she would start screaming like something was killing her. So I thought maybe she was in pain. I picked her up and she started smiling (little booger). I tried everything I could and sure enough the only time she was upset was when I would lay her down. So I thought maybe if I gave her a stern talking to it would help the problem. I kid you not as soon as I started telling her that "night, night time shouldn't be a fight, we would have fun in the morning" she started laughing at me. Not just a little either. A lot, a whole lot. More than she's ever laughed at me before. I had been taking pictures of her earlier and had my camera in arms length. So I took this little video of her. She is so rotten! What am I going to do with this child? I couldn't help but start laughing too. I guess me being stern is quite laughable, but I am working on it. Really I am. As I type she's in her bed crying again. Jeez, I guess I am in for a long night. Hope you all have a happy one.

Bananas for the monkey....

2008-08-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

Eating her food, yum, yum!
Crying because it was all gone!
Falling asleep while eating.
And she's out....

Without even thinking about it I picked bananas as Kara's first baby food to try. Kind of funny being that her nickname is Monkey. She has been eating plain rice cereal for a while now.
But the last two nights she didn't want it so my mom suggest adding some flavor to it. It was a huge hit with her. The video shows her first bite, which was pretty funny. It took her a few bites to get used to it, and then I couldn't get it in her mouth quick enough. She cried when it was all gone so I went and made her a second bowl. She ate the entire thing. Well to be honest it wasn't that much the first time because I wanted to make sure she liked it before I made a lot. It was pretty cool seeing how much she enjoyed it. When she was almost done with the second bowl she was falling asleep. It must have been very satisfying for her. I love days of her firsts....

Picture problems

2008-08-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

So it seems Kara doesn't like to have her picture taken at professional places. We went today to get her pictures made, the first ones of just her, and she wasn't having it. I had been waiting forever to have some nice pictures taken of her and today was THE day. Actually I had her scheduled for last week, but when we got there we were informed that we would have to reschedule due to some fumes coming into the building. I was more than happy to reschedule being that it smelled to high heaven. I didn't want my baby or myself to be exposed to anything that may be harmful.

So anyway, I should have known the pics weren't going to go well when Kara decided to skip her morning nap. She always naps between 9:30 and 10:00am. This morning notsomuch!!! She took a little cat nap around lunch time, which proved to be not nearly enough for my little sweetheart. When I got there she was asleep in her car seat. They told me to just let her sleep until they got everything set up. She woke up about 5 minutes later so I went and changed her clothes. Things were going great. The first pictures were going to be her on her stomach with a black background. Really beautiful. I laid her down, she smiled a few times before the lady had a chance to click and then she started pouting. The lady got a few of this face. It was adorable, but then she started crying. Needless to say throughout the hour and a half time period they had set aside for us she wasn't happy. She would get posed, smile a few times and start wailing. It was pretty sad. Come to find out she was exhausted (which I kind of figured). Poor baby. She fell asleep while getting her picture done. So we got a few different shots of her sleeping. The last one is of me holding her with her sleeping on my shoulder in just her diaper cover. I had no intention of being in the pics. I didn't even have make up on, YUCK! But the photographer convinced me that only part of my face would be in the photo and she would make it either sepia or black and white so it wouldn't matter that I had no make up on. She showed me one of the pics and I was impressed. It looked pretty good, even in color. I was so very impressed with the portrait studio. It was probably the most PROFESSIONAL place I had ever been. A hundred times nicer than Sears. They specially do the lighting for each pose. It was pretty neat to see. I was very impressed and well I should be at the prices. I was kind of disappointed that I won't get to see the pics until next Tuesday. They take time to edit and touch up everything before you decide what you want to buy. I am just so excited to see what she comes up with. I bet she took 50-60 pics. I think we did about 10 different poses, so it should be interesting. It takes 3-5 weeks for delivery of the pics so when I get them in I will have to scan them for all to see. I am already planning Kara's next visit there, that is AFTER she's had a nice nap. lol

I just wanted to add this pic for her daddy to see. Nick, I think she's looks like you in this pic a little. What do you think? We miss you so very much. We love you bunches!

Suzie Q's Survey

2008-08-11T04:35:00.000-07:00

FAVORITE
Sport: to watch- Football, to play- Volleyball
Yatzee Color: red
Movie: The Notebook
Broadway Play I've Seen: 12th night, but only because it's the only one I ever saw.
Song: Far Away-Nickelback
Favorite City Visited: Orlando, so much to do!!!
Favorite Foreign City Visited: Nago, Japan
Book: The Wedding (it's the sequel to The Notebook)
Children's Book: Love You Forever
TV Show: Dawson's Creek is my ALL time fav.
Recent TV Show: Army Wives, somehow I got into it.
Actor: Will Ferrell
Actress: Jessica Alba
Perfume: Fantasy by Brittney Spears ( I know shameful)
Food: There are so many... Chicken Parmigiana is the BEST! ( I can't wait to try the healthier version soon!)
Dessert: Chocolate Cake
Chain Restaurant: Olive Garden
Local Restaurant: Mike's Tex Mex
Car: It's been so long since I cared about a car, I will let you know when I get back to the states....
Condiment: Butter, but I gotta cut back
Kitchen Appliance: dish washer
Home Appliance: Dryer I guess???
Beauty Product: Chap stick or lip gloss, can't live without it.
Favorite Clothing: Jeans
HGTV Show: Property ladder
Food Network show: I don't watch that, they always make stuff that I don't like.
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Songwriter: ???
Female Songwriter: Carrie Underwood?
Holiday: Christmas
Christmas Ballet: The Nutcracker
Disney Character: Tinkerbell
Alcoholic Drink: Fuzzy Navel
Non Alcoholic Drink: Water
Magazine: Glamour
Animated Movie: Sleeping Beauty
Mini Series: none
Season: FALL
Male Vocalist: Tim McGraw
Female Vocalist: Martina McBride
Day of Week: Sunday
Household Chore: Folding clothes
Ice Cream: Love Potion #31 from Baskin Robbins
Candy: Milky Way
Artist:Van Gogh
Quotation: "Dance like no one is watching, Sing as if no one is listening, and Live like each day was your last." Irish Proverb

At play...

2008-08-09T05:57:00.001-07:00

My animals at play. Chloe is obviously going to win this one.
Kara playing on her play mat. She just adores it. That blue thing is a little monkey.
This is my husband playing with one of Maddy's classmates at her birthday party last year. He's just a big kid at heart.

It's that time again. Brenda's photo challenge was "play" this week. I actually didn't have a hard time at all for once. I know it's not terribly creative, but I tried to capture different sources of play. I can't wait to see what everyone has for this week. If I knew how to add the list of participants I would, my apologies. Happy blogging!

New Do

2008-08-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

Not my best picture, but my husband requested a pic. I was about to go to bed (I'm in my PJs and all) so forgive my tired look. You can kind of see the layers.

I took this one so you could see the highlights. Looks natural huh? That was the idea!

I had such a great day today! I went and got my hair done (highlights and cut) and it was wonderful. I had the same Japanese lady, Mika, as I did last time. She is AWESOME. I love when I find a hair dresser that I can trust. She always does exactly what I ask for. I took Kara along, praying that she would be good, and she was the BEST little baby ever! She spent about 45 minutes singing. She loves to listen to herself squeal and scream. It's her new thing these days. I will try to post a video of it soon. It's just too cute. Anyway, she sat there for almost 3 hours just entertaining herself. (She slept for about 20 mins.) Only at the very end did she fuss a little, but it wasn't too much. I was a very proud mama, so I went to the shoppette and bought her the Curious George movie as a reward. Okay so I really wanted to buy it and they had it so I had to convince myself that was the reason why. lol

Anyway, I have to tell you that when I got my hair washed I was in HEAVEN! She really took her time and scrubbed my head. She also massaged it. WOW! I can't tell you how great it was. The Japanese are known for giving men shoulder/head massages after they cut their hair (I have always been jealous that I don't get the same treatment). So today was a special treat. It felt great. I was about to fall asleep (she washed/massaged for 20 mins). When I was done I almost couldn't stand up because I was in a trance. It was so wonderful and the color is just incredible. I love, love, love it! The picture really doesn't do it justice. If it didn't cost almost $100, I would probably go more often. Just had to share my wonderful day with you all. Have a great one yourself!!!

Before I go here's Kara's new do. I couldn't resist myself from doing it. Nick, I know you hate it but it's just too cute. Don't worry I didn't bring her in public like that. Doesn't she look sweet? Awww!

Stuffed animal obsession?

2008-08-03T06:35:00.001-07:00

Now that's what I call a real "bear hug"! She has just started the whole hugging thing and I absolutely adore it. I can't get enough of her hugs.

They are just "monkeying around"
Giving Monnie Monkey kisses! She loves that monkey!!!
Her new dog, Petey, thank you Grandma!!! She loves this little stuffed dog and chewing on him too! She had some of his hair in her mouth the other day, Ewwww!
Sleeping with her baby doll. She did that all on her own. Notice her other hand is holding her hair. She always sleeps like that. She must have gotten that from me, I have a thing with playing with my own hair too!
Her newest love, snuggle bunny. We got her the other day from the BX. I realized she was still in the stroller when we were walking out and hadn't paid for her so I gave her back to the lady that checks IDs. Kara was not happy at all, crying and everything. So we we went back later with my neighbor, I bought it. She didn't let "snuggle bunny" go for hours afterwards. I usually wouldn't be that kind of a parent giving in to buying something that my child threw a fit for, but I was already intending to buy it, so it was my mistake and I felt bad...

My silly girl

2008-08-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

What did you say??
About to make her pouty face....
She must have disliked something I did or said.

Not sure why she did that face but it was funny!
She was laughing and looks so happy here!
I had just pulled her hand out of her mouth and before I could snap the picture she had it back in there.
Look at that monkey face!! Her hair is just so crazy.
This is her look when she's about done with picture taking, much like her father. LOL

It was another day that I decided to take a bunch of pictures. (Mini photo shoots is what I call them.)Kara was being silly and doing all kinds of funny faces. She's going to be quite the entertainer when she gets older. I just love all her different faces. She cracks me up. She was squealing and laughing in some of the pics and chewing her hands. I am pretty sure she's started(or about to) early teething. She is always chewing her hands and drooling everywhere. She's been kind of clingy the last few days so we will see. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up. I gave her cereal out of a spoon tonight for the 2nd time. The first time didn't go so well. She ended up spitting it all up. This time she did great with it. It was like I couldn't give it to her fast enough. She ate it all!!! So I guess I will feed her cereal every evening from now on. I am assuming that's what you are suppose to do??? It will be a new adventure for us, but I am up for the fun of it!!!

Kara's first friend, Chardae....

2008-08-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

They are too funny in this pic. They are 2 months and 2 days apart. Kara of course is the older one. She looks so big compared to Chardae.
They were way too cute together!
Here's Chardae with her mommy, Britteny and Kara with me. Britteny and I have been friends for about 2 years now. We were pregnant together. We are hoping to have play dates for the girls as they grow.

Her release

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

Losing a sibling at a young age is very hard. I know this because I lost my brother at 3 years old and I have watched Maddy deal with Conner's death. She has talked to me about it a lot, sometimes I think more than she does anyone else. I feel maybe she does that because she knows that I too lost a little brother. She has asked me so many questions that have just about tore my heart out. I always try to answer without getting upset, but she knows the pain, sometimes she cries too. Here are a few of the things she has said to me in the past: Do you think Conner has friends in heaven? I bet he does, he has his uncle Jeremy with him. Do you think Conner is watching us right now? Does he hear me when I talk? Can I talk to him? I miss my brother. My brother is superboy. The list is endless.

Everyone deals with death differently. Maddy uses drawing to help her. These are a few examples of things she has done in honor of her brother. Too, too sweet...

The first one she drew on Conner's 2nd birthday. We had just came home from letting his balloons go and I saw her writing in her notebook. This is what the picture says: Today was my brother Conner's birthday and he is turning two years old. It is also sad because he died on that very day. My step mom is laying on my dad and everyone was so happy and so sad.

This next one was just a random drawing she did of him in his superboy outfit. The top says Be handsome.

These last two are from her diary not too long after we lost Conner. I know it may be wrong of me to have ripped the pages out of it but I knew that she would lose the diary (Maddy is known for losing things) and would appreciate seeing the sweet letter she wrote about her brother down the line. It says: Dear Diary, I miss my brother. I wish he was here. Love, Maddy, Mom, and Dad. The picture is supposed to be him flying above her. Keep in mind she was 6 years old when she wrote and drew these two. It's just heartbreaking.

Here are some more pictures she drew. I wanted to add them because they are so cute! The first one is supposed to be me. She had me pegged scrapbooking and a purple dress! The Second one is a pic of her daddy. He is her hero. She signed the bottom: love, Maddy Madalynn the Goblin Queen. She was named after a comic book hero called the Goblin Queen, poor baby! And the last one is a chalk drawling of a ladybug she did this past year in school. It is very cute!

Monnie Monkey

2008-07-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is Kara's newest editon to her monkey collection. Her granny and grandpa sent him last week. I went through a list of about 15 names before she would smile at me. So she picked his name: Monnie Monkey. She loves him so very much. All I have to do is say, "Where's Monnie Monkey?" and she gets happy. Thank you granny and grandpa for Monnie the monkey!!!

Anakin, you aren't the baby either!!!

2008-07-29T04:09:00.003-07:00

He looks so darn cute and little, makes me want to hug him!

These animals are so silly. Chloe is always in Kara's bouncy seat and now I have found Anakin in the car seat. It was the funniest thing. The car seat was sitting by the door and he was just sitting in there like he belonged. He didn't want to get out of it. I didn't have the heart to kick him out of it.I have been feeling really bad lately about the animals. They are all used to having a lot more attention then they have been getting. Chloe misses Maddy and the dogs miss Nick. I almost constantly have one of them(or all three) at my feet wanting me to pet them or play with them. I feel guilty for not spending more time with them. I am usually spending most of my time with the baby or trying to clean house. I will be so glad when Nick gets back and life can get a little more normal and I will be able to have some help around here. It can be stressful at times with the baby and the animals all wanting my attention. Kara of course comes first. So for now my pets will have to get used to that. All three of them have been acting up since Nick left. Having accidents in the floor (even the cat, who is litter trained) and getting into things. I feel bad because I get so angry at them. I keep trying to tell myself they are upset and that's why, but it is so frustrating at times. Well, I will stop my complaining for now I have to get to bed. Have a great day!

This was the other night, they are never too far from me.

Still not sure of Missy Monkey....

2008-07-29T04:02:00.000-07:00

The pictures say it all she's so funny when that monkey is in her sight. Maybe she will like her better when she's older. HOPEFULLY!!

An anniversary suprise!!!

2008-07-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine the thought of spending my 5 year wedding anniversary had me sad and depressed. Luckily this far Nick and I have never been apart on our anniversary, until now. The 5th one at that. But being the sweet man he is, he still managed to make my day. I got this lovely bear in the mail yesterday(with the help of my mother in law). She's from Build a Bear and her name is BinkerTell Lavender. How funny is that? (As you probably know my favorite color is purple and Disney character is Tinkerbell. ) Then today I got these lovely flowers. They really are so beautiful and smell wonderful. My entire down stairs smells great. When the lady came to the door with the flowers I was in awe. I got them inside and tears were welling up until I saw this:

and then I burst into laughter. You gotta love the language barrier around here. It says Jodid instead of Jodie and Nichonlas instead of Nicholas. Too funny. I laughed for a good while about it. It all made for quite a good day. Happy Anniversary my love, I love you with all my heart<3!!!

Numbers

2008-07-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

This weeks photo challenge was numbers!! At first I was stumped. What could I do that no one else was doing? I figured the phone would be a pretty popular choice, but decided on it anyway. Of course having a baby, I have toys all over so I realize it would be cool to use her phone with her eyes in the mirror. It didn't turn out quite as well as I intended, but I still think it's pretty cool! In the second picture, I kind of cheated but I have to tell you why. Today was my 5th wedding anniversary so I had to add something pertaining to that. I am also using it as part of my gift to my husband. I tried to guesstimate the number of smiles we've had, like 3 for each day of our marriage. It was pretty fun and cute! The last picture, turned out really cool. It is just a piece of plain old scrapbook paper, but it fit perfect with the numbers theme. So there you have it my post for this week. I can't wait to find out what next weeks challenge will be?!?!?!?!

Daddy's eyes

2008-07-24T07:25:00.001-07:00

My new obsession!

2008-07-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

For years I have been mesmerized by pictures just like this. I have always thought it was so cool. But even at Sears it cost like 5 extra dollars a picture so I've never had any like this. So finally, with the assistance of my friend Amy, I figured out how to do it on Photoshop. I have been playing with it all night. It is so much fun. Don't you just love it?

Our little Sooner

2008-07-22T07:07:00.001-07:00

Kadena Erin

2008-07-22T06:59:00.003-07:00

Just wanted to introduce you to Kara's bear Kadena Erin:

Her Granny and Grandpa Hayes made her at Build a Bear workshop. She got the name Kadena after our base (My FIL's idea) and Erin so she would have the same initials (My MIL's idea) as Kara Elizabeth. I love her little outfit a mix of mine and her granny's favorite colors!

Thank you Granny and Grandpa for this lovely addition to my nursery. Love you bunches- KARA XOXO

She's laughing

2008-07-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a video I took a few minutes ago of Kara laughing. She only does it when I act like I am going to eat her tummy. I usually talk in my "cookie monster" voice, but I tried not to embarrass myself too much. She is just getting to be so much fun! I love making her laugh and squeal. It's the best thing EVER!

I did it!!

2008-07-22T01:42:00.000-07:00

I lost ALL my baby weight in just 3 months. That was so awesome to find out this morning. It was the first time I had stepped on the scale in a week. Last week I still had 2 pounds to go. I am so excited about this. However, I still have a lot of toning up to do. I am well on my way to getting my body back the way I want it. I have been eating a lot healthier and only eating snacks with 100 calories or less. My favorite dessert is sugar free fudge pops. They are awesome and only 40 calories. You gotta try them. It helps when you have a chocolate craving. I have been eating smaller portions also which seems to be helping. Just wanted to share some of my joy. Have a great day!

For Grandpa Hayes

2008-07-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

My father in law loves curious George. How funny is it that Kara now has the nickname "monkey". So we were strolling the BX today only to find a new rack of Curious George books. So I showed one of them to Kara and she got so excited. She was squealing and smiling (I wish she would have done it more in the video). Therefore I had to get the book. We came home and I made this video before reading her the book. She loved the book so much I may just have to go back and buy every title they have! So there you go Randey another grandchild that will adore you and Curious George. We seem to have a Curious Kara on our hands. LOL

Her first ponytail

2008-07-20T00:31:00.001-07:00

How cute are these pictures? I was so excited to get her hair up in a ponytail. She didn't even try to pull it out!!! The first pics are from early this week. The last one is from yesterday. I just can't resist it, so cute!