VACAY recap...extremely overdue

Ok, the last time I blogged was before our 2 week getaway to Saint Simons Island off the coast of South Georgia. Yeah, that has been quite a while. But I can say that my life has been somewhat busy.
We spent two glorious weeks at the beach. The first week was with my family and the second week was with G.I. Mike's. It was wonderful because we had cousins, Grandparents and Grrrreeaat Grandparents to help us out with the kids. Also, muchos grassyass (like my spanish?) to Dr. Justice, the condo was marvelous dahling. I can say that a two week beach vacation is the way to reunite with your husband after a year long deployment.

Ok, so on our little holiday, we ate dinner twice, yes twice, at this little place called Blackwater Grill. Michael's parents had eaten there previously and highly recommend it. On a date night while there, we decided to check it out. Not only was the blackeyed susan cocktail delicious, but so was the fresh, homemade banana daquri. Our drinks were so tasty and then we couldn't decide on a single appetizer so we opted to just get two. It was a good thing because we wolfed them down! We got the
Boudin Fritters and the Blackwater sundae. You will have to go check out their website because if I start describing it, I am going to go into the kitchen and tear up what food we have. It was that good. For our entree's I had the shrimp and grits (heavenly, just heavenly) and Michael had the evenings fish special that was the Mahi Mahi. For dessert, he got the Key Lime Pie and I got their Bread Pudding. If you are ever in the area, please check it out. This place was featured last week on Food Networks Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri . It was so delish, we went back another night!

Back to the beachy part! Tristan LOVED the beach. The boy thought he was in the worlds largets sandbox. Tobbie got very brave and started taking off her arm swimmies. Next year we are doing full on swim lessons. I would have put her in this year, but we have been so busy with the beach, G.I. Mike coming home and then the move (whole nother blog post for that). We miss it and can't wait to go back.

enjoy the photos!
my family
Miss Swimmy Fish
Michael's parents with the kiddos
me and G.I. Mike
Miss Darcy
Mr. Sandman
Our Family of Five. Together at last.

ready for vacation already!!!!!

I cannot wait! The kids and I leave this weekend for a two week getaway. Yes, TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!! We are headed down to the coast to Saint Simons Island. My family will be with us the first week and then Michael's family will be with us the second week. It will be nice having them with us because we move the week after we return.

So, here are a few things I cannot wait for:I cannot wait to get sand between my toes,
drinks,
drinks,
and more drinks!
oysters...
and shrimp!

But most of all, I am ready for this:He is meeting us a few days into our trip and he will be done with his year long deployment!!!! Technically he has been gone longer than a year with the train up and all, but I cannot wait to have him back with us! I am so giddy I can't stand it!! Maybe my sleepless nights are because of this? Who knows and who cares?! He's coming home!
And he is already out of Iraq, he is sitting and waiting for a flight in Kuwait!!!!!!!

sleepless in...

hot, icky, muggy Georgia! And it isn't even hot here yet. That's ok, I will be gone before the really hot weather sets in. But then I will be in Kansas with their hot weather. Hopefully it won't as humid.

So, I am sleepless because in a couple of hours my stud muffin is on a plane to Kuwait. He is leaving Iraq and headed to Kuwait. He will be there for a couple of days, then he is headed to Fort Riley. Then he is home to us. Well, he is meeting us at the beach for a long vacation. What a great way to end this deployment! I SO cannot wait to see him! We were chatting today online and we were discussing what we both got from this deployment. I told him that I grew a stronger appreciation for him and how much we do need him here with us. That our family just doesn't feel complete with him gone. He in turn says that after 3 months I am going to be ready for him to ship out again. I don't think so. I love him and I miss him so much. The kids miss him. Especially Tobbie. She is a big time daddy's girl and this deployment has taken a toll on her.

Tobbie has had some bad behavior these past few weeks and it is really taking toll on our relationship. Today in a hysterical fit, she asked me if we could be friends again. I looked at her and said, "no. No we cannot be friends." I told her that I love her and that I like her, but that I am her mommy. And that mommies and their children cannot be friends. Of course that made her even more upset because she didn't understand what it was I was saying. I don't want to be her friend, I want to be her mother. I am here to guide her and to love her and to teach her to be a good person.

My older brother told me something the other day. He said that he uses it on his football players and that it also applied to parenting. "Deal with the pain of disipline or deal with the pain of disapointment." And it is true. I would rather deal with the pain of disipline now than to deal with an angry, out of control teenage girl. I don't want our relationship to be strained, but at the same time, I have to be a parent. Our home has rules and she is going to follow them.

I never realized how hard parenting was going to be. It's easy as apple pie when they are little. Especially when they can't talk back. I love my children and I want them to be responsible and productive in this world. I want them to be honest, kind and generous and to love life. I want them to be happy and joyful. I want them to fulfill their dreams. I want them to be better than me. Don't we all as parents want our children to do and be better than us? I don't want my children to make some of the same mistakes I have made in life. So, for you my children, DO WHAT YOUR MOTHER TELLS YOU, DON'T TALK BACK AND STAY OUT OF THE TOILET!

I love you my sweet babies!

A day at the lake...

Sunday I loaded up the kids and the dog and we headed for my older brother's lake house in Jackson. Sunscreen was slathered on Tobbie and Tristan, my mom stayed in with Darcy and I put both kiddos on the raft behind the boat! Tobbie loved and said that she wants her daddy to buy her a boat when he comes home! I laughed because I think he will buy her what ever she wants. Anyway, a fun time was had by all and the kids got to go on the boat. Thanks Chad, we had an awesome time! Love you!


Corey getting T-Bone suited up
Tobbie and Captain Chad
Corey, T-Bone, Callie & Lindsey
Callie, Sweet T & Lindsey
Chad "surfing" behind the boat

Tobbie's First Dance Recital

This past weekend was super busy. Tobbie had her very first dance recital and I must say, she did better than I ever expected her to!

The theme was Story Book Princesses. The dance studio had three girls graduating this year so each of them was a princess. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Belle from Beauty and The Beast. Tobbie was a bumble bee in the Beauty and the Beast. They came running out like a swarm of bees and acted like they were going to attack the Beast. But honestly, the guy that played the Beast was kind of cute (he is one of the gymnastic coaches), and I think all the little girls thought so too!

I think all the little girls in her class had a wonderful time and I could not have asked for a better dance instructor for Tobbie's first year in ballet and tap. I hope to have many, many more years of dance recitals in my future.

little boys...

are GROSS! I have learned from my handsome little Tristan that boys are just born gross! He amazes me withe grossness. His newest facination is the toilet bowl. If I haven't caught him licking it, he is standing (yes, standing) in it splashing all the water out of it. And what makes that horrid is that his older sister has gotten to where she doesn't like to flush. So there is my handsome little boy splashing around in pee water. PEE WATER!!! He also likes to brush his teeth with the toilet brush. It is in the cabinet that has a child lock on it, but he can now open those. GREAT.

Another one of his favorite things is to find (this is just disgusting, and I promise, I do look after my children, they don't just run amuck), gag, dog, gag, poop, gag, and eat it. GAG!!!! And then he thinks it is funny. It so is not.
And the boy can climb like it is no one's business! He will be climbing ropes by the end of the summer I do believe. He is always climbing on something. The back of the couch, the coffee table, my bed (that is on pedestals), the dinning room table, climbing into the toilet and into the tub.

I also catch him getting stuff out of the kitchen trash and eating it. Sometimes I think he is just hiding his snack in the trash to save it for later. And one of his favorite snacks is dog food. He loves our dog and likes to sit beside her while she eats and sometimes while at the table, I catch him eating off his plate like he is a dog. It's rather cute actually.

Oh, he also likes beer. He loves him some drinks. And it isn't just beer that he has a fancy for. He really likes margaritas. Wanna know how I know this? He will climb onto anything to get to a margarita glass and a beer can/bottle and when you catch him, he giggles and runs away.

I love that boy with all my heart! He is such a little stinker and always keeping me on my toes. I wanted to write this to show that while he keeps me uber busy, I cherish these moments. These will be moments to share with his future wife and his children. To be able to say, "when your daddy was little...", I recently read a blog that, what is the right word (?), was a mother describing how she doesn't really like her children. I think there is more going on in this individuals life than what she is letting on, but I just wanted to write about how my children aren't perfect, I am not perfect as a mother and that things happen and that little boys are what they are, little boys. This is all part of their exploring and learning process. It doesn't mean that I neglect my children. I love them and I am so very grateful for the toilet swishing, dog-poop eating-dare devil, alcoholic child I have! I love that little man to pieces!
my handsome little devil

Mother

What does it mean to be a Mother? Many people may give you varying answers. Does it mean that one answer is correct and one is wrong? No, I don't think so. I have always loved my mother, but I never appreciated the job she did raising my brothers and I until I myself became a mother. I do though believe we all become mothers in different ways. I do not believe that giving birth makes you a mother. Biologically, yes it does. But there is so much more to being a mother than just giving birth.

When my oldest child was born, I was devestated. Not because of her, but because she was born 4 months too soon. Prior to my pregnancy with her, I had two miscarriages. Dealing with two miscarriages made me bitter. I was married and had been married for a few years and the one and only thing we wanted was to have a baby. Conceiving was difficult for us and with the help of fertility treatments, we were able to finally get pregnant. Tweleve weeks later at our appointment, we found out there was no heartbeat. We were pregnant again with the help of fertility treatments six months later and the same thing happened. I WAS MAD, FURIOUS, DISCOURAGED!!!!! All my friends were getting pregnant and having babies. Then there was me, I couldn't even conceive on my own then when I did with help, I would lose the baby. I felt like it was Gods way of telling me I wasn't capable of being a mother.
Seven months after our second miscarriage, we decided to give it one last try before we moved overseas. Low and behold, five days before I should have tested, I disected a pregnancy test and called my neighbor Lindsey over and had her help me inspect my pee stick. Yes, I tore that mo fo up and was holding it up to the light. I couldn't tell if there was actually a line or if it was my imagination. Poor Lindsey, she had just had two babies, 11 months apart, and she was scared for me and didn't want me to get my hopes up. BUT, YAY!!!! I was pregnant with Tobbie. My due date was the end of April. We were so estatic!!! At eighteen weeks, she turned in and got into position for delivery. Then at twenty weeks, my OB decided I needed an emergency rescue cerclage. It did it's job and kept her in till she was viable. I had no idea what route our lives were about to take. Our world was flipped upside down. On January 2, 2006, I gave birth to a gorgeous 1lb 9oz & 11" baby girl. Her eyes were fused shut and when I was finally able to see her, she was so sedated and had so much fluid built up on her brain. Part of me didn't want to see her because I didn't wan to lose her. That probably doesn't make sense, but the shear fear of losing your child that you have spent your life dreaming of was too hard for me to handle. She came home from the hospital one week before her due date. Today she is one fiesty 4 year old with NO developmental delays.
Three years later along came Tristan, aka T-Bone. He is, without a doubt, a momma's boy and a tough guy all rolled up in one little toe headed being! He has the best personality and demeanor I have ever seen. With that, he is also Pig Pen (from the cartoon Peanuts) twin. The boy is always messy and toting something around. This boy will forever keep me on my toes.
Last but not least, there is Miss Darcy. She isn't quite 3 months, but she has the most beautiful eyes and is oh so sweet. I love her to pieces. And, she is our only NON fertility treatment baby!

Often times when I am disciplining our children, I feel bad. I feel bad because I know they miss their dad and I feel bad for being the "mean" parent. I sometimes wonder if I am screwing them up for life, but I like to think every mother feels that way. I also like to splurge on my children. I think this stems from the upbringing I had.
My mother was single raising two children on a teachers salary. She could barely make ends meet, but she always made sure we were happy (minus the time she made me put soap in my mouth in the 3rd grade, stupid substitute teacher Mrs. Smith, yeah, I am grown now, so I can say it!) We always had a roof over our head, clothes on our back, food on the table (even those gross brussel sprouts she once tried to make us eat) and when it could be afforded, a nice treat at the store.

Thank you Mom for the experiences you gave us growing up. Thank you for all the good and for all the not so good. You have helped me become the mother I have become. We don't always agree and we may raise our children in different ways, but Thank You. If it weren't for you being the mother that you were, I couldn't be the mother I am to my children. I love you.