Thank you for my freckle!

2011-11-04T02:31:00.005-05:00

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2011-11-04T02:31:00.003-05:00

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2011-11-04T02:31:00.001-05:00

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2011-11-02T21:13:00.001-05:00

It's about time I got back to my blog.

Pictures

2011-07-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

Trying to figure out how to post pictures and videos. Testing 1, 2, 3...

Yes...

2011-07-12T18:27:00.002-05:00

I'm still alive. ;-)

Birthday wishes!

2011-03-26T01:46:00.000-05:00

Before I lay down I do want to mention that today is the first birthday of a special little girl, Miss Amelia Jennifer Zemanek.

Happy Birthday sweet pea! Wishing you the best first birthday. I can't wait to watch you on Skype later while you open the gift we sent you.

To ShawnnaLea and Shaun - this is a special day for you both as well and I wish you both lots of love and smiles as you all celebrate today.

I toss and I turn.

2011-03-26T01:41:00.000-05:00

For some reason I am wide awake tonight. Usually after a long day I am wiped and can't wait to hit my pillow. Tonight I was more hungry than tired so after finally satiating my appetite I sat down to read thinking it'd make me sleepy. No luck. So here I am, updating Facebook with a few pictures and blogging.

I'm sure once I begin to think about the million and 2 things I could update about, my eyes will get heavy. So let's see...

It's been a busy week. My sister-in-law and granny-in-law came down for a week long visit last Saturday. It's been a joy to have two extra mouths to cook for. Yes I said it before and I'll say it again, I love cooking. I even got to test out my first attempt at manicotti. I did well and I am quite pleased with myself. It's also been nice to have two extra set of eyes to look after the girls, giving me the opportunity to run out to the store, take a nap, or just take a walk as I please. Most of all the company has been nice. It's just too lonely living here. I simply cannot wait to start the "leave Florida" count down. We still have a little over a year left so I won't be a crazy person and start that countdown just yet.

I'm dreading tomorrow (or should I say later today?) and the goodbyes. I know my girls are going to cry their eyes out. They hate being away from family too. I will cry right along with them because my heart will hurt for my girls and because I will miss having family right here with me.

It's been a nice visit. We pretty much relaxed and enjoyed laughing together at all the cute things my girls would say or do. These are the visits I enjoy best. Nothing is rushed and there is no pressure. I use to get completely crazy before having company, ensuring every spot in my house was exactly the way it should be, every surfaced cleaned and everything organized. This time I didn't stress myself out on that front. Instead I cleaned just as I always cleaned and went out an hour before our company was due to arrive. We went to Michael's and made an art project with the girls. For once I said, so what if the foyer isn't swept and so what if I don't get home in time to make sure it is swept. Instead I had two happy little girls, two new decorated clay pots and joy in my heart. That was a good way to start a visit. It made for a peaceful visit.

Again this is just part of my new attempts at trying to focus more on the important things in life and enjoying them, NOT stressing over them. I've noticed that my level of patience has been increasing too. Always a good thing especially considering I use to have very little in that department.

Whew, okay just as I suspected, my eyes are actually feeling a little heavy now. So goodnight, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. ;-)

Where do I begin?

2011-03-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

So much to write about that I can guarantee I will inevitably leave something out. First I am still trying to adjust to the fact that my first born child has turned 5 years old. May not seem like such a big deal but honestly my children have become a huge part of who I am these days. Yes, I know, that isn't exactly healthy but I'm working on it. I just finished reading Brooke Burke's new book, The Naked Mom and wow I loved it! Granted I am far from relating to her celebrity status but her motherhood and relationship words of wisdom were by far a wonderful wonderful read and they have put me into such a great frame of mind. I'm completely excited to put a few new healthy attitudes into action. By the way did I mention that my wonderful husband surprised me with Brooke Burke's new book, signed with a special message for me from Brooke? I thought that was over the top sweet, considering I wanted the book and follow Brooke on Twitter. Yes, I am a fan of hers. So this was a perfect gift. Then to top it off...I loved the book!

So as I was saying before... (Actually yesterday, since I had to save this and come back to it.) My first born child, my daughter KayLee turned 5 on the 10th of this month. My parents did an excellent job in the birthday department as I was growing up and I remember fabulous parties with friends and family and awesome yummy cakes that my mom made. This was something I envisioned for my children as well. I think birthday's are important for children. My husband and I make big deals of our little girls birthdays. This is the day the Lord blessed us with these children and something I will never ever take for granted. I will forever celebrate! I will always have a yummy home made cake and a few special presents for my girls. My two girls are the only grandchildren to my parents and my husbands and they are the only nieces to both my brother and sister-in-law, so yes, they get super spoiled. And yes, my husband and I have moments of spoiling them as well. My kids are young and no they do not understand the value of money and such but they are learning. They are very appreciative and they do not act like spoiled brats. My children have never ever screamed in a store because they needed a toy or something. It's not their nature. As my children grow, I will continue to teach them about needs vs wants and the value of a dollar. I have no problem in the meantime spending $20 bucks on a doll, Disney DVD or books and puzzles instead of getting my toes manicured. I will have the hubby do the toes instead. ;-)

Speaking of treats for me... I'm now a runner. I've always wanted to run thanks to my daddy who has been running marathons for as long as I can remember. My mom and I loved seeing him depart and then wait at the finish line, cheering for runners as they crossed. It could be freezing and raining or terribly hot and oppressive but you'd still see my mother and I laughing and dancing, we had a full appreciation of these runners and their training since we saw it first hand.

I finally got my running shoes on and got out there last week and ran. Okay only half a mile and it took me 9 minutes and 45 seconds but I started. Then I took a day off and tried again... 1 mile in 18 minutes. I decided I can do this. Entered a 5k with the hubby for the McGuire's Predicted 5k race. It was great! 3.1 miles in 42:05!!! I did it!!!! Two painful blisters later but I did it. Horrible shin splints but I did it. Walking around like a 90 year old for 3 days...but I did it! I hurt so bad the next day that I thought I needed to work harder to just get the muscle pain out and ran/walked a half mile. BIG HUGE mistake and huge lesson learned. Hoping to get a mile in tomorrow now that I am healed and move up to 1.5 on Sunday. Saturday I get a break...I think an intravenous iron infusion over two hours entitles me to a break. (Last infusion of 6 rounds this time, yippie!)

Alright I can clearly see I am getting giddy over finally blogging. Just too much to write that I can never fully complete just one subject that I intended to write about. So I'll end for now and hope I can blog more often so in the future I can give full attention to whatever it is that is on my mind.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2011-03-16T14:30:00.001-05:00

Going to blog later today.

Florida cold...brrr

2011-01-13T09:42:00.000-06:00

So we're back and settled (for the most part) from our extended holiday vacation to VA. Things are getting back to normal and I am getting back into the swing of things which isn't easy after such a looooong time away. We've been super busy which has been nice but I think maybe we might have been a tad too busy since now we've come down with a few lovely colds. KayLee seems to have it the worst right now, so we're praying these get out of here relatively quickly. Hopefully it helps that I am trying to disinfect everything in sight. I know once she has the cold it's there but maybe I can help to shorten the duration. We'll see. Waiting now on the Cox cable people to come and hook up my Internet and phone. I cannot even begin to tell you how much of a hassle this whole process has been. Time to brush the girls teeth and pick out outfits for the day. Dentist appointment for me this afternoon, yippie! Nothing like feeling uber clean in your mouth. Oh and yes, please, Florida warmth where are you? 22 degrees when I woke up this morning...hey this feels like we're still in Virginia.

2010-12-16T11:22:00.001-06:00

It's snowing... Let the winter storm begin.

Dollar Store Drama

2010-12-09T20:00:00.001-06:00

I use to frequent dollar stores and such back during my college years. I could never have enough post-its, gel pens and cheap unnecessary trinkets. Then of course when I got married and moved to NC, there was maybe 1 dollar store 20 minutes or so down the road and that was when my dollar store shopping days started to disappear. Even now, living in FL I just don't see many. Maybe it's just me not looking, but whatever. Now that I am here in VA, I find myself counting the dollar stores on both hands in just a 15 minute trip down the road. So today I went to one not more than 5 minutes from my moms house. I was surprised at how crowded it was! I thought there were some pretty cool Christmas-y things in there and lots of things to make cute goodie bags for children. I thought hmmm maybe I can pick up a few stocking stuffers here. Honestly when I think about Christmas, my children are so young that I think the unwrapping is more of the gift than the actual gift. So thinking of that I invested a lovely $2 on some Minnie Mouse and Dora wrapping paper. Both sure to please my two lil' girls. Then I picked up 4 small books. My girls adore reading and being read to. Of course neither of my girls can read yet but they sure have fun making up stories to go along with pictures. So $9 later and a bag full of odd and ends I left and headed for home pleased with my short little trip. The trip would have been totally non-eventful if it weren't for some late teenage girl falling in front of the store. I believe she tripped on the curb, not sure since I didn't see it. But whoa the shrieks coming from those by the window were unreal. Screaming, yelling and then someone even banging...loudly on the window...oy it was nonsense. Then the girl draws even more unwanted attention by coming in the store crying and yelling, "this has just been the worst week ever!" We all know how completely nosey I can be so I peeked around the corner to catch a glimpse of her and what happens? She walks right by me and stands next to me, as I pretend to look at some silly Christmas stamp kit. This would have been fine but the entire time she's crying and saying to an older lady with her, "oh I just can't shop". Okay than leave. I just don't get some things. Funny thing was, 10 minutes later as I was checking out, she was two people in front of me and talking animatedly to the young male cashier. Some people seriously intrigue me in so many different ways.

Well the ending to a book I'm reading is calling my name so I must go. Yeah it's Breaking Dawn, you got me! What do you expect? I just watched my lovely Eclipse DVD the other night, after finishing the Eclipse book earlier that day. It was inevitable that I was going to have to re-read Breaking Dawn. I love re-reading books, I always learn something I didn't catch the first time. Looking forward to a new book though after this one. Any good suggestions? I'm open to anything. I'm on page 513 right now so if my eyes don't fail me, I'll finish it before I go to sleep. We'll see.

Sweet sleep everyone and no dollar store drama. ;-)

That time of year.

2010-12-08T08:10:00.000-06:00

We've been pretty lucky in terms of colds. I believe our last set of colds was back in early October. Especially considering the fact that we have travelled up North where it's colder and have been around more people and doing a lot more. Yesterday NataLee began to get the sniffles and over night it just became worse. Poor baby is sneezing a lot and has red eyes that tear constantly. Hopefully this is a short lived cold and doesn't make it's way around the house here. Praying for health and happiness for my own family as well as my family and friends. Time to go disinfect rooms if the lil' one will let me put her down.

way past due...

2010-12-07T12:18:00.000-06:00

I'm so past due here. I have so much to blog about but never any time to sit and type it out. That is why you often find tiny blog updates here. I send those short blogs via my blackberry. I'm vowing to myself to make time to blog as part of my new year 2011 goals. Really I need to do this for myself. Taking time out for me is something I need to get better at. Seriously, I am slowly realizing a mommy that has taken time to unwind for herself = happier kids and hubby.

2010-11-19T22:30:00.001-06:00

Okay maybe I'll post one now...stay tuned. :)

2010-11-19T22:26:00.001-06:00

I'll post an update a little later. Goodnight.

2010-11-19T22:24:00.001-06:00

What a day...

2010-11-15T21:36:00.001-06:00

So thankful the cold COLD hasn't hit VA yet. Everything in place for NataLee's 3rd bday, wait until you see our rented hand fed baby Alpaca...yes I said Alpaca!

2010-11-08T20:15:00.001-06:00

Missing my hubby... Love the USMC but hate how it takes me hubby away so much.

2010-10-07T08:25:00.001-05:00

Up all night with the lil' one. She has my cold. It's only a matter of time now until KayLee gets it full on too. I hate seeing my lil' girls sick. :(

2010-10-06T03:13:00.001-05:00

Geez it's after 3am and I am still up thanks to this darn cold/flu. I'm super restless. Please cold, go away!

2010-10-05T20:23:00.001-05:00

I have the worst cold ever! :'( I'm so miserable.

2010-10-05T16:51:00.001-05:00

The United States military has seriously provided me with some of THE BEST GI doctors in this world!

whew

2010-10-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

Just call me SuperMom!

Is it really only Tuesday...?

2010-09-28T20:27:00.000-05:00

There are some days when time just flies and then other days, like today, where time seems to stand still. I didn't sleep too well last night and I was up early, so I am sure that has something to do with it. I wish so much I was a morning person but I just am not a morning person. The sad part is I am a night person but don't really have the luxury of staying awake and enjoying my late nights because it"ll make me that much more tired in the morning. And we all know I cannot afford to be any more tired than I already am. Getting out of bed is such a task. Once I am up and out of bed things are fine and I am wide awake and doing my normal 500 things at once. It's just that physical act of getting up and standing lol. Any ideas how I can make that easier? If I sleep for 9 hours the night before I can get up with little trouble but with two small children and a husband that needs some time too, oh and a house that needs things done, it's often hard to get 9 full hours. Then add to it the fact that some nights I have some much running through my head that I cannot fall asleep no matter how hard I try. I've found that if I wake up really early...say 6am or before, I can sometimes get out of bed easier. I wake up when my hubby's alarm goes off, but lay there in bed. I think that partial wake up and going back to sleep thing increases my "tiredness" lol. Mommy duties call...more later...

Extreme Night Owl

2010-09-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

This week has been interesting to say the least. KayLee has decided she is too old for naps. I knew this time was coming so I can't say I am too upset. As long as she doesn't prevent NataLee from napping I'm okay with her staying up. Is 4 and a half the typical age when a child gives up a nap? She's my first baby so I have no idea. I think she'll still nap if she has an extremely active morning. She'll get in her bed so NataLee sees her getting into bed and I told her she needs to stay in bed until NataLee falls asleep and once Nat is asleep she can come out of her room and join me in the living room as long as she's quiet. So far it's been working out well.

Another thing that has started happening is both of the girls have been sleeping until 8am. Shocker I know coming from two girls who always use to wake at the butt crack of dawn. Sadly I think it's due to their late nights. Despite the fact that we tuck the girls into bed at a very reasonable hour 8:45pm, NataLee for some reason thinks it's play time. KayLee is ready for bed and is tired but NataLee gets a serious burst of energy. She's quiet and tired looking until she hits her bed and boom, she is a totally different child. She will say "I'm hungry" or "I need a crayon" or anything to get either Herbert or myself to go into the room. She'll talk loudly and giggle. Most of the time she keeps KayLee up, sometimes Kay will fall asleep regardless of Nat. The thing is, Nat won't fall asleep until sometime after 11pm. I don't know what to do and how to get my child to get to bed earlier. Skipping her nap is not an option because then we'll just have grumpy to add to wide awake. We do quiet time after baths where lights are dim and we engage in quiet activities. What else can I do?

Oh boy girls are fighting over a coloring book, time to break up the fight.

2010-09-22T13:57:00.001-05:00

Left overs for dinner and my lil' girls being angels today. Wahoo!

2010-09-15T14:12:00.001-05:00

Incredibly frustrated with my kids and their new nap time and night time struggles. Am I doing something wrong? Is this normal? How do I fix it? How do I cope?

2010-09-09T13:23:00.001-05:00

Naps have been a bust all week. Hoping this afternoon is different. Girls still up wide awake in their beds. Oy.

2010-09-02T21:08:00.001-05:00

Oh and did I mention...l love when my hubby is home! <3 It has been a VERY busy but productive day. Looking forward to snuggling in bed & flippin' on our dvr.

2010-09-02T21:06:00.001-05:00

Got a special card in the mail today. Shawnna you totally made my day! I love you! Kiss AJ a big kiss for me.

2010-09-02T21:04:00.001-05:00

Nothing like your mommy and daddy being there when you need them. I love you mom and dad!

2010-09-01T22:54:00.001-05:00

My baby girls crack me up. Enjoyesd alllll

2010-09-01T14:31:00.001-05:00

You've got to be kidding me! Older daughter has sneaked out of her bed. Returned her to bed and now girls up again! Oy vey!

2010-09-01T14:21:00.001-05:00

Score! Girls finally asleep. Now mama can grab a shower.

2010-09-01T14:13:00.001-05:00

Seriously discouraged & confused! Girls went to bed @ 830 last night & kept talkin' until past 1130. Up early & in bed for nap now & still talkin' an hour later

2010-09-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

Breakfast & lunch once again a success! We're nearing a week on our new meal time program. A total success so far & I'm elated! No more food wars! Nap time now.

2010-09-01T13:02:00.001-05:00

Cleaned both of my lil' girls fish tanks. Feel great...1 less thing to do this weekend = more time for weekend holiday fun! :)

2010-09-01T10:20:00.001-05:00

Hallelujah! :D

2010-09-01T00:21:00.001-05:00

Hey it's September 1st, happy 1st birthday to our kitty Keokeo. :D. Party time tomorrow in the Keaton house.

2010-09-01T00:16:00.001-05:00

No wonder I can't sleep? My mind is running a million miles a minute...so much for supermom. Just trying to do the best I can. I want the best for my family.

2010-09-01T00:10:00.001-05:00

So confused. Many experts say naps are crucial to help escape overtiredness at night (when toddler is put to bed b/w 8-830). Then why were my girls up late? :s

2010-08-31T15:12:00.001-05:00

Kids still asleep. Go me!

2010-08-31T13:11:00.001-05:00

Girls are in bed...let's see how long it takes until they fall asleep. I'm happy I was able to get out of the room and no tears. Mommy prevails! :)

2010-08-31T12:44:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the short random posts. They're from my phone. Easier for a busy mommy to post. Hoping for a successful 2 hour nap from both girls. We shall see.

2010-08-31T12:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday all three meals were a great success! Today has been just as great with my toddler and preschooler rocking both breakfast and lunch! :D

2010-08-31T01:20:00.001-05:00

Wow I need to work on my blogging. :p

the missing "e"

2010-07-16T11:34:00.002-05:00

Ugh, looks like one of my girls got ahold of the "e" key and now it takes super hero strength to press it down. I better wait until later to update because this is going to seriously annoy me.

2010-07-15T15:16:00.001-05:00

What a struggle today. Hoping this last attempt at naps work. Otherwise I give up because it's getting too late. Next thing ya know we'll be struggling tonight.

2010-07-15T13:58:00.001-05:00

Sweeeeet it works!!! Now off to try and get my lil' ones down for a nap. I know it is a little late but I wasn't getting anywhere earlier during a thunderstorm.

2010-07-15T13:56:00.001-05:00

Testing the mobile blogger feature out. Maybe this will enable me to blog a little more.

Cupcakes for breakfast

2010-07-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

Today has been both incrediably busy and productive. A morning where I get to sleep in (even if it's only until 7:30am) always makes for a happier me. :) Thankfully I am blessed with a husband who lets me sleep in when he's home. I woke up and since I didn't have the stuff to make pancakes I decided to make cupcakes. Haha great substitute right? LOL. My two darling little girls thought it was a fabulous idea. So my girls and I made cupcakes and then headed to my doctors appointment. Then we hit Sam's Club, Bed Bath and Beyond, came home, got Hawaiian shaved ice, went to the Navy Exchange, package store and then hit the dreaded commissary. Like I said...busy and productive.

Today was the first sunny day since last Sunday and my girls were itching to go in the pool. So while I put the groceries away I let the hubby enjoy some pool time with the girls. I still cannot believe I own a pool. I hope it is nice tomorrow so I can enjoy some pool time too.

My parents are flying in tomorrow. Herbert, the girls and I are so excited! Usually they can only stay a couple days because my mom can't leave her cats for too long. This time we have our dear Margot coming to spend time with the kitties and make sure they are taken care of. This gives my mom peace of mind and allows my parents to stay here and visit for a few more days.

Well I guess I should go relax now, although I am already in bed, it's time to just stare at the tv and snuggle with hubby.

Night all hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday weekend.

Attempt

2010-06-30T15:48:00.002-05:00

Going to try a new place for dinner tonight. I've been really enjoying the dinners i've made this week but I am excited to try this place because I am secretly hoping it's like a place we use to go to back in North Carolina. Big Apple Pizza. OM goodness the best everything! I forget what this place here is called but I will let you know.

I'm still here.

2010-06-28T16:49:00.003-05:00

Been super busy lately. I often find myself saying, "oh I need to blog that...or this..." and of course I never get to it. Going to try and make a better effort. :)

pedi

2010-06-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

Aaaa-Chooo

2010-02-23T09:40:00.001-06:00

Honestly, is there anything worse than having a baby who is not feeling well? Right now I can't think of anything worse than seeing my little baby miserable.

Keokeo

2010-02-18T20:20:00.003-06:00

My heart aches for my kitten Keokeo (we call her Keo for short). She had to get spayed today. I know this is an inevitable part of having a pet but it's so hard to see such an innocent little kitten miserable. And of course I can't help but feel responsible because I made the appointment to have this done. I pray her recovery is fast. I cannot imagine how animals deal with the pain because after surgery, we as humans get pain medication.

My kitten was not happy with the staff at the vet. When I went to pick her up this afternoon the vet assistant asked if I could get her out of the cage and put her into her own cage because she was hissing at the staff a lot. Duh, she's hurting and you did it to her. My kitten is feisty to begin with so I was fully prepared for whatever she wanted to throw at me. I think she felt my compassion and love for her though because it was so easy to carry her. I love this kitten so much. I'm so happy we were able to rescue her.

Something else that really hit my heart today was KayLee, my three year olds prayer for her kitten. I asked KayLee to pray with me over Keo this morning before Herbert took her and my little girl amazed me with the words that came out of her mouth. I guess she really does listen to when we pray every day because you would have thought the prayer just came out of a church elder or someone. Impressive to say the least and heart melting to the max. This makes me feel like maybe I am doing something right and maybe my children really are listening and understanding the great gift of faith and God.

It's been a very busy week. It's felt very long as well for some odd reason.

On a happier note, the weather is getting warmer and I'm loving it! This weekend is suppose to be awesome, sunny and mid 60s, wahoo!

Also I didn't have many food wars to contend with today. My girls ate well today, unlike yesterday and we all know how frustrating these battles can be. I received some fabulous advice from my dad on how to get my girls to eat better. He also complimented how well Herbert and I have done with food choices with our girls. He thinks we've done an awesome job on introducing many fruits and veggies into my girl daily diets. Now what child doesn't like to make their parents proud? I felt so happy to hear that from my dad. I love to see how my diligence and desire to be a good mommy have proven to be fruitful.

Well speaking of my little girls, bath time with Daddy is over and it's now time to do our mommy and daddy snuggle time to prepare for beddie bye time. Then it's time to watch some Criminal Minds with the hubby and snuggle up with him.

Night night.

2010-02-16T19:16:00.001-06:00

No I haven't forgotten about you blog. Promise.

when stubborness is just too much

2010-02-06T13:34:00.002-06:00

So my almost 4 year old has hit a horrible phase. She's never really had what I would consider the "terrible twos or even threes" until now... Just last month I remember bragging to my mom, just how much I was enjoying KayLee's age. It was as if this totally new little adult emerged. She was such a great little girl. She was listening and helping. Everything was perfect. I was enjoying our little conversations, her views on different things and even her overly helpful messes. I thought, wow, my baby is getting big and changing into a little girl and not that little baby anymore.

Wrong! It's been two weeks now and not only has my little baby left me, but now my little lady has left me too. In her place is a stubborn and defiant half baby half lady.

Mom's out there, help! How long does this last? And how can I get through it? I hate scolding my child...honestly because I hate to hear her cry. Crying tears at my heart and makes me feel so bad. But...I don't want my little girl growing up without the correct level of discipline. But what is that?

E-V-O-O

2010-02-03T08:33:00.002-06:00

Hurray! Today I go back to cooking my family meals. My husband had been on a diet for the last two weeks and, well, none of my cooking was allowed. Instead, actually, my husband spent many of those days cooking for me. It was a nice treat and I did enjoy both the break and good food but I do miss cooking. I'll let my husband continue his culinary yumminess on weekends but during the week I prefer to play chef. I really enjoy cooking. I am not sure what it is but it fills me with a great sense of joy when I can prepare a delicious meal. I also the love the family togetherness it brings. Now the after dinner dishes...I can do without those.

Food wars

2010-01-28T10:05:00.002-06:00

Today is one of those days...

The girls decided to protest their milk this morning. And now, breakfast has gone untouched. Waffles and sausage, one of their favs, and nothing... Time to make something else and feed feed feed. Oatmeal with apples and raisins. Wish me luck!

Take a look around...you're not alone.

2010-01-27T14:33:00.004-06:00

Honestly I have never seen with such clarity the ties that hold people together. Not physical ties. I'm speaking of ties that most people never really think about. Often times we are too selfish as a person to think of anything but ourselves and our present, past or even future circumstances. Now don't get me wrong, I truly believe we all need a certain level of selfishness, some more than others.

Looking around I see these ties... I see that so many people out there are going through what I consider trying times. This brings me a level of comfort and displeasure at the same time. Comfort because I know that I'm not alone in my hardships. Displeasure because I just hate for anyone to feel the anguish of a hardship.

I see now, that it doesn't matter what someone is going through. Pain, it's all the same. So many people around me are struggling. Friends, family, people on the news that I don't even know...all going through some type of pain. Financial distress, marital conflicts, health and wellness battles, grief, strife...it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how trivial or how astonishing it is. All that matters is we are all connected. We all go through something at one time or another. We don't have to feel alone. We don't have to think there is no way out. We have to dig deep and see that life is a gift. A very precious gift.

I'm sorry to leave this entry so muddled. I will try to expound on this later. As for right now, my girls are getting ready to awaken from their naps and I want to greet them with open arms and not a laptop.

When hurting takes on a whole new meaning.

2010-01-27T14:27:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here hurting. I feel a heaviness beyond all heaviness in my heart. I hurt for people. I hurt right now for all those people in this world who are suffering. I hate suffering, no matter what the cause, be it physical, emotional, financial, whatever, I hate suffering. To me it's all the same. No one issue is bigger or more complex than another. If you're hurting, if you're suffering, that's all that matters.

Which way is the arrow pointing now?

2010-01-27T13:59:00.003-06:00

I wish I could express my level of frustration right now but I honestly do not think any amount of words could convey the absolute anger I feel. Health care...what is that? I don't think someone, namely a doctor, can help you unless they've been there themselves. This was a reason why I wanted to become a doctor. I wanted to provide patients with a new way of looking at their circumstances. Unfortunately I have been derailed from that path (maybe for only a while maybe indefinitely - who knows?) but either way, I wish and I pray that health care, not only in America, but everywhere, gets the attention it deserves. I pray wisdom and compassion over health care professionals and I pray for peace (of mind, body and soul) in anyone who is a patient looking for an answer.

Bear

2010-01-26T14:04:00.002-06:00

Girls are in bed...alseep? No, not yet. NataLee looks like she has stopped squirming and has settled in. KayLee, nope, shes laying there doing everything she can to stay awake. Thankfully she's quiet. Gotta love my video monitors.

***had to run and calm a yelling KayLee down. She realized a bear was missing from her entourage of nap time/night time buddies. Thankfully I was able to calm her and boom, now both girls are sleeping soundly. *Note to self: Find Bear before bedtime!!!! Actually let me spend a few minutes now trying to look. The blog can wait a few more minutes.

.

Let's dip it in ketchup!

2010-01-26T11:46:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here watching my two little girls happily devour their lunch, hurray! I decided to try something new today, you know me and my feeble attempts to get my girls to eat more. Today I baked some french fries and chicken nuggets. Can't go straight to healthy food with a toddler and pre-schooler because it's completely worthless. I also let them feel like big girls by including a little bowl of ketchup for dipping their goodies. I see so far, the french fries are a hit but the chicken, not so much, but I'm not throwing the towel yet, lunch isn't over and I see KayLee has just grabbed a nugget. Annnnd let's not forget that I also gave them a Gerber Strawberry Nutritional drink. NataLee thinks its a milkshake and has been happily sipping away. I'm really trying to increase my girls nutritional intake and also open their worlds to new and exciting foods. The second part is much harder than I thought it would be.

***going to check plates

NataLee has eaten 1 chicken...oy. KayLee has not touched any...double oy.

They are enjoying the ketchup a little too much. Can we say, ketchup fingers. Joy, clean-up should be lots of fun, haha.

Ohhh wonderful KayLee has bit into a nugget. I'll take 1 fully eaten nugget as a good sign. I'm sure the kids get tired of my food nagging, lol.

Time to do the food encouragement dance and see how much more we can get down before they enjoy some fresh strawberries and whip cream and quiet time to prepare for naps.

Hoping naps will go well this afternoon because I have lots to come back and type about.

yawn

2010-01-13T12:05:00.003-06:00

Today is one of those days...those days where getting my girls to eat a full and complete meal is next to impossible. You know how it is with a 3 and 2 year old... one day they eat like crazy and the next, well getting a bird to eat more would be easier. The past fews days my girls were eating all three meals and snacks too. Easy. No problem. This of course makes me so happy. Today however is another story. Neither of them ate half of their breakfast and now that it is time for lunch I can already see that I am going to be fighting this battle again. What makes me stress about the lunch time battle, is, it is too close to naptime. This can sometimes (and often does) interfer with them laying down and actually sleeping. Hoping I can get both girls to eat and nap this afternoon. I guess if I come back here and post, then you'll know my girls are asleep.

Time to make and serve lunch to my two cuties.

And please, cold weather, can you give us a break?

woot!

2010-01-13T11:16:00.003-06:00

Hurray! I just looked over my past blogs and realized, that one long entry that I thought I had completely lost, was partially saved. I guess there is some automatic save thing going on. Sweeeet! So I went ahead and posted it. Too bad as I read it I realize some things in that entry haven't changed much nearly a year later. Yes, that means NataLee is still nursing.

Actually I should say...is finally starting to stop nursing. Today is day #3 in our struggle to get NataLee to forget nursing. NataLee is 25 months old now and she eats well and I have many other ways I can comfort her now. I pray this continues to go well and NataLee can get past comfort nursing. I'm drained in more ways than one, haha. I wonder who this will be harder on? Her? Or me?

Did I mention how proud I am of myself that I have nursed her this long? Before she was born I was aiming for a year. I had days where I never thought I would even make it year but look at me now! A happy and healthy two-year old who stills loves to nurse. I will be sad to lose my instant cry stopping capabilites and even more the special bonding time we share. There is something to be said for the way your baby looks into your eyes as you nurse her? The complete look of happiness, joy, comfort and love cannot compare to anything else. It is this reason I am 100% thankful and grateful for the nursing times NataLee and I have shared (even if they were 3am and sleep deprived. My only concern now is to wean her off without hardship to either of us. Fingers crossed, so far so good.

Fruits and Veggies

2010-01-13T09:40:00.002-06:00

As mentioned in a previous entry I am not a morning person. Don't get me wrong, I don't care to sit and spend all day in bed either. For me it's all about 8 hours of sleep. If I go to bed early, mornings are cake. Unfortunately I went to bed a little later than I should have last night and so even 7 am was like, draggin... Too bad I don't do the coffee thing, because I am sure at this point that would have helped. Tonight I will make a more conscious effort to get my butt in bed and to sleep by 10. Can it be done? We'll see. The great news is sleeping has been an easier task than it once was. I guess it is because I am slowly but surely tackling my to-do list one by one. Yesterday I got that dreaded big grocery shopping done and I was surprised at how near budget I came. You just have to love coupons. Coupons are like a game to me and I am always trying to up the total dollar amount saved. Such a nerd I know.

I have a lot more to type but right now I must make sure my little girls bellies are full and then help them brush their little teeth. Have you ever known two little girls who could spend all day brushing their teeth if you let them? That's my girls, they could brush their teeth ALL morning if you let them. I hope this bodes well when we see the dentist soon.

Lazy Sunday...

2010-01-10T16:06:00.003-06:00

Yes, that is exactly what today is and has been, a lazy Sunday. I think maybe I'll go make some of my homemade chili. My poor neighbor...he's probably wondering when I am going to cook him another meal. I was making him dinners nearly every night before we left to go to Virginia for Christmas. His wife is still in the hospital. I think I'll need to cook even more when my neighbor's wife gets home because I am sure they'd both appreciate a meal. I mean really, it's going to be enough for my neighbor to care for his wife, let alone having to worry about a meal. I'm glad I enjoy cooking. Ok, yeah that really is an understatement, I adore cooking, especially cooking for people who love to eat. Although I really don't think anyone can top me in that department, I LOVE TO EAT! :)

Off to sing nursery rhymes with my girls and make my award winning chili. (Yes I said award winning! I won 1st place in the chili cook off back in NC.) Too bad the hubby has 24 hour duty because I know he'd enjoy a nice bowl to go along with his football watching. Speaking of football, boohoo, the Patriots season is over. Hope next year they decide to actually show up. Maybe I'll even get back into football like I use to be, who knows????

Adios amigos!

Crohn's Dx

2010-01-07T20:23:00.004-06:00

Crohn's disease. So yeah, as you may (or may not) have read in my earlier post...I have Crohn's. What is that you ask? Simply, a disease of the digestive tract. Plainly...mine doesn't always like to act right. Think stomach bug...x 1000000! Okay, so no, maybe it's not that bad, but it can be, has been and hopefully will never be again. I say that last part with real optimism and for good reason. I've had Crohn's for 15 years. Doesn't seem so long unless I put myself into the thoughts of any of my most recent flares. I was diagnosed at age 15, treated and remained in the care of some awesome doctors in Washington DC. I was well for a long time. As with any chronic disease though I had relapses. Again I was treated (surgically - on more than one occasion) and followed by those aforementioned great doctors.

Life changed though and I met the love of my life and we committed ourselves to one another in what I would call the wedding of my dreams. My love joined the United States Marine Corps, we married and we began our journey together. This meant moving to a new state and leaving my awesome doctors.

I have yet to find that same level of care. It didn't seem possible that any other doctors had both the bedside manner and level of expertise that my old doctors had. I got sick often but nonetheless kept positive. During this time, through the grace of God, I became pregnant twice and carried two little girls to term, delivering my precious angels, KayLee in 2006 and NataLee in 2007. My Crohn's got really mad at me during that first pregnancy and thankfully decided to give me a break during my second (I felt better during those 37 weeks than I had since before I was diagnosed).

As military life would have it, it was time to move again. As if my husbands recent return from Iraq (during which our 2nd baby was born...yes without him) wasn't enough. We embraced it though and off to Pensacola we went. And low and behold, again, no doctor(s) seemed good enough. I was even more disappointed here, than I was in North Carolina and I was in worse shape. Not a good time to dislike your Crohn's team. Regardless things were just too much and I underwent surgery again in August 2009. I still don't know know if it helped. I don't think I would have needed it if I were listened to and treated instead of tolerated.

Through my faith in God, love for my family and a desire to want more out of life, I decided to make a change. I found one good doctor (although not for my Crohn's, a hematologist who treated my anemia) and that lead to the finding of another. Hallelujah! This is a great source of joy to me. Why? Because I am finally being heard and I finally am starting to feel like myself. I think I have found a new doctor who seems to have both the bedside manner and expertise to get me well and help me stay that way. Yes, I do believe the word cure will grace my life one day soon.

Let go.

2010-01-07T10:07:00.004-06:00

Release. Yes, this is one (of many) reasons behind my new found interest in blogging. I'm a stresser, no doubt about it, and I thought maybe I could purge some of that stress right here and get on with life. Seriously, it can't hurt. I tend to worry, obsess even, way too much and well that can't be good for someone with Crohn's Disease. So here's to yet another positive ambition in 2010!

Annnnnd because I can be completely random, I just thought I would mention, I absolutely love when my husband leaves new, put-together sippy cups out for me. No fumbling around in the morning trying to put cups together when those things irritate me as it is. And in case you don't know, yeah, I am not a morning person.

Time to help my little girls brush their teeth.

twenty-ten baby!

2010-01-06T21:07:00.000-06:00

Yes, again, I am attempting to blog. Hey it's a new year and a new decade so maybe that'll give me even more motivation to follow through. Although, honestly, a few other things have sparked my interest in blogging again and I am sure they will come out as I continue to blog...and I will. ;-)

power on. power off.

2009-10-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Grrr! Just as I thought, I let my blog collect dust. Here goes another attempt at revival. :-P

Free time wasted

2009-02-24T02:10:00.000-06:00

I am so upset. I just wrote a long entry and when I posted it I got some error and boom it was gone. I don't feel like re-typing it all right now. Hopefully I get some more free time to try and re-post.

Hurray for the sleeping baby!

2009-02-24T02:05:00.002-06:00

Okay, let me not get too excited since it's barely been a week now but OMG I cannot believe NataLee finally sleeps in her own bed! The idea of NataLee sleeping in her own bed has been something Herbert and I played around with for awhile now and we have even attempted to put her in it many times before but with very little luck. While Herbert was gone to El - Centro and I was on my own with both girls I was getting very little sleep.

NataLee had to be nursed and rocked to sleep EVERY night. This sometimes took 20 minutes and other nights (most nights) it took well over an hour. On top of that, after rocking her I would have to walk upstairs and lay her in the crib and she would either wake up right when I laid her down or wake up 15 minutes later. This would of course mean back to square 1 and rock/nurse her to sleep again. Most of the time I would just get too tired and just go to bed myself and that meant taking NataLee and laying her next to me and let her nurse to sleep that way. I would then get a couple of hours of sleep before NataLee would stir again and I would pop the boob back in her mouth. This would go on until KayLee woke up.

KayLee was on a good schedule of sleeping until 6:45-7am before Herbert left but for some reason when Herbert left she starting waking up at 5:30am. Since I couldn't lay in bed with NataLee and nurse her on demand like she wanted, when KayLee was up, NataLee was up for the day too.

So anyway, after a month of this ragged routine I told Herbert something has GOT to give. I could NOT remember the last time I got some good sleep. So Herbert and I made a pact to get NataLee in her crib and off the breast at night.

I have to say, it has gone so much better than I expected. I probably say that because I am more rested now and hence a lot less cranky. Also my husband has really kept up on it. I still have to nurse NataLee to sleep but once she is asleep, Herbert or I can lay NataLee down in her crib and she sleeps. She usually sleeps until 3:30am and wakes up fussing. Herbert takes her downstairs for a drink and rocks her to sleep and she's back in her crib within 10 minutes. Then NataLee wakes up around the same time as KayLee (which is 6:45 or 7am). Last night was the first night she slept the entire night in her crib. She was very fussy last night and it took 3 tries to get her in her crib but at 11:15 she was finally out and she slept until 5:15am. Now of course this was just way too early so I rocked her back to sleep and she slept until KayLee woke up.

I can't even express how not having a child attached to my boob all night has been. I am finding myself so much more energetic and happier. Herbert is going to continue to wake up with NataLee at night and rock her back to sleep as needed until NataLee is completely done with nursing. If NataLee even so much as smells me in the middle of the night she'll cry until I nurse her. So for right now, I have to stay out of the night routine and that's okay by me haha.

I do hope to bring the daytime nursing to an end here soon too. While I just love the special bonding time NataLee and I share, I also want my body back. I have done well and exceeded my own expectations nursing NataLee. I only nursed KayLee for 8 months and promised myself I would try to nurse my second child to at least age 1. Well NataLee is going to be 15 months soon and she happy and healthily and really only nursing for comfort. The girl can put some food away unlike her sister so I know it's not about eating.

Unfortunately NataLee is really attached to nursing and this isn't going to be an easy task but I am optomistic.

Here we are!

2009-02-16T12:59:00.000-06:00

Okay, so after months of deliberation, I have finally decided to start a blog. I have wanted to many times but always felt I would never have the time and besides what in the world would I write about. Well I realized a few things recently 1. I have to make the time just like I do anything else and 2. it's fun writing random things about my day/week/month. So now that my hubby is back from El Centro, and I am finding I have a bit more time to do things for me, I am starting a blog.

I did have some sort of blogging site a long time ago but that kind of fell by the wayside. Here is to making this blog better and sticking with it!

If you're wondering where the title "Thank you for my freckle" came from, you can thank my 2 year old daughter KayLee. Not too long ago she discovered a small brown freckle on her finger. My husband is loaded with freckles, I have a few of them and I am sure NataLee will soon find a few popping up on her. Anyway KayLee saw the freckle and asked where she got it from. I responded by telling her that she got it from her daddy and me. KayLee acted as if this was one of the best gifts she had ever received and kept saying, "Thank you for my freckle Mommy" or "Thank you for my freckle Daddy" depending on who, of course, she was asking.

Later on I think I will try and post my first picture on here of this amazing little freckle.