Our Days While Scott Was Away!

I am going to just start right were I left off, but post abridged verstions of everything until I am updated! :) Valentine's Day...another holiday we spent without Scott! :( We made the most of it, though. The girls dressed up, we made yummy cupcakes, I bought myself a fabulous new watch! ha!

 It's funny to think back to when Scott was gone because at the time I was just on auto pilot and never really allowed myself to over think it. I just made sure we ended every day fed, happy and clean! :) If we did...SUCCESS! Things were a little crazy at times...at one point in time there was a ball pit, full sized tent and a trampoline in our living room, the girls ate a few meals on the living room floor watching a show, I'm sure we missed a bed time or 2...but all in all, I have to give myself and the girls 2 thumbs up for a job well done at 4 month of going it alone! :)

 We anxiously awaited packages from Scott. And, if you deliver something to our door, be prepared to see Liv in no pants. It's just the way it is around here! haha!

 These silly girls are always so much fun. They think it is HILARIOUS for Abby to hold Liv. Never mind that Liv almost weighs as much as Abby!

 We did A LOT of this while Scott was gone...getting out the maps and seeing where Daddy was, talking about all the places we have been, where we want to go, how long it takes to travel from one place to another. LOVE these maps! In our new house, we are doing a travel themed room for Abby and framing some large maps like this for her walls. I can't wait to share the whole thing once it's done! :)

I. AM. BACK!!! :)

Howdy, everyone....I. AM. BACK!!! Yay! haha! It's only been what?!...4 months or more! ha! Opps! I have LOTS to update. We've had a few 'little' things going on around here. You know...my husband returning from Afghanistan, buying land and prepping to sell and build, Abby wrapping up her first year of school, family vacation, etc. :)

I have made the blog public again so that it would alert followers that I am posting again. So, if you are a reader and you didn't get put on the list the first go 'round, shoot me a message so I can get you added, if I make it private again!

I have been reading along with all the other blogs, though. The cycle would go like this...Oh, I need to update the blog, log on, see all the new blogs, read them, realize I just spent 30min reading other blogs and I no longer have time to update mine, feel bad that I haven't updated in forever, vow to do it SOON, repeat back to the begining of the cycle! haha!

I even tried to spurce up the layout. And, yes...this is as good as it gets for spruced up. I have a black thumb when it comes to all things technology. I would love a ticker or those other cute things, but I am not even sure if the picture I tried to attach to this post will be on here or not! ha!

Hope all is well with everyone. Happy to report that we are all doing well. No complaints here! :) I promise a few 'get updated' posts in the next day or so. I have been so lucky to arrange my schedule so that I am only working on Mondays and Thursdays this summer so I have more time that I had this fall/winter/spring. (and, I have some exciting work news, too! :) Anyways...this is me, saying I am BACK!! ha! :)

Good vs. Evil! :)

So, as anyone with kids can understand...kids are a bundle of ups and downs. They are like those sour patch kids commercials! They will pee on your carpet and then tell you they love you! ha! It's a never ending roller coaster...and, I love it! I haven't posted an update on the girls in a while and I have a ton of things that I want to get down before I forget, so here goes...

*I will start with Abby! She is growing up WAY too fast for my liking. She talks like a big girl, acts older and older all the time, she tells stories like a big girl, she looks older...it's just too much! :( She LOVES school (as I have said many times) but she is really starting to open up and enjoy all that school has to offer. I went to get her the other day and they were having a pep rally and I saw 4 little girls standing up and cheering, and one of them was her! I couldn't believe it! She is always full of personality around home, but sometimes reserved around others, but not anymore! When I asked her about it she said, 'yeah...me, Taylor, Kelsie and Emma were cheering like teenagers and Mr. E (the cute, young PE teacher at her school-ha!) came over and said, 'who are those girls I hear cheering for me?' (the teachers were playing softball against one another), so he brought them down to be the cheerleaders! WHAT!? Cheering, acting like teenagers...all for her cute PE teacher!? TOO SOON! hahaha! This new found social butterfly status has also landed her in a little trouble! She has had her stick pulled twice since Christmas break. Only moved to yellow, but still! Once because a group of the girls were carrying on in the bathroom and being loud and once because she and Josie continued to talk after Ms. Clark reminded the class to be quiet. Abby was very upset (sobbing, begging me to NOT ground her-ha!) and when I asked her about it, she said, 'we did keep talking, but we were using sign language!' Oh brother! I'm sure Ms. Clark just LOVED that! And, since Abby doesn't know sign language, I am pretty sure it wasn't QUIET sign language! ha! She is very smart (which we have always known :), she reads and writes at a much higher level than required at this age, she is in the advanced math group, all of her testing placed her above average in all areas and in the top percentage of kids her age/grade level. She is very into what people do, what jobs they have, what those professions do, etc. She told me last night that she's really torn between being a teacher, a singer or a dolphin trainer! ha! I love it! She's so full of life and so inquisitive and excited about everything. She loves her little friends, and shows such concern for other people. I just hope she stays this way forever! :)

*And, Liv...Oh, Liv! My little shadow! :) She is so rotten, but sooooo sweet! Her latest thing is, 'I love you and you love me, isn't that right, Mommy?!' and, she will ask that 100 times a day. I love it! And, she will sometimes say, 'does Abby love us, too, because she doesn't talk about it as much as I do!' ha! She follows up every mischievous act with, 'I love you, Mommy!' And, if you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she says with 100% certainty and no hesitation, 'A Mommy!' I LOVE it! She will always say, 'I'm going to make eggs just like that when I'm a Mommy'...or, 'I'm going to wear this like you when I'm a Mommy!' Melts my heart! She is just as strong willed as ever...she never backs down and she doesn't let anyone dictate what she does or what she says! She was at work with me the other night and the owner of the gym has 2 little girls the same age as mine and they play together all the time. Well, Liv came over and was watching class, the girls in my class went over to ask her why she wasn't playing with Abby, Nora and Hayden anymore and she said, 'I'm not going to let them boss me around!' haha! And, she won't either. She sat there for over an hour, refusing to play with them. I. LOVE. IT! She is very thoughtful and for as tough as she is in some ways, she is also so tender hearted. She can be injured and bleeding and not shed a tear but if Abby kicks her out of her room, she's sobbing big crocodile tears! And, she is VERY excited about school, can't wait to start preschool next year, etc. Well, not even thinking, I must have said something about how I will be so sad when the girls are both in school, etc. And, last night as I was putting her to bed she said, 'I don't want to go to school anymore, Mommy!' I asked why, and she said, 'because I don't want you to be home alone and be sad!' Awwwww! So, we had a long talk about how I was teasing and that I am SO excited for her to start school. (which is a total lie, of course...I really will be crying! ha!) She just has such a sweet soul and such a good heart! I mean, how can you get mad at someone when they strip naked in public or pee in your garage when they are so sweet and caring!? haha! :)

*And, a funny story to highlight how opposite they are...Liv is really my little shadow. She doesn't want to miss a single thing that goes on around here. She helps me do EVERYTHING! Abby, on the other hand, is usually only interested if it directly involves her or interests her! ha! She can tune us out, do her own thing, play independently...no problem. I sat Abby on the washer yesterday to put her shoes on her as we were leaving for school, and she said, in all seriousness...'So, how do the clothes get from in here, to in here (pointing from the washer to the dryer)...do you put them in there!?' Oh. My. Goodness! (she is SO my child!) haha! But, I was about to die, and told her YES! And, I am also the one that folds them and puts them away! ha! Not that she has never seen me do laundry, she puts her clothes away, etc. but like I said, if it doesn't interest her, forget it! Liv on the other hand could do a load of laundry by herself with ZERO help from me, seriously. Liv is very independent and resourceful in all aspects....and Abby is, if she wants to be or has to be! haha!

*They are such little sweeties right now. I don't even want to think about them as teenagers. ha! We have SO much fun and every day is such an adventure! I just can't believe how blessed I am! :) My cup runeth over!

Come on March 14th!

Not only is March 14th Scott's 35th birthday, it is also the day he is 'supposed' to get home! I am at the point now where I am just OVER this deployment. On one hand we have had a smooth go of it. The girls and I are pretty awesome and together (most of the time). BUT, the rest of the time is really doing us in! ha! It's to the point now where Scott and have started making a list of things that I have happened while he's been gone, that have not happened in the almost 8years of marriage...

1. Totaled the car.

2. I got so sick I was bedridden and HAD to have help with the girls.

3. We had to purchase a new car without Scott present.

4. I lock Olivia in the new car, with the keys locked in the trunk and we had to have someone break into our brand new car. (and, it wasn't just a little mishap...she was in there for nearly an hour! ha! Thank goodness it was her and not Abby. If it would have been Abby, we would have gone to straight to the ER because she would have had a panic attack. Liv could have cared less! ha!)

5. BOTH girls get sick at the same time...and, not just sick...PUKING sick! Abby started about 8pm one night and by 5am, Liv was up puking right along with her.

6. I've had to cancel/reschedule work! Usually if a child is sick, it's no big deal because they stay with Scott while I work, but it's not like I will leave a sick child with a babysitter and we have no family here, and I can't take a puking child to work with me, so I had to cancel all my classes and lessons for THREE days last week!

Now, I am NOT complaining, because I know full well that it could be MUCH worse. I am simply stating this and laughing because it's like the universe knows my husband is gone, so it's playing a big joke on me. I pray every day for patience, safety, health, etc. and I know they say when you pray for things, God will often test you in order to strengthen you in those areas! At this time, I would like to say....Got it, Lord! Loud. And. Clear! :) ha!

And, here we go again...

Trying to play catch up! I am going to get all of my detailed posts up soon, but I wanted to document some things while they were on my mind, and I had a minute to do it. :) After Abby's birthday celebrations died down, we went full force into Christmas celebrations...Gingerbread house decorating (see above). The house was only up for about 5min before the destroyed it, so I am glad I got this lovely photo first!

We had our annual Ornament Exchange Party. We usually do it at my friend Aimee's house, but she had a baby not too long ago and she wanted to get out of the house, so we all met at this awesome new winery called the Weingarten. It was yummy and it's always so much fun to get together with this group of ladies. We used to play bunco every month, but as people have gotten busier, some have moved, more kiddos have been born, etc. it's hard to get together each month, so we really enjoy the times when we can all meet up for some girl time! :)
One weekend while Mom was in town, we all went to the Nutcracker! Mom and I loved it, the girls loved it at first but then decided it was too long and the dancers needed to talk! ha! (We goofed and thought we had tickets to the shorter, narrated kids version and we didn't...it was 2hrs of the original version...they were OVER it! ha!) But, we had a great time, got all dressed up, went to dinner afterwards and all of that fun stuff! :)
LOTS and LOTS of baking! That same weekend Mom helped us bake and decorate 11 dozen cookies. We had a blast.
Abby had her Christmas Program at school...'A Bugs Christmas!' It was adorable and so was she, of course! :)
We also had a special 'Watch Night' at dance class! The girls had been working on dances to show us. I can not say enough good things about the studio where the girls take dance. They love it, they learn so much. Abby is really, really into it these days. She works hard. She is in a more advanced class with girls that are a little older than her, and she holds her own. I was so impressed that they placed her with that group, and even more impressed at how much she is learning and improving. Liv loves it, too. And, I won't be surprised if they are dancing together in a couple of years. But, Abby loves ballet (she's even asked to take an extra class each week) and Liv loves tap (probably because it's louder, wilder and involves shaking your booty more-ha!) I have videos and more pictures that I will post, too.
We went to see Santa! :)
And, he didn't disappoint! :) (lovely pose, Abby...thanks! ha!)
We rang in the New Year (at 9:30, but they thought it was midnight...more on that later! ha!)
And...we FINALLY settled everything from the accident and got a new car! YAY! Yes, I realize that is a horrible picture of a charcoal colored car at night time, but it's the best I have for now, so it will have to do! ha!
*We have had one heck of a time around here. We were slammed with Christmas programs, Christmas related festivities, dance, school, work, and everything else the weeks leading up to Christmas. We decided to ask Santa to come a night early, so Mom and Dad came up on the 23rd and Santa came on the 24th. We then went home to Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve and stayed there until the 28th. We had to rush home on the morning of the 28th because they called and said they had decided to total our old car (after telling us it would just be fixed which we knew it wouldn't be the case, but anyways), they had to meet me to give us the check for the old car, and I had to clean the old car out before they came to haul off. So, we hauled ass home to meet with everyone for that! You can image the state we were in...me, the girls, Dixon (the dog), all crammed into our old car, traveling 4 hours and driving straight in to meet everyone. I believe the claims adjusters exact words were, 'you sure have your hands full, huh?' Translation: 'you are a 'effing disaster and your kids are wild animals!' haha!

*Anyway, we did that, came home went straight to work on taking Christmas stuff down. Thursday Abby had a party for a classmate. We went to look at some cars, went to the party, came home to pack again and we headed to Dixon, KY for Christmas with Scott's side of the family. All was well and fun with that until Sat night (New Years Eve). I started feeling tired and off after dinner, we let the girls believe it was midnight, showed the celebration in Sydney, Australia, took them out to bang pots and pans and then went to bed. Woke up that next morning SICK. AS. A. DOG! Spent the next 24 hours sick, puking my guts out, etc. Thank goodness we were there, though, so that I had someone to take care of the girls. I wasn't any where near well to drive home until Monday afternoon (and even then I was still in pretty bad shape). But, Abby had school Tuesday, we had a new car waiting for us at home, and Liv had just busted my in-laws flat screen TV, so we headed home! haha! ;)

*It's now a week later. I do feel better but still not back to normal, still can barely eat, so I will probably have to go and have tests to make sure it's not salmonella or E.Coli. I have felt my best today, though and did eat a pretzel and half of a sandwich and so far so good...that is MAJOR improvement. We had a long week getting back into the swing of things. With me getting sick, we were only able to be home 1 1/2 days of the entire Christmas break, so it was nice to get back into a routine and to be home. We hosted Mom, Brittney and Deana this weekend. Britt's cheer squad competed here this weekend, so we made the most of their time here and went down to the Arch yesterday, hung out at Britt's hotel, went to Dave and Buster's and spent all day at the competition today.

*Oh, and I have hired someone to keep the girls while I work. It was just getting too hard to take them with me ALL. THE. TIME. And, I feel bad asking friends to keep them. So, I found a great girl that lives right down the road. She's a senior in high school, she's been a nanny to triplets in the summertime, she does her service hours at a daycare, she's a doll and the girls are excited, so she starts tomorrow! :)

Soooooo....LOTS going on around here! I will try to get all the detailed posts up soon. We have lots of pictures from all of our Christmas celebrations, etc.

*Oh, and 2012 is the Year of NO! I am sick and tired of always being the YES! person, so I am making a concentrated effort to not spread myself too thin or get sucked into doing things that I don't really want to do, etc. More on that later, too! :) (As I am off practicing saying, 'that just doesn't work for me/us, sorry!' haha!)

Blog Off...Christmas Cards!

Love this one...

Well, I would be burned at the stake by my family if I didn't send out cards, so in that case, I have no choice but to send them! ;) ha! I do enjoy sending them, and I LOVE getting them, but I really love and appreciate the ones that have some thought put into them or that have a personal note in them.

I try really hard to make ours a creative reflection of our year and crazy life. I usually put lots of thought into the cards, pick the best (and often funniest/most entertaining) pictures. This year was MAYHEM (card printing got delayed, one batch had a grammatical error, ran out of the original cards I had made and had to make some last minute ones, etc...like I said, MAYHEM! ha!), and I feel as though I did not deliver to my legion of friends and family that usually expect a great card form us, but I hope they will forgive me this year. I did make sure the cards contained darling pictures of my heathens, so hopefully that will hold everyone over until next year....as I already have an AWESOME (top secret) idea for our cards! ha!

Funny story...we were opening the cards we received one day, and Liv got so excited, clapped her little hands together and said, 'ohhhhhh, I hope there's money in there!' hahaha! She was used to Abby's birthday cards coming in the mail with money it them. It was hysterical!

Abigail Jenette is SIX!

I can not believe Abby is 6! That just sounds so grown up and un-baby like! :( I don't like it. at. all! The door decorating is a tradition. Everyone gets that on their birthday (except me, but I'm not bitter! nope, not bitter at all! ha! ;)

Stewart the Elf left her a little birthday note, too.

Opening her gift from Stewart!
Her birthday fell on a Saturday (just like when she was born on 12/3/05), so we were able to par-tay on her actual birthday this year! It was a BARBIE extravaganza! Paige and Miss Kayla stopped by. They both cheer on the squad I coach, and Miss Kayla is their babysitter...I also love her so much, I made her my assistant coach for my classes at the gym! :) She's a great, great kid, and we will miss her sooooo much when she goes away to college next year.
And, we almost had a real emergency right before the party started! I was blow drying my hair, the blow dryer flew out of my hand and right into....the toilet! AAAAHHHH! Smoke and flames immediately started rolling, so I closed my eyes and yanked it from the wall (thankfully, not getting shocked!) Sorry, blow dryer...we had a good run, but I guess it was your time to go! ha!
Anyways, crisis averted...it was PARTY TIME! First up, MANICURES!! :) Thanks goodness we had some extra adults to pitch in and help!
Pizza and snacks! :)
And...I specifically said NO presents! You see how well everyone listens to me! ha! Next year, it's back to charity donations in lieu of gifts. I am usually on the ball and we pick a charity to support (something kid friendly that they can understand and participate) and we ask people to donate in lieu of gifts. This year we threw the party together very last minute because I thought we were going to be at my parents that weekend, but we had a change of plans and with Thanksgiving being the weekend before, we just didn't get it done in time. Like I said, next year it's back to no gifts. We haven't done gifts since Abby's first birthday and this is why!! ha!
JUST DANCE on the Wii!! Oh my goodness...these girls were hysterical!
Dress-up....
More dress-up and silly girls...we were looking through these pictures after the party and when we got to this one, everyone said, 'oh my goodness...she looks JUST like you in that one, making that face!' haha!
Total chaos...and, I love Abby's face in this one as she pulls her BFF, Ryann, around the house! haha! They act like teenage boys!
Cookie time (you know my girl won't have cake or ice cream...cookie is as crazy as she will get with sweets! ha!)
Pinata!!
She did get some awesome gifts, and it was so sweet of everyone to think of her. And, she was very grateful...I was proud of her! This hat and scarf was my favorite! Josie, the little girl beside her with dark hair, made this with her Mom! MADE IT! It's adorable, and we get 10 comments on it every day...or more! I love it!

With all of her sweet little friends! :)
We had so much fun, they were all so sweet and polite. We really couldn't ask for a better group of girls. I love that she will grow up with these girls. And, I know I already said it, but I really can't believe she is six. Seems like she was just born! What an amazing six years it has been. She brings so much love and joy to so many people. There is never a dull moment with Abby around, and I had no idea how much life was about to change when she came into our lives that Saturday in December back in 2005. She came into the world in a dramatic fashion, and she hasn't slowed down since. I always tease her when she's being naughty and sassy and say that I hope she has a little girl JUST like her ;)...and, I do hope that, because I hope she gets to experience how amazing it is to be a Mommy to someone as wonderful as she is. Happy Birthday, to my sweet, sassy, smart, dramatic, creative, beautiful, thoughtful, loving girl! :)