The Dean's

Army Bullshit

2012-01-24T20:47:00.002-05:00

Okay...so here we go. Gloves are OFF! I am tired of reading deployment nonsense that has no truth to it. Face it, the Army is the Army. I am SO over the Army nonsense. I have my reasons which I will gladly share. First, the commander's wife. OMG...not enough words. My yahoo was hacked and the dumb bitch actually thought it came from me. Could have been forgiven had she not included the commander, rear detachment commander, both FRG leaders, and my husbands personal and private email accounts all condemning me and telling me I needed help. Who the HELL clicks on a SPAM link. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB bitch(and yes, watch me curse like a sailor courtesy of my Naval Officer background). All for a spam email. The dumb bitch dared to ruin my reputation because she was too stupid to recognize a SPAM email. A NICE person would have, I don't know, maybe EMAILED or CALLED ME?! Now those of you reading might think I'm being harsh. Bottom line is she tried, based on what an animal could see was false, to hurt not only me but my husband as well. I can take it, but mess with my family and I will come at you with EVERYTHING I have and to be honest, I'm cute, smarter than most, and and have a thick skin so bring it! Bottom line, not cool! You wish to fuck with me, go ahead. I'm a big girl. Bring it on (if you dare), but my hubby...he's an innocent bystander and should not have been included in this delusional bitches bullshit! A reminder to those of you that are not family...he's deployed. So this attack came as I am trying to take care of a 2 and 4 year old alone. Not cool. I start back at my blog with reality and ready and willing to take on the bullshit as I see it. NO MORE NICE ARMY wife. Over it. I am SOOOOOOO tired of reading these deployment blogs that are full of absolute nonsense. What is up with that?! Are you all on prozac? Is everyone too afraid of the realities of a deployment?! Not me. Here comes the good, benign, bad, and really ugly. As those of us on the real know...it sucks but there are also some AMAZING times. How often as an adult woman do you get to start a friendship with just the two of you? OR be able to concentrate on yourself without worrying about your significant other?! Here we go. Pete left in October so I am a little behind but ready a willing to share it on the real. the good, bad, ugly, and amazing. I hope you all stick with me.

Love,
April

Pneumonia vs. April

2010-04-05T16:20:00.005-04:00

...and that darn pneumonia won...well...actually the pneumonia is gone and the antibiotics killed (almost) the germs. I'm left with bronchitis but it should soon all be gone. I've battled valiantly and have the dark circles and pasty skin to prove it! After a week of my mom visiting and being able to REST, I'm finally feeling better and should be in tip top ready to blog shape soon!

UGH...I'm 30...UGH!!!!

2010-02-23T22:19:00.008-05:00

I can't believe that my 20's are finally behind me! In fact, I can't believe that I am a stay at home mother to two young children and I live in Alabama! If I had heard this about someone in my younger years I would have pitied them!!!!! HA! I would have even felt sorry for them! HOWEVER...it states nothing of the reality. The reality is that my husband proudly serves his country and is gone A LOT! This means that someone needs to be home consistently for our two beautiful blessings. This leaves me.I couldn't be any more content with my life. In fact, I LOVE my life. I have a wonderful husband (most of the time), two amazing kids (all of the time), and great friends and family to support me along the way! I occasionally have my "woe is me" moments but there is always someone to remind me. I got a little "reminer" from my sweet friend Jodi this weekend "April, you are OLD...you will never wear junior size jeans again because you have had TWO babies and it shouldn't matter." HA, HA, HA...if only my hips would be like they were when I was 20!!!!!

Pete was gone for my birthday...I know...surprise, surprise...so I spent the day with my amazing friends here in lower Alabama! Amy, Jodi, and I met at Mickey D's for a lunch with all of the kiddos. Between the three of us we had 8 kids! It was a wonderful time and a nice distraction for the afternoon! In the evening, Jodi, made me a home made Thai dinner complete with a wonderful dessert and candles! It was so surprising and sweet! I hardly missed Pete at all (well...I missed him a little bit!).

Once Pete returned home, the girls and I made plans to have a "girls night out"! We went into the big city Dothan(ha, ha, ha...I just said "big city" about Dothan). We had pedicures, a great Thai dinner (can you tell I like Thai food?!), and ended the night at the book store. To my GREAT delight they are all book nerds like myself!!!!!!!

In all, I met my 30th year in a great way. Thank you to everyone for making it such a wonderful celebration!

For those of you wondering what Pete did for me for my birthday...here ya go...

not his best...

sigh...

yep...that's an index card...

three days late...

but I did get wonderful flowers for V-day!

See the little arrow after the message?! There was more on the back, but it only went downhill from there! At least there's only room for improvement for next year!!!!

P.S. Here's what 30 looks like!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-18T17:43:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day this year! Preston is really starting to understand that a holiday is coming and he gets all excited about what we do to celebrate the different holidays! We had fun using our red colors and paints all day. (Well-Pres had a great time...I could have had more fun if he didn't insist on smearing paint up and down his arms!)

Pres, Pete, and I made a heart cake!!!!!

Pete bought me a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers!

After all of the snow, the weather began to get warm! We all played outside and enjoyed the fleeting warmth. It was a nice change to get out because we had been cooped up for a couple of days with a very sick Ashlyn. She had a nasty cold (her first) and she kept us both up all night crying and just being uncomfortable (my poor baby!). So if we look tired...WE WERE!!!!

According to Pete, no post for the next year would be complete if I did not put in a picture of his car! Here ya go...it's a view of the garage...can you guess who took this picture?!

The new "member" of our family!

2010-02-13T23:34:00.007-05:00

Two years ago when Preston was born, Pete traded in his dream truck for our awesome family SUV. He took my smaller SUV and gave me the nice, leather dream car. He's been driving around in my old car for the past two years and has taken a lot of ridicule from the guys-especially over the past year in flight school! Apparently it is just not cool to drive around in a mommy SUV!!!! I share all of this so that you understand his excitement over his beautiful brand new Mustang or as Pres calls it: "Daddy's new race car"!!!!!

Introducing the car that will make the other men green with jealousy instead of burst into laughter when he pulls up for PT in the morning! (Pete told me I had to post pictures of the front, back, side, and inside.)

The snow fun on Griffith Lane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-12T16:24:00.016-05:00

We woke up to real live snow! Not just the little flurries but crunchy, snowball making SNOW!!!!!

Preston enjoying the snowflakes...he couldn't believe them at first!

Ashlyn hanging out in the back of the car! We would take her out for a little bit at a time so she didn't get too cold, but she could still see Pres running around having fun.

Pres and I having fun making snowballs in the driveway!

Daddy taking Ashlyn out in the snow!

Playing in the backyard to make a little snowman before nap time.

Coming in for lunch and nap and eating some snow!

Our big snowman in the front! We were waiting for Pres to wake up to put the carrot nose in.

Our next door neighbor, Stacy's snowman. His son Corey and he made it and were out having fun! They are our neighbors that REALLY keep to themselves...a little strange...but always fun when they do decide to play!

The Fox family's snowman (our neighbors on the fun side...well until a certain Mr. Fox nailed me with a snowball)!!!!

The Gonzalez family's snowman (across the street and over one...Amy is becoming my super fun play date friend)! Crazy Gary made one for each person in the family! He did an awesome job!

It has been a really good day. I love being able to run around the neighborhood with all of the wonderful people and their awesome kiddos!!!!!!

Cookie Decorating Party (better late than never!)

2010-02-11T16:31:00.007-05:00

This year we had our second annual cookie decorating party! Last year it was just me, Pres, Meggo, and Layla! This year it grew by about 20 more people...that's a LOT of cookies!!!!!! It was tons of fun and something we will continue to do each year. Let's start off with the prep pictures!

First we made all of the cookies! Pete and I were ready bake until we never wanted to see another cookie again and we let Pres stay up late to help us. We gave him is own batch of dough to do whatever he wanted with and he had a great time!

Next the wonderful party itself! As usual my girlie's Meggo and Melissa were there to help get everything set out and make sure all was ready! Then everyone began to arrive! We had so many kids that my house felt like a zoo for a bit! I loved every minute of it and can't believe how well all of the little ones play together! The kids did really well with the cookies and all of them ate enough icing to be on a sugar high until next Christmas!

Here are some pictures of the Santa Chef hats (all of the adults were awesome to wear them) and the festivities!

Ashlyn: Months 5 &6

2009-12-22T17:13:00.007-05:00

Okay...so after my sister in law emailed me looking for an update I realized it was time because she was the 13th or 14th person to ask me! Life has been very full and there have always been a hundred other things to do rather than blog. I will catch up and try to stay with the blogging!

Ashlyn is so big! She's just become this really entertaining and energetic little one! She and Preston play and have tons of fun together! The favorite activity of both is when Ashlyn wakes up from a nap. Presotn will come running to tell me that he hears her through the monitor and will jump up and down in front of her door until I open it. Ashlyn (who usually is crying when she first wakes up) will immediately start to coo upon hearing her brother bust through the door and scramble to climb in her crib. The smile on her face at seeing him plop in her bed is so sweet that it never fails to make me teary eyed! The two of them will play in her bed for as long as I will let them. Preston turns on her mobile and they just have fun! I love seeing their little relationship grow and flourish!

She started to crawl in her 6th month and hasn't slowed down a bit since!!!!! We had been waiting and waiting for her to do it and then one evening Preston was playing on my laptop and up she goes and chases after it. Pres caught on to this quickly and we had a good hour of moving the computer from one side of the room to the other. She started off on her knees but doing a low crawl with her arms! It was too cute!

She is also eating food. The girl has a BIG appetite and I have yet to find a food she won't eat! Now she just needs to hurry up and get some teeth!!!!

Words
ma ma
da da
bubba

Favorite Food
Strawberry yogurt

Favorite Toy
Preston's blanket!!!!!

Here are some pictures to update you on the kiddos!

New Babies!

2009-10-21T17:23:00.002-04:00

I am in Florida visitng and had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with a high school friend Tammy. She had her beautiful baby girl yesterday and I had a blast going to visit and being able to hold this little blessing! She was so tiny in my arms. It's amazing how fast babies grow! I also was able to meet her husband and my heart was so glad to see that he is just as sweet as Tammy is! I would like to say a BIG congratulations to the Reedy family for their beautiful new addition!!!!!! Make sure and stop by her blog in a couple of days to see the pictures of the new addition!

P.S. We are having a wonderful time in Florida and I will post some pictures from my phone soon. (Can you believe I forgot the camera?!)

Life as we now know it!

2009-10-10T19:41:00.003-04:00

Our little family of four has finally found the groove. The first few months were a bit tough, but we have found our way and now each day brings us all great joy!

Ashlyn has to be the best baby in the whole world! I know most parents probably think that, but my experience with Pres at this stage was not fun at all. My baby girl is just this peaceful breath of fresh air! She will play while I work out in the morning, happily watch her brother in the afternoons outside, and easily bounces in the Baby Bjorn in the evenings as we take our nightly walks! I can lay her down in her crib for her three times a day nap and Pres and I both have a great time doing tummy time with her!

Preston is this big bundle of energy and never, ever pauses to rest! He is a great big brother and gives his little sister endless hugs and kisses. He is such a boy and his favorite new activity is to ride his scooter up and down the driveway! I can't believe how grown up he seems and the time is passing so quickly.

Pete is doing really well in flight school and I am so proud of him. It is and will continue to take a big toll on us as a family and him individually. Despite the long hours, missing out on almost all family activities, and having his nose in his study material all the time, he has finally found a nice balance to make us all feel important! Hubbsies...I can't put into words how proud of you I am and I love you for making sure that you will always be able to take care of us!

As for myself, I am truly enjoying this time with my babies! Most days Preston has me laughing to the point of tears with the crazy things he does and says and Ashlyn has stolen my heart with her sweet smiles! I have thrown myself into our life here in backwoods Alabama head first and am making sure to take advantage of the few good aspects to living in a small town. Preston and Ashlyn have been dragged to farms, plantations, and as many museums as I can find in the paper! I have found a few wonderful people here (thank you Megan and Jodi) that make the days go faster! They both are willing to go with me to these silly small town things! Check out Megan's pictures from the New Brockton Homecoming parade here.

Today we started off our rare family time with a trip to Pioneer Days at the Pioneer Museum in Troy, Alabama. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area because it was awesome!

That's about all for now, but I have more pictures to show everyone that I will post this weekend since I have Pete here!

P.S. My life is defined by my love for the Lord, my family, and my friends who are family to me. The rest is not important to me and for those that might think it is, there is a reason that I do not choose to spend my time with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pres and Mommy date!

2009-10-03T18:07:00.004-04:00

I was able to take Preston and have a day with just him. We went to Alpin Farm in Dothan and it was a blast. We took a hay ride, picked a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, cut down our own sunflower from the field, went through the corn maize, and played with all of the animals! It was a great day! I was so glad to have the time with him! Thank you to my special peanut for spending the time with me!

Here we are on our way to the farm!

Ashlyn: Three months!

2009-09-20T13:54:00.009-04:00

WOW, WOW, WOW is all I can really say about my baby girl right now. She is advancing super fast and is already waaaaay past any sort of newborn status. At three months and 1 day, she mastered rolling over. At three months and 2 days, she can now sit up with the boppy around her! I could continue like this over and over. She doesn't give me any time to delight in her new milestones before she is moving on to the next one! Pete and I call her our little overachiever.

Here is our little overachiever at work! Much to my surprise/dismay, she's starting to scoot once she's on her belly! Yikes! My baby is determined to not be my baby for long!

It's amazing how different she is from Preston. At this time with him, I was one frazzled momma with my still colic baby boy. There is none of this with my baby girl who now only wakes up once in night to only take two ounces!

She is always quick with the smiles and seeing those chubby baby cheeks get even chubbier in a big toothless grin is enough to make my whole day!

Pres is totally in love with his little sister and loves to give her big, messy kisses. She has completely gotten used to him running up to her, scream out "HI ASHWYN" and give her a not gentle at all hug! He loves to help me as I work with her on belly time and motor skills. The favorite game is Open-Close which consists of us opening and closing our hands in front of Ashlyn and then doing it to her hands (Pres loves to grab her little hands and open her fingers and then close them!)

While she is 99% of the time happy, she has her moments and they are so sad. She gives the lower lip wobble and then just breaks out in the most pathetic cry I have ever heard. It's not the piercing scream of baby Preston but rather a whimper that can progress into a forlorn, tear filled sob. It already makes her daddy almost breakdown with the feeling of failure at not getting her what she wanted/needed before the bottom lip wobble! As for me, it nearly stops me in my tracks at how patient they are compared to her brothers. (I know you are scratching your head and wondering what a patient cry is, but I'm telling you that's what it is!)

Like her brother was, she is not content to sit still. When you grab her hands, she not only wants to pull herself up into a sitting position, but would rather go all the way to standing. Once she reaches standing, she is so pleased with herself that it is usually followed by a lot of cooing and squealing!

Here Ashlyn is after bath. She loves bath time! Can you believe how big she is?! She's 27 inches long!!!!!

I could go on and on, but will end this as it's just meant to be a quick update. I will say that my son was a huge blessing and never ceases to inspire me and now I have this beautiful gift in my daughter. Preston will force the world to change for him, but Ashlyn will be the one to make everyone in the world feel better!

One last picture! Here she is playing with daddy!

A Walk through New Brockton

2009-09-14T16:46:00.011-04:00

We live in this really quiet and wonderfully quaint town in Alabama called New Brockton. I absolutely love it here! The only drawback is that there isn't really any place to shop here so I have to either go on post (a 30 minute drive) or go into the dirty and annoying city of Enterprise (not all parts, just near the Wal-Mart). Besides being out in the middle of nowhere, it is a wonderful place to be with young children. We live in this subdivision called Mayberry (it makes me chuckle every time I tell someone). Our subdivision is right outside of New Brockton and an easy walk into the main street of New Brockton. Every day I go on a three mile walk through the city and every day I see something completely crazy and new. There are some everyday sightings from the pot bellied pig named Tallulah May to the homegrown Joe that always comes out of the woods with a big stick that he keeps with him because of all of the diamond back snakes!

I was lucky enough to have Megan come with me on one of my walks. I handed her my camera and she deigned to take pictures with my Canon!!!!

Sooooooo...without further ado, welcome to my daily walk in a small southern town!

Our first stop is always to bring a treat to the horses. The friendly ones are Rocket and the Young One. Their owner, Dwight, is a sweet southern man who has welcomed us to used his pool, ride the horses, and has given us permission to bring them treats at our leisure. Preston loves this part of our walk and will gladly feed the horses treats. He has learned that apples are their favorite and gets pretty annoyed with me when I only bring the horses carrots!

After the horses, we always get to walk past the old black school. It is a beautiful building that is now used for Sunday school by one of the local churches. This very friendly stray dog is always there and on some days much to Preston's delight, she joins us for the rest of our walks!

The next part of our walk is past the mission house and church. The building used to be some sort of business and the name is still in big letters on the side. They have a weekly auction of donated goods to help and provide for the needy of New Brockton. It's always an adventure to walk past here because you never know what you will see-including the cowboys from the local cattle farms taking a mid-afternoon ride!

Next we pass the police station and the post office. The police station has a broken window that has just been fixed with a piece of plywood!

After there we pass the house with all of the animals. On the front porch there are kittens, birds, a little annoying dog, and as of last week, a rodent of some kind. The house looks a WHOLE lot nicer on film than in person. The people that live there always run inside when ever we pass.

This "animal house" is right next door to the post office. We continue along and turn down one of the residential streets. This is my favorite part of the walk! There are all of these vines that grow over everything and they are just super beautiful!

After we pass the vines we walk up the road to head back. The last thing on our walk is the stinky sewer system that overflows and puts poop water down the road every time it rains! You can see Ashlyn in her favorite place...strapped in the baby carrier close to mommy!!!!!

Finally, our neighborhood. This is always Preston's favorite part because I let him get out of the stroller and he runs/dawdles the rest of the way home!

There are so many other crazy things that happen on these walks. Everything from being invited to house parties by the cousin to the Mayor (he told me that which is the only reason I know) to dodging copperhead snakes! Life in a small town really is small, but it is also never the same two days in a row!

Family Day

2009-09-13T15:13:00.013-04:00

Friday was Family Day for Pete's flight school. The Fox family joined us for the fun and all of the boys LOVED the helicopters. My crazy daughter fell asleep with all of the noise. It could have something to do with the ear protection we used. She looks so funny in the big 'ole headphones!

It was really fun to see Pete fly. Pete's stick buddy (the other student that is in the helicopter with Pete), Brandon, pointed Pete out to us up in the air and I had a blast watching him do all of these maneuvers that he's been studying here at home.

There was a cool set up at the airfield of food, drinks, and a helicopter for the kids to play in. Pres and the Fox boys took over the helicopter the whole time we were there!

Pres found his favorite friend of Daddy's, Mr. Mawk (Mark) right off. Mark was flying in the second shift, so with his daughter Rachel in one arm and Pres in the other, he walked them around the airfield. Don't know what we would do with out the Davis family!!!!

Pete was flying 76F so here he is doing one of the landing maneuvers.

Here's a picture of Ashlyn in her gear. She spent the whole time we were there in the carrier alternating between watching everything that was going on and sleeping!

Here's Pete in the air!

Pres in the helicopter! Notice his big, fat lip! He fell on the tile at Ms. Jodi's house while running around the house like a crazy man!

Here is Pete after he landed. He is wearing the new Army Aviation uniform. It looks a lot like the regular ACU's, but it has special pockets and a cinched waste. It is also fire retardant.

Pres was so excited to see daddy!

Not the best picture of Pete and I, but the only one we took! It was so windy so excuse all of the hair in my face! Also, can you see my crazy daughter all zonked out in the carrier?!

Last but not least, here is Pete's stick buddy, Brandon. He's a sweet guy and I'm so glad the the other student in the helicopter with Pete isn't a ding dong...makes me feel much better about the whole possibility of crashing thing! If you look in Brandon's eye protection, you can see me!

Sometimes it's the small things...

2009-08-26T10:29:00.002-04:00

that can turn a bad situation into something hilarious! Pres has had an ear infection and we've been doing the medicine battle for about 5 days. It has been a loooooong five days and the other night after bath, Pres was hiding from me in order to not take his medicine. While hiding and screaming "NO" in the closet, he found this bathing suit for Ashlyn next year. He wanted to put on the bottoms and because I was so frustrated I decided to put it on him and take as many embarrassing pictures as I could. Years from now, I will bring these out-maybe for a first girlfriend-and will feel no shame because I will remember how tired I was this night!

As a small disclaimer and in Preston's defense, he did realize this was a bathing suit and wanted to put it on to go swimming!

Ashlyn: Two months!

2009-08-24T11:45:00.005-04:00

Ashlyn had her two month check up (finally...we were a week behind) and her stats are as follows:

13.9 lbs
24 inches

She's a long girl! Preston was 24 inches at four months so she is much longer already than he was. Ashlyn is such a good baby. She rarely cries and it is always because she needs something. She'll cry if she is hungry, tired, or in need of a new diaper. Other than that she is a happy baby. In the middle of the night when she wakes up to eat she still doesn't cry. She just does these really sweet sucking sounds to let you know she is ready to eat.

Ashlyn is now loving to play on her play mat and loves nothing more than to bat at the hanging keys. Those seem to be her favorite. She'll try to grab those for 15 straight minutes! She is also very giggly. She'll sit in her bouncer and giggle and smile at you. This is my favorite activity and one that she and I have been able to do alone together while Pres is at school. Here are some pictures from last Thursday as she and I did just that!

Pres is still a wonderful big brother and he is enjoying her starting to be responsive to him. He loves it when I put her in the bumbo seat so that he can try and get her to "play" with him.

Lastly I'll end with a picture of her in the jumper. She's still a little too small for it so I had to prop her up with a towel, but she loved it and it was fun to see her in it!

His face says it all...

2009-08-20T12:12:00.003-04:00

...this is how he looked when I went to pick him up. So sad!!!! He wouldn't even go and play on the playground. He stood next to the steps waiting for me to come back. The drop off this morning was pretty awful so we'll see how today's pick up goes. I'm giving it two weeks and if he still hates it, then there is no point in making him go.

Pres' first day of school

2009-08-18T10:56:00.004-04:00

****UPDATE****

Pres did okay at school. Ms. Amanda said that there were a lot of tears. He wasn't too interested in participating, but hopefully that will change.

This morning I dropped off one happy Preston for his first day of school. He didn't even cry and I was so glad for that! I'm not sure I could have left him there if he had been in tears.

We were able to get him into the Mother's Day Out program at Hillcrest Baptist here in Enterprise, Alabama. I had heard wonderful things about the program and was glad when I got the call that they were opening up a third two year old class so they had a spot for Preston. We went last Friday and met his teacher Ms. Amanda. She is very sweet and the classroom in adorable. He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-12:30.

For those of you that don't know, I taught preschool for years (in fact, it lead to me meeting Pete!). My standards because of this are a bit high and I was pleased to find that Hillcrest met them all! I love that Preston will have chapel on Thursdays and get art, library, story, and free play time! It is my hope that he will learn to play well with others (Megan-L will be glad about that!) and have something that belongs to just him. He's been such a great big brother to Ashlyn that he has more than earned something that is all his! This also gives me some time with just Ashlyn and since her big brother is very demanding of my time, this will be good for her as well.

I'll update this afternoon after I pick Pres up from school. I'm also going to try and get some pictures from his classroom. I didn't take any this morning because I wasn't too sure how the drop off would go!

The Catch Up Part 2:Florida Trip and Flight School

2009-08-16T16:50:00.005-04:00

Okay...so here we go. I need to get these pictures up so I can go crazy with Pres' first day of school next Tuesday!

At the end of July, I ended up with a very sick Preston. Tot Time Wednesday and Story Time Friday seemed to have introduced us to lots of germs! Getting up with a sick two year old for a week straight and a new baby wore me out!!! If one wasn't crying at me, then the other one was and Pete was gone all day with the start flight school (We'll get to that in a minute). I was at my wits end and tired beyond all measure. Needless to say, I was one GRUMPY April! I called my mom and asked for a visit. I knew that there would be lots of hands to hold babies and I could catch up on some sleep. I packed up the kiddos and made the drive down to Florida. It took about 7 hours and I must say that they were both awesome!!!! Preston happily played in the front seat of the car as I stopped to breast feed at rest stops along the way and Ashlyn seemed content to wake up, look at her toys for a bit and then fall back asleep. We got to my parents house in the afternoon and were greeted by the willing hands of Grandma!!!! Whoo-hoo!

While I was in Florida, I had the icky task of getting the condo ready to rent again. Rent again...so soon... you ask?! Well, our renters skipped out on us in the middle of the night. They skipped out after kicking in two of the windows (brand new windows by the way), who knows where the screens or screen door are, putting holes in the bamboo almost indestructible floor, breaking every single blind in the house, burying trash in both the front and the back, leaving the golf cart broken halfway down the hill in the back with all four tires ruined, busting the glass shower doors, and taking all of the face plates! Did I mention this was the damage after my mom spent two weeks cleaning up the dirt, dog pee, and bugs from the inside?! Welcome to the world of landlord I suppose. While my mom took the kiddos, I had the disgusting task of trying to fix everything. I found out that the screens for the windows are irreplaceable (it's cheaper to buy a whole new window since they are custom sizes), the blinds are also custom sizes so I had to special order those, and the yard in the front and back was such a disgusting mess with trash that it took me two days to finish. Forget about getting to the shower doors or face plates. I was beyond pissed and angry at what these people did to my home. He was a paramedic and worked for the city so Pete and I thought that we would be somewhat safe. He also passed a background and credit check. We learned the hard way that that means NOTHING! While I was there, my neighbors were more than happy to fill me in on the other people living in the house (three to be exact), the cops being called for violent fights, and the damage the dog did to the neighbors porch. Why they didn't call us and let us know BEFORE hand is beyond me. I ended up having to call Pete in tears and tell him that it was just too much damage for me to take care of-not to mention the terrible emotional toll of having to spend hours in the home that I worked years on and see it trashed. My dad came to the rescue at the end of the week and the realtor has it listed as we are working on trying to get the repairs finished. Pete has finally been able to get in contact with our renter (nothing like the threat of small claims court to speed up the returning phone call process) and he didn't even try to deny the damage they caused. He wants to work out some sort of payment plan with us and I am leaving that all up to Pete. For my part, I want nothing to do with it anymore and I am happy that Pete is going to take care of the details.

Despite all of that, it was a good visit to Florida. Here are some pictures of our trip and you can see how much Ashlyn has grown...she is such a big girl!

Now onto flight school...SIGH...what a difficult time for all of us as a family. Not too much else to say because I don't really have anything nice to say other than Pete loves flying...so there is one positive!

The catch up Part 1:Pres' b-day party

2009-08-10T15:41:00.005-04:00

We've been super busy here and I have lots to catch up on! I'll start with the pictures from Pres' second birthday party that took place on July 11th (I am REALLY behind!) and work my way up! Ashlyn is two months old now! She is really starting to become fun, but we'll get to that later. For now, here are the pictures from Pres' b-day!

Pete made the Thomas cake from scratch! He did the face with fondant! It was really amazing and I can't wait to see what he does next year.

There were a lot of kids, friends, food, and tons of fun. Preston has so many great little friends here and we had a great time playing with everyone. Preston received so many wonderful gifts! I have two people to say a big "thank you" to! First to the Davis clan that showed up early to help! I completely underestimated the time it took to get things done with a toddler and a newborn. If they hadn't shown up when they did, then nothing would have been ready! Thank you Jeanne Anne for keeping Ashlyn happy while I ran around cleaning and decorating and also thank you to Mark for finding that Thomas balloon!!!!! A second special thanks to Melissa for once again finding her way around my kitchen! Not only did she get the food ready for the kiddos, but she did dishes. I have wonderful friends!!!!!

We are still going!!!!

2009-07-06T15:53:00.004-04:00

So...today Pete and I are celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary! I started off the day in a great way. The nasty, rainy weather here finally worked in my favor. Pete's PT this morning was cancelled so since he was awake, he took Ashlyn this morning and let me sleep in! Thank you so much my wonderful hubby!!!!!!!!! You are an amazing father and husband. The past 7 years have been a blast and I look forward to the years to come! I love lamp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to celebrate today with some lemon martini's and grilled steaks!

I know everyone is dying for some pictures, so here we go!

and the tired momma three weeks post delivery...not quite where I want to be but I am getting close!

Happy Second Birthday Baby Boy!

2009-06-26T14:38:00.003-04:00

On June 21st, Pres turned two years old! I can hardly believe it! I'm a little late in posting but it has been a crazy two weeks adjusting to having two little ones in the house! We will be celebrating his birthday with a party on July 11th.

Pres is such a big boy in some ways that when I look at him, it makes me a little sad. I am slowly losing my baby boy in a lot of ways, but luckily he still likes to snuggle with his mommy! He's so independent and wants to do EVERYTHING on his own! He is talking in full sentences and knows all of his colors, numbers 1-15, and the alphabet (although he is awful stingy in saying that one!) He is also picking up Spanish very quickly and it never fails to make me laugh as he will grab Pete's hand and go "vamanos daddy, vamanos" (let's go daddy, let's go) when he wants Pete to take him outside. He has learned to put on and take off his Crocs or "crockies" as he calls them (thanks Dad, he learned that from you!) and will always proudly announce when he has done either one.

Pres and Pete are such good buddies now. They play and laugh and have a great time together. I'm not sure all they do outside, but they both come back in dirty, sweaty, and smelly from their fun.

He is being such a good big brother that Pete and I are amazed. We knew he was a secret softy underneath all of that boyness, but it took Ashlyn to bring it out. He will come up to her and give her head a gentle kiss all throughout the day. He also gets upset with me when I give her a bath because he thinks that she is hurt because she screams so loud. The whole time I am bathing her, Pres is tugging on my shirt telling me "NO MOMMY".

There is so much more, but those are the highlights of the things I do not want to forget. I'll end this with a little personal note to my big boy.

"Pres- Mommy and Daddy love you so much. You have come into our world and made it so much better. Life is more colorful and interesting being able to see it through your big blue eyes. I hope you always are as willful and strong as you are now. You, my bubba, will change the world!"

Some pictures...

2009-06-14T19:49:00.003-04:00

...and not much else. We are on our own and pretty tired around here! I have lots more pictures to post of Ashlyn with all of her visitors. A big thank you to everyone that sent their wishes or came to see us. It was pretty overwhelming for us and we just couldn't believe the outpouring of love. You guys all rock!!!!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn Elizabeth!

2009-06-11T19:22:00.007-04:00

She has arrived!!!!! It took us a little longer than we thought, but she is finally here! Here stats are 7-6 and 20 inches long! She put her brother to shame in that department! I forgot the camera cord (which will make sense at the end of this blog) in all of the craziness so I just have the picture from my phone. I promise better ones to come.

So...yesterday I came up to the hospital and went into their evaluation area. I was evaluated and despite contractions (and painful ones at that) I was not dilated any further than I had been on Monday. After talking to the doctor on call (not MY doctor) they decided to send me home. I was irritated and a little embarrassed. I had been sure that this was it and labor had begun (for the record, I was right). Anyways so we came home and I had a second night of constant contractions. When morning came around I was in so much pain with the constant contractions that I was pretty grumpy. Because of what had happened the day before, I hesitated and didn't want come in again and be sent home. I second guessed myself and spent all morning in terrible pain under the impression that I was just a big baby. By 10:30am my attitude was screw the nurses and that I was going to the hospital and not coming home no matter what they said. (Foe those of you that don't know, the hospital is an hour away so these drives are not easy to make under normal circumstances!) I called Pete to come home and had him call my doctor and speak with his nurse. She recommended that I go straight to the hospital. It's about and hour drive and by the time Pete was home and I was able to get dressed, I was literally crawling on the floor because the contractions were so constant. The drive to the hospital was awful and with about 15 minutes to go, I realized that it was time to push. This baby was ready to come and I rolled over (I was in the very back with my sister) ready to go. Lynne and Pete both panicked and begged me to hold on. We finally arrived at the ER and Lynne ran in to get someone. The next part is straight out of a terrible movie comedy with me barely being able to sit in the wheel chair having to explain to the VERY slow receptionist that I was in labor and about to deliver the baby right there in the lobby. After some yelling on my part the ding dong lady finally realized that I needed to get upstairs right then and there. She wheeled me upstairs and instead of labor and delivery took me to the evaluation area. I was really screaming at this point as I knew my water had broken and could feel the baby's head between my legs. As luck would have it, my OB was having lunch there with some of the nurses and heard me screaming. He came over a little shocked at how forceful I was being and told the nurses that he would do my evaluation. He again was shocked to discover that I was fully dilated and the baby was coming. In between telling Pete that I was just too tired to push and actually pushing, I had my beautiful baby girl out in about two minutes! I never even made it into Labor and Delivery!

Ashlyn was born in the teeny tiny evaluation room. After she was out, the nurses from the day before all came in to see me and were shocked at how fast the whole process was. The receptionist from L&D that was so irritated that she had to do my paperwork twice actually came in and apologized for saying anything. The long and short of it was that they should have kept me yesterday and monitored me for longer. If they had, then they would have noticed that I was indeed in full blown labor not in pre-labor. My OB was quite irritated with the process but was glad that it all worked out. He even joked that now he gets to sleep in tomorrow morning because I was his first patient of the day!

Preston came up to see his sister and was so sweet with her. He kept saying, my sisti" and telling us all to "ssshh the baby is sweeping". I can't wait to upload the pictures.

I would like to say a BIG thank you first to my sister. She sat in the back of the car with me while I was having the single most uncomfortable car ride of my life and simply sat with me so that I did not feel alone. The second BIG thank you I have is for my mom. My mom has Preston and he is happy as can be having his cousin Dyer and his "Mawm Mawm" with him. That was my biggest worry about giving birth and knowing that Pres is in such good hands really is a huge help. I know that I will come home to a happy Peanut, a clean house, and lots of love. That is priceless.

Here is a picture of Ashlyn and I taken from my phone. I'm pretty tired looking after two nights of no sleep!

My baby girl peacefully sleeping!

Daddy and Ashlyn!

Labor has begun...

2009-06-10T05:25:00.002-04:00

Here we go! I am so glad that it is happening on its own and that I will not have to be induced. I'm still at home now just riding out the storm so to speak! I've been having contractions for a few days and today they really started to go. Right now, I'm about every 10 minutes and have been for the past hour or so. I'm waiting until they are about 6 or 7 minutes for a constant hour until I go to the hospital as per the instructions of my OB's nurse. She told me to take some extra strength Tylenol and try to rest at home until I come in...yeah right...the Tylenol did not help at all so I'm up walking around just killing time and having fun with the contraction counter!

The last "pre-baby" baby update!

2009-06-08T16:41:00.003-04:00

I went in to the doctor today and was happy to know that I am finally starting to show some progress! I am at 3 cm. They scheduled the induction for 5 am Friday morning at the Southeast Alabama Medical Center. I will be at 42 weeks then and my doctor thinks that its the safest thing for me and baby to go ahead and induce. Apparentely, I'm not so good at "doing my part" and starting this labor process on my own. My OB today did some stretching to hopefully speed up the natural process and I am going back on Thursday for more of the same with the OB and then on to handle to induction paperwork. They are really hoping that I just naturally go into active labor before Friday.

I am SO over being pregnant at this point and am seeing that the medical necessity of the early delivery last time had some positives to it! I have no room in my belly at all and bending down is basically impossible at this point. Ashlyn has had a huge growth spurt in the last week and my doc informed me that she was going to be a big girl. Yikes...Pres had a huge head but was only 6 pounds 8 ounces...let us just hope that she does not end up with the Dean head like her daddy and brother have...if so...I will deserve a medal for delivering her naturally!!!!!

Preston is starting to notice that something is going on. He is constantly asking me if I am okay and is being very sweet with me. I am moving around slowly these days and he seems to not care at all that I am sitting down when we play outside. He happily rides his bike in circles around me and giggles when I get him with my feet. I couldn't ask for a sweeter boy and between he and Pete, I am being quite spoiled right now. Preston has even taken to rubbing my toes when Pete rubs my feet! My boys rock and poor Ashlyn will be spoiled rotten between the two of them!

The next update will be from the hospital! Whoo-hoo!!!!!!!

A great weekend...

2009-06-02T11:18:00.011-04:00

The sun was FINALLY shining and the temperature was nice and hot (and crazy humid, but we'll focus on the good!). We had a great weekend as a family of three. We are trying to take advantage of these last days before the lack of sleep and new routine make us all a little crazy for a while. With my new camera in tow, we spent time washing cars, cleaning out the garage, and lots of other last minute projects. We also had a wonderful home cooked Thai meal courtesy of the best neighbor anyone could ask for...seriously...we are so blessed to have this wonderful group of people here in Alabama and the fact that one happens to live next door with three young boys for Pres to play with is just icing on the cake!

Here are some pictures from my fun new camera!

First things first, living a little out in the middle of nowhere brings about lots of funny animals. We came home on Friday to this turtle making his way into our garage! I called next door so that her boys could see and I'm pretty sure that turtle put the word out to STAY AWAY from our part of the neighborhood. We have four over zealous little boys (five if you count Pete) that are all trying to out man each other for how gutsy they can be with any creature!

While Pete and I were washing cars, Pres went back and forth between "helping" with the cars and playing in the water table.

The next day, we had been working on finishing up the yard project I made Chrissy do! It was such a hot day that after the work was done, we had fun with sidewalk paint, shaving cream, and the hose! I love that Pete is always up for whatever crazy, fun idea I have for Pres! My best childhood memories are of my parents letting us be silly and I hope the my kiddos can have the same smiles and continue on with the next generation the tradition that no task is too important and no hair day is good enough to be too concerned with having messy fun!

Last but not least, play time inside. Pres walking around in my winter boots is the funniest thing! He is such a skinny minny and the boots seem to really make it stand out!

A big thank you to my boys for making it such a nice time. I enjoyed every minute (even having dried shaving cream paint in my hair!)

What feels like the millionth baby update!!!!

2009-05-28T14:05:00.005-04:00

I went to the OB today. Everything is still great (fluid and heart rate) so it is just a waiting game now. I did test positive for the strep thing so I will have to receive antibiotics during labor, but that is pretty common. I really enjoyed the description of the virus I got from the doc. It goes like this and remember that he has a British/South African accent..."you know how the British colonized the Americas? They didn't really belong there, but they took it anyways. That is what this step B is, it doesn't belong there but has colonized your vagina." Oh my! He cracks me up. I didn't know that my vagina could be colonized! I bet his nurses could write a whole book about his funny descriptions. He also said to me today that he is "just waiting for me to do my part and go into labor." HA! If only I could snap my fingers and get this process started. I told him that I was working on it!

On a more serious note, for any of you that are new to the Wiregrass area and in need of a good OB/GYN, I would highly recommend the Women's Medical Center. All of the doctors and nurses are just fantastic and they run a tight ship. They are also connected to the Southeast Alabama Medical Center, and the Women's Center there is just awesome (hello-jacuzzi tub in your LDR room!)

I love my friends that blog...

2009-05-27T18:41:00.003-04:00

...it allows me to just do this...go check out Megan's blog for what we did and the fun we had on Memorial Day! There are always better pictures and she cracks me up!

Baby Update

2009-05-26T14:41:00.002-04:00

Last Friday Pete and I had the big OB appointment. We were all ready to go just in case and had all of our bags and stuff with us. To our amazement, everything was perfect. I've lost no more fluid and my heart rate was right where they want it to be!!!!! I think all parties involved were shocked!!! I was so excited! This means that for now, I am able to be normal. They have scheduled an inducement, but not until after 40 weeks. YEAH!!!!! I get to have the experience of going into labor on my own!!!!! This is what we have been praying for all along and God has been so gracious to allow us this wonderful blessing. They are still checking me at the cardiologist and OB each week and reserve the right to induce me, but much of the concern is gone! If Ashlyn comes now, she will be perfectly healthy! I didn't make it this far with my last pregnancy, so I am in new and uncharted territory as far as how big and uncomfortable I am and I couldn't be happier about it. Thank you to you all that have been praying with us on this crazy journey. We'll keep the blog updated with information and hopefully soon our new addition will be here. Pete bought me a wonderful new camera and laptop to take with me to the hospital so I will be able to put up pictures pretty quickly!

The big "reveal"

2009-05-21T21:46:00.006-04:00

Pete has wanted to cut Pres' hair for weeks. I've been fighting it as I love his baby curls. I decided that while he was gone (and I had Chrissy who knows how) I would give Pres a nice little buzz cut to surprise my hubby with. It was quite the experience with Preston having an absolute fit about the whole thing. Once it was over, he was completely happy and kept giggling at his new reflection! The amazing thing is that I had noticed his roots were coming in blond. My auburn haired baby boy is now a full blown blonde!

The "before" shot. He had a bribe of a Little Debbie cake and a Thomas video. He had no idea what was coming!

The "during" shot. He looks as if he is being tortured, but all of that crying didn't seem to stop him from eating his cake!

All of his curls...gone...a little sad for this mommy!

Here is a good "after" shot. It was taken the next day. He looks like such a big boy!

Pete was so pleased with his hair. It was worth all of the effort to make both of my boys so happy! Pres loves not having to wash his hair like before and keeps rubbing his head saying "soft" and Pete loves that his baby boy and he have the same hair cut! Here's a shot Pete took of Pres in his boots with his new hair cut.

Chrissy's Visit

2009-05-20T14:23:00.006-04:00

Chrissy finally made it home last night after a one day delay. I owe her big time for putting up with small town airports!!!!! Anyways...we had a great time. It's amazing how quickly the time goes. It felt like she was only here for a quick visit when in fact it ended up being 11 days! We spent our days extremely busy and yet not really doing too much. I was able to play with Asher and watch Chrissy play with Preston. In short (and because my time with her is special and I'll keep it in my heart) we stayed up too late talking at night, had lots of yummy dinners, did a lawn project (owe her big for that one too!), and got acquainted with each others' kiddos!

Thank you so much for coming Chrissy and give that big 'ole hubby of yours a hug for me for missing you and Asher for 11 days! (Also Ry...Riverwood or bust my friend...this time was like a big teaser for what could be!)

Here are some pictures of the visit. We didn't take too many because we really just spend our time enjoying the moments instead of worrying about capturing them.

Perhaps another future rock star in the making?!

Preston deciding he wants to be the baby for a bit!

The "high chair posse"...these boys get to grow up together and now I have pictures to embarrass them with in their teenage years!

Pete was able to spend two days with them as well! Asher was in full missing daddy mode and was glad to have a scratchy face in the house! This picture is so near and dear to me because Asher's expression is so much like his daddy's! I have a picture of Pete and Ryan coming home from Afghanistan and you could substitute Asher for Ryan...it's amazing!

A BIG P.S. We did one more thing while Chrissy was here with Preston...the big reveal as to what it was is coming later in the week!

Chrissy's Here!!!

2009-05-11T01:33:00.003-04:00

She's here and we are having a blast! Baby A is so preceious and I am going to spend the next week enjoying having my BFF close and getting as many snuggles from that baby as I can. More to come after she leaves.

Florida

2009-05-01T22:30:00.003-04:00

Preston and I snuck down to Florida for about a week. When I say snuck, I mean with a capital "S" because my doctors would be none too happy to have me far away. Oh well...Pete was leaving, I needed to try out my new meds and couldn't be alone...after all, I am supposed to be resting. I didn't really have any other options. Luckily my mom came and drove me down and then will be driving me back on the 7th.

Here are some updates:

Tried the new heart meds and did not tolerate them AT ALL! I was stumbling around like an old drunk man! I went back down to my old dose and am doing okay. I'm having some uncomfortable tachy moments, but nothing too severe.

Pete is in SERE school. We miss him-especially Pres. My little guy is having MAJOR separation anxiety and won't let me out of his sight right now. He asks for daddy as soon as he wakes up from nap and bedtime and it gets a little hairy as I remind him that daddy is away at school but will be home soon. I hope this will taper off in a week or so as he gets used to the routine again with just me. Sneaking to Florida has helped as my dad is helping with lots of snuggles for Pres. This means that either myself or my dad has Pres nipping at our heels all day long. As for myself, it sucks being 9 months preggo (tomorrow!)without the hubby.

Chrissy and Asher are coming to visit!!!!!! I am so excited! For the last 10 days that Pete is gone my BFF is going to come and be with me! Woo-hoo!!!!! If I can't have Pete with me then Chrissy is the only person that can come close 2nd(sorry Chrissy...I think Pete is cuter or you'd probably be my number 1!) I also get to meet that beautiful baby boy of hers and I CAN NOT WAIT! She will come and boss me and make me rest and that is why I love her! Not too many people have the balls to put me in my place but Chrissy is one of them!

Please pray for a family member. They are not doing well and it looks as if they won't be with us for much longer.

Last and certainly not least, Ashlyn is coming soon! I can't wait to meet her and I also can't wait to not be pregnant! I look forward to the days when I have two beautiful children, normal size hands, feet, and face and no more porn star boobs...oh and a heart that beats like a normal persons!

OB Update

2009-04-24T20:07:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was yet another check up with the OB. I was able to get a little redemption from my last visit. You see, every time the cardiologist increases my meds, I spend about a week swelling up like a balloon. I have explained this side effect again and again to my OB but each and every time I just get a look. A look that says, "suuuure...you are just a fat pig." It is super annoying and I have finally reached a point where they can just kiss my swollen Macy's balloon tushy! Anyways...I digress...so I go to the check up yesterday and surprise surprise I have actually lost weight from my last visit. My OB looks at me and says that I must be having some issues with swelling. In my head all kinds of sarcastic and mean things are going on so I just looked at him and said nothing. His response was that I was sitting there looking at him like he was an alien (I am such a terrible liar that even when I say nothing, my face gives it all away!). At that statement I again said nothing. I just couldn't for the life of me think of something nice to say. I think all of this time stuck at home is really beginning to get to me! I did manage to change the subject and was so proud of myself for finally just letting him know how aggravated I am that he and my cardiologist seem to have some sort of pissing contest as to who's time is more valuable. Seriously can't they just put ego aside and finally come up with a delivery plan for me or what?! (They can't decide on a date to meet and the cardiologist did not like the date the OB picked out and it goes on and on!) Luckily for me, my OB agreed that they needed to put their information together. Hopefully something will finally come from that, but if not, I will just have to keep being bold with these doctors.

I'll end this post as well with some pictures of Pres.

The first one is for Gramma Susan. I want for her to see all of Pres' curls.

The next one is of us having fun with shaving cream. My mom is here to help out right now and we played in the back yard. Please ignore my swollen feet and face!

Cardio Update

2009-04-23T11:18:00.004-04:00

So...I went to the cardiologist yesterday and got the same news I get every time. My heart is tachycardic. I really would like to tell them, "DUH"...I mean isn't that why I keep having to go to the cardiologist?! Can you tell I am really starting to get tired of having to go to the doctor? The long and short of it is that they want to increase my meds (same as last time) and this time I am going to be a good patient and do what they say. I have a month left until my big OB appointment and I am only 50mg away from the max dose. I am praying that this dose will put my heart rate at what the docs want so that I can have some sort of peace and be able to deliver naturally and when Ashlyn is ready to come.

Pete was able to come with me to this visit, so he was able to share the annoyingness of the whole thing with me. I met with the PA and she talks super fast and is very perky. She really needs pom-poms in her hands as she meets with you! I thought Pete was going to throw his phone at her. Instead he made gestures behind her back and was able to make the appointment go by much faster for me than it usually does! Thank you hubby!!!!!!

This afternoon is my OB appointment so I will have some new ultrasound pics tomorrow!

I'll end this post with a picture of Preston because his silly self always makes me feel better! He's become really interested in my slippers lately and walks around the house in them. This particular picture was taken when I was trying to get him dressed for the day. All I got was his jammie shorts off before he went and got the slippers and a couple of hats. I couldn't be mad because he was just too darn cute! It never fails to make me laugh to see him clomping along, tripping over his own feet!

Shaving Cream fun!

2009-04-15T10:15:00.003-04:00

In an effort to spend as much time as possible off of my feet-a venture not easy with a toddler- I have had to get creative. This past week I moved Pres' play table into the kitchen and covered it with shaving cream. We had a great time playing with it. The only really funny part was that Pres refused to have more than one finger at a time with shaving cream on it. He was so dainty looking trying to ram his cars into the shaving cream while at the same time keeping his hands clean.

Decorating Easter Eggs!

2009-04-11T14:00:00.010-04:00

The Davis family joined us on Monday night to decorate eggs and have a fun Easter egg hunt! Preston's favorite part was putting (throwing) the eggs in the coloring! He also enjoyed putting the Dora stickers all over the eggs!

Here's our set up. Everyone had their own Easter egg basket and coloring cups! (The fold up table from Wal-Mart is the best! It folds in half and is easy to use, perfect for projects inside or out!)

Video of decorating fun! There is a lot of noise and organized chaos. I love it! All of these kids and families are a HUGE bonus for being here in Alabama.

Decorating fun!

I missed taking pictures of the egg hunt because I was cleaning up, but here is a picture of what Preston found during his egg hunt and they were the ones he decorated (I think daddy had some help with that happening!) In all, it was a great time!

P.S. For those of you with toddlers, I highly recommend these sticker kits! They were such a hit and so easy for the little ones to use.

Keyboard issues are fixed and a little off color potty humor!

2009-04-09T11:05:00.005-04:00

We've been having some problems with our keyboard and I've been lazy about getting Pete to fix it. I finally let him know, and he was able to get it working again in about 2 seconds!

Now that I can type again, it's time for a new blog!

We've had a crazy busy couple of weeks with tons of events. I am wiped out and glad to finally have some quiet around here! My first (and last) event with Pete's flight class went swimmingly well. It was a great time and a pleasure to have them all in our home. I only took two pictures of the whole thing because I was busy being hostess, but they are good ones! This is Miss Queen with her followers in the water table! Can you tell who is queen bee?????

As my pregnancy has finally forced me to slow down (darn it!) I had to resign as the social person. That was sad for me but good for you all because I can tell you the really funny/disgusting thing that happened at the party. (Melissa, I can't help myself...cleaning that toilet from the skid marks was just too gross!)Now I'm no expert on social etiquette. My grandmother and parents tried but I was pretty stubborn as a child. Needless to say I remember some things and not others. I AM pretty sure however that no grown women should come to a party and take a big 'ole poo in the one bathroom for guests to use. (I know Chrissy is laughing at me now too.) The really funny part was that there were quite a few dads playing with the kiddos in Preston's room. The smell was coming out of the bathroom while she was in there and there was a sudden announcement that "one of the kiddos pooed". At this, I came to see what was going on and was immediately grossed out by what had to be going on in my guest bathroom. I was also hysterically laughing as two grown men were systematically sniffing the diapers of all of the toddlers in the room. Too funny! I was discreetly trying to let the men know that someone was in the bathroom and they immediately assumed it was one of the guys. This began a whole tirade of Army potty jokes shouted in the general direction of the bathroom. At this, I couldn't take it anymore and had to go to my room and compose myself from the tears of laughter rolling down my face. I knew it wasn't one of the guys, but figured that they deserved the humiliation they got...I mean...I would never, ever, ever in a strangers home. If it became an emergency than you excuse yourself and head home!

Despite what I will always refer to as "poop gate" it was a wonderful time. I would like to thank Melissa for coming and being there!

The question about a baby shower...

2009-04-01T16:02:00.002-04:00

After I just got what feels like my millionth question about whether or not I am having a baby shower, I am just going to answer it here so everyone can know and quit asking me. I feel terrible having to disappoint but I am NOT having a baby shower. I'm sorry because I know some of you were hoping, but I just have no desire to do it again. I did it with my pregnancy with Preston and had a very nice one. I loved my fancy tea and all of the elaborate decorations (really people you outdid yourselves!); however, I did not like having everyone staring at me as I opened presents-not my idea of a good time. This time around I am being really stubborn (and selfish) and just don't want to do it. I'm sorry. I don't really enjoy baby showers much as I'm just not a big baby person...GASP...I know...what is wrong with me?! HA! I love children and enjoy being a mother more than anything, but I still would not classify myself as a baby person.

So there you have it, the whole ugly truth. Besides all of that, I really have everything that I need and with the economy the way it is I just don't feel right about asking people to spend their money.

If after all of this, you still must send something then be practical. Diapers (we use pampers), wipes, and onesies are always used.

OB Update and some Pres pics

2009-03-29T22:06:00.007-04:00

Okay my friends! I went to the OB on Friday and got the news that I always like to hear...despite whatever my crazy heart is doing, it is having no effect at all on the baby! Ashlyn is absolutely perfect! I was able to have an ultrasound and see her! She had big eyes and chubby cheeks just like Preston did! Her nose is completely different though. Here are some pictures. They are kind of hard to see as I had to scan them. (This new place isn't as high tech as my doc in Florida!) I did get a DVD so Pete was able to watch the ultrasound with me when I got home but it is too big to upload. For now, enjoy these!

Here is her hand!

Her profile (or what she would give us, she's a shy picture taker!)

Here is a confirmation that she is indeed a girl.

Thank you all for your prayers. I can take whatever is thrown at me health wise as long as I know that this beautiful baby is okay.

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Onto a new topic, Pres and I experienced our first tornado sirens this week. It was scary for me but Pres thought eating breakfast in the bathroom was tons of fun! The sirens went off right after I gave him his breakfast so I just picked him up, highchair and all and rushed into the bathroom. (Thank you Megan for the call to let me know...I was all prepared in case we needed to go in there!) Here are two pictures of him enjoying Dora and breakfast in the bathroom during on of the nasty storms!

Puddle Fun

2009-03-26T09:22:00.001-04:00

One week doc update and Mary Kay

2009-03-25T17:36:00.004-04:00

So I went to the cardiologist again this week and got the following updates:

-Blood work came back normal
-Echo cardiogram was normal
-Heart rate still too high
-Increase in meds by 25 mg (which I refused because it's not working and the side effects are awful!)
-Go back in two weeks and check it out again to re-evaluate my doses and dangers.

There you go. It's similar as my last pregnancy where they could never give me a good answer as to why my heart rate is so high and they just are trying to keep it manageable. The echo is to make sure that there is no long term damage caused by the high heart rate such as an enlarged heart. So far, so good. The medicine this time around is causing me to be super nauseous. I'm not sure why and was told to just make sure I eat before I take it (which I do).

Besides all of that I will admit that I am becoming pretty cranky. I hate going to the doctor and now having to go to the cardiologist and OB almost every week is wearing me thin. As everyone (and I mean everyone) keeps telling me, they are just trying to stay on top of it. HA! Personally I think that since they really have NO clue they are just trying to save their own behinds (but again...that is the cranky part of me). The normal side of me is thankful for the wonderful care that I am receiving in order to ensure that myself and Ashlyn are okay.

***On a funny note Pete is about to go and have a full physical...I am glad for him to be the one for a change that has strange people touching him in places that are all kinds of uncomfortable!***

Now onto something fun. Last night I took Megan to a Mary Kay party. It was the first one for one of the wives in Pete's flight school class so I wanted to go and meet her and show her some support. She was super cute and very nice and if you need Mary Kay you can check out her site here BUT... the lady that is her "mentor" or whatever they are called was certifiably C-R-A-Z-Y! Everything from waaaay too much make-up to fishnet stockings (and let's not forget to super fake boobs!)! It was such a big contrast to the wife we went to support who was in a super cute professional top with a trendy skinny belt.

As Megan and I dutifully took off our make-up and tried all kinds of cremes, we were able to laugh and have a good time! My friend Jeanne Anne was there as well and since Jeanne Anne seemed to have been on the bad side of fake boobs, it was all the more fun! I believe the highlight of the evening for me was when we were all pitched about the wonders of selling Mary Kay and fake boobs passed around her pay stub and told us how many cars she had been given. (I thought this was super tacky, but Chrissy tells me this is what they always do). I did end up buying some stuff because I really do like the Mary Kay products (the cotton lotion smells SOOO good!). In all it was a good evening and Megan, Jeanne Anne, and I certainly made some fun new memories together!

Pregnancy Update (not a good one)

2009-03-16T20:06:00.005-04:00

Today I visited my cardiologist for the first time here in Alabama. I will admit that I have been really putting this off because I have felt great and honestly thought that I was getting better. Needless to say, I thought wrong. The news was not good and today has been a tough emotional day for Pete and I. I've been beating myself up for letting this slide and poor Pete is trying to be my rock when I know that he is worried as well. I had to go for some tests today and we should get the results soon. They are again going through the process of eliminating other causes for the trouble. They want to make sure that it is just the pregnancy and nothing else. I would like to really say a quick nice word about the SAMC in Dothan. The lab was quick and the people were wonderful with me considering I was a blubbering idiot the whole time I was there.

They have increased my heart medication in the hopes that it will lower my heart rate as much as they need it to be. (So if my post is loopy, I started the new dose and it always makes me feel funny for a few days! I can't drive again...yuck!) They are going to monitor me weekly to make sure that the medication is doing what it is supposed to do. Apparently my body has adapted to the high heart rate so I don't feel any symptoms from the racing heart. (Which is why I thought I was getting better). My body being used to the racing heart can be a little dangerous as I am not feeling the signs that your body typically gives you when something is wrong. The good news is that the doctor can do it for me and the bad news is that I am stuck going to the OB and cardiologist each week. (It's almost an hour drive each way.)

Monday I go back and they are hoping that a week on the higher medication will do the trick. If not, they will bump me up again and that is as high as they can go while I am pregnant. (Let's not even think about what happens after that) I also am going to have another echocardiogram and a diagnostic ultrasound for the baby to make sure that my heart is healthy and that the baby is not feeling the effects from what has been going on. Please join us in prayer that none of this has had any effect on my sweet baby girl.

We are headed to Florida this weekend for a quick trip to be around people that love us. It will be good for Pres with all of the doom and gloom in our house right now to see his beloved Grandpa!

I would like to thank my FF gals-Chrissy, Abs, and Jax who rallied around me with just a simple text message. I love you three dearly and would not be able to do this without you! Chrissy...thank you for talking to me so that I could come home and be mommy this afternoon!

Belly Pictures

2009-03-14T17:02:00.005-04:00

My view now...I have to bend over slightly to see my toes!

The natural view...even though this is baby #2, I still can't believe my body does this! It's a little gross and beautiful at the same time!

Our Nephew wins talent show!

2009-03-10T16:16:00.002-04:00

Our nephew Nick is a really talented guy. He's toured all over Europe with his French youth choir. He's a wonderful singer and a talented musician. Did I mention he's only 12?! It's amazing to think that this young man is the main driving force in the reason that Pete and I met and well...you guys know the rest.

Here is Nick's original song that he performed for his school's talent show and took home the big prize.

Way to go Nick! We love you!

Love,

Uncle Pete, Aunt April, Preston and (soon to be) Ashlyn

P.S. Preston looks so much like Nick that it's like getting a little glimpse of what the Peanut will look like older-minus the blond hair!

Our Weekend

2009-03-08T22:14:00.012-04:00

This weekend was a time full of "to-do" things for Pete. The first on his list was to get started on setting up a play area for Pres outside. Pete worked all afternoon of Friday and most of Saturday to get it ready for us to put the mulch in.

Pete and Pres setting up the perimeter.

Digging in the wood so that it stays put. (This was a really awful job as the ground here is like trying to dig in a rock pile.)

Next Pete had to even out the ground and then lay down the plastic to hold the mulch and keep the ants out. (Fire ants are a HUGE problems here and Pres is allergic)

Pete surveying his hard work and having a much deserved beer. (Not that he didn't reward himself the whole time he was working!)

All of the play stuff in the area and now we are just waiting to mulch it in. (That will be next weekend's project!)

Sunday was slightly less busy for my poor, tired hubby! His only job was to put together our new grill! He did a wonderful job and we were able to kick off some nice weather (FINALLY!) with a yummy cook out and Pete's home made mac salad!

I'll end this with a video of Preston being silly and having fun while we barbecued! Disclaimer: Preston has NO tushy so if his pants look funny it's because we have to roll them up while he plays or else they fall to his ankles!

Catching up on February

2009-03-04T15:29:00.008-05:00

February flew by so fast! It is such a busy month around here with tons of family birthdays including yours truly! I had a wonderful 29th birthday and look forward to my next 29th birthday (LOL!). Here's some pictures from the month.

I decided that Pres' room should be the new baby's room and what we had set up as the nursery should be Pres' room. Poor Pete had to take down and put back together a crib, queen bed, and twin bed. There was stuff everywhere around the house, but he got it done and only griped a little! He rocks! We are in the process of painting and putting the finishing touches on and then I will post some pictures.

I was sick on my birthday so after my OB appointment that morning (which went great- the SAMC center in Dothan is amazing and Dr. Gordon is a riot!) I came home and rested. Pete made me brownies instead of a cake (I'm not a big cake fan) and he and Pres sang me "Happy Birthday". Excuse my appearance...my fever was at 102 at this point.

My mom and aunt came to visit me on the 17-19. It was a nice time and my aunt showed me some great deals to be found at the Commissary! Here's a picture of the three of us and it will have to count as my belly shot for February.

It was a great month and as I am in the total nesting phase, we are really starting to get things done around the house! I'll end this month with a silly picture of Pres and Pete. Pres is really starting to ham it up for the camera!

Snow...in this part of Alabama?!

2009-03-01T08:48:00.007-05:00

UPDATE!!! It's snowing take 2!!!!!!!!

The snowflakes got even bigger this afternoon!

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I was woken up this morning by a very enthusiastic Pete who came in screaming, "It's snowing!" This woke me right up and I stumbled to the living room to look out the window. Sure enough, there were tiny little flurries! For a Florida girl, this is quite exciting! Needless to say, I made Pete grab the camera and take some pictures.

(If you click on the picture to make it larger you can see the flurries!)

The real crazy part is that yesterday we washed one of the cars and were in our bathing suits!

Two more words...

2009-02-26T20:54:00.002-05:00

Preston's sick!

Not an update yet but...

2009-02-23T09:39:00.002-05:00

check this out. My friend Nikki that I've blogged about before (remember...can't wait for my awesome baby announcements?!) is also a talented clothes designer. She designs for the company Justice which is a part of Limited Too. If you have a little girl you have probably seen the clothes or have had to buy them. They are super cute! Well anyways, Nikki was flipping through the tv one night and spotted Ellie in a commercial with Jennifer Aniston for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Ellie was wearing one of Nikki's designs and the little girl's story touched her heart. She wanted to do something for Ellie, so here is a copy of the email and video that Nikki just sent me. It was so sweet and I am really proud that I have so many extraordinary people in my life! (I am also adding Nikkis' disclaimer because she is just too cute!)

A little story about a girl named Ellie Bouchard. Ellie is a survivor from a life threatening brain tumor, you can check out her story here...

Ellie's Story

After Ellie was diagnosed with the type of brain cancer she had, her parents decided to take her to St. Jude's to finish up her treatment, which consisted of intense chemotherapy. And not only did Ellie survive, but throughout the whole thing she kept a great attitude, was always happy and had a smile on her face for the doctors. And because of her great attitude, St. Judes picked her to be their spokesperson this year.

Jennifer Aniston is a huge supporter of St. Judes and she stared in a commercial with Ellie, which was featured on Access Hollywood and that is when I discovered Ellie. I saw her on Access Hollywood and Larry King and she was wearing a t-shirt I designed. I feel in love with her attitude and spirit. After all she had been through at 6 years old and she was full of hope and happiness and she just had a great spirit about her and I wanted to do something for her. So when I got to work the next day I contacted our Design Director and asked her if we could do a little something for her, because the girl obviously loved our store.

So the Design Director contacted our Director of Internal Communications, Keriake Lucas(our PR person) and she took it to another level. I was just expecting to send her a gift card with a sweet note to let her know she is in our prayers, but Keriake had a different vision. So instead we took a team picture, I designed a card and the whole design team signed it wishing her well(about 30 people), also me and another girl went to Justice and picked out 3 outfits a piece for Ellie and her sister Emma. Then we mailed all of that together and I included a personal note on how much she has inspired me. Just when I thought it was all done, Keriake came to me and told me she wanted to do a small inspirational video featuring Ellie and show it during Justice's National Sales Meeting that they hold every year. Its a meeting for all of the Regional, District and Store Managers and with all the layoffs we have all been through Keri thought this would be a great piece to inspire the managers and to show that what we do can make a difference in people's lives. And within that video she interviewed me and asked me numerous questions about Ellie and how she has inspired me and what a difference one person can make in someones lives. So without further ado here is that video...

Video

P.S. I am adding a disclaimer that the camera man had a bad shot of me. He was a short guy and I was sitting on a stool obviously higher than him. That is all I have to say....

Love you all!!

I just cried after the video! What an amazing little girl and how wonderful to know that one person really can make a difference.

I have lots to catch up on and I will soon. I have pictures from my visitors last week and my birthday. I am finally functioning again after a nasty, nasty cold that had me feverish and loopy!

Two Words

2009-02-18T20:41:00.001-05:00

I'm sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T15:05:00.007-05:00

We have had a great day today! We went to Dothan this morning to get the supplies we needed to clean up the garage! My awesome hubby has wordlessly allowed me to go all "pregnant nesting" on him, and without question came up with a plan to clean the garage, fix up the backyard, and get new sheets! I love that man!

Last night was our official V-day celebration though. I was not feeling well, so I took a nap when Pres did and woke up at dinner time to find this:

Flowers and a card on the table

Wonderful smells of yummy food were drifting through the house upon my wake up and the culprits of that were Texas toast, caesar salad and spaghetti and meatballs! (Pete made the meatballs himself and they were delicious!)

To top it all off, Pete had a video for Pres ready to go and Pres happily ate his spaghetti while Pete and I were able to enjoy a meal for two!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE this man????!!!!

I wish everyone a wonderful day like I've had!

Spectacular!

2009-02-12T16:50:00.003-05:00

My completely rockin' friend, Nikki, (and yes, I might have a bias b/c I consider her family) has her own stationary/card business. She's started an awesome blog that will highlight some great ideas for holiday cards and such. You guys should check it out. I am drooling over the designs and can't wait to use them for my baby announcements! I thought I would share and encourage everyone to take a peek!

19 months going on 30

2009-02-11T12:28:00.010-05:00

Pres is growing up so fast. Some days are so much fun and others are just plain awful! He is the most strong willed toddler I have ever come in contact with (I was a preschool teacher and nanny for over 5 years, so there have been a lot!). He wants everything on his own terms and some days that can be exhausting. It can also be such joy because he is independent and spunky!

We have finally conquered the word "please". I was thinking it was just never going to happen-you see, this is where his strong will comes in. Rather than have the treat by saying please, my son will do WITHOUT and not say please. Rather than getting up from the table, my son will just sit there in complete silence refusing to give in! I can't tell you how many times I would be in the kitchen after he had asked for a snack asking him to say please before I gave it to him, only to have him refuse and WALK away leaving me flabbergasted while standing there holding the food; or how many times he would sit in his high chair for 20 and 30 minutes refusing to say please to be excused! As most of you moms can imagine, this would infuriate me! The whole "you will not have it until you say please" bit just didn't work. He wouldn't even cry or pitch a temper tantrum. Simply give me this look and then walk out of the kitchen or if he was in his chair he would just settle in like sitting in his chair was exactly what he wanted to be doing. In my pregnant state this sometimes would just bring me to tears. The temper tantrum and fits I can deal with, but complete silence and then a dismissal was something I was not ready for! Who expects that from a 1 year old?! I finally came to the conclusion that I would just have to pluck on and not give in until he said please. It took about two months, but we have now officially ended the battle of the word "please". I am aware that it is probably only over because he now likes to say the word and have no delusions that it comes from me breaking his will (not even possible). I will, however, take this victory and keep it with me as we are now tackling "thank you", and "no and yes ma'am/sir". Wish me luck!

Despite or perhaps because of this will, I am so in love with my beautiful baby boy that my heart overflows! Even while he is wearing me down with his stubbornness, I am so proud of this little trait of his and I know that the Lord can use it to do some wonderful things for His kingdom. Imagine that will going about the world spreading the gospel! That is my daily prayer for my son that I can raise him up to use his natural gifts to glorify his Savior (even the gifts that make parenting him a nightmare at times!).

Pres is really into sports. He loves them all. Anything that involves a ball and running is something that he will play with full gusto. He's extremely athletic (I know my family and friends are going, "he didn't get that from you!" and they would be correct!) He can dribble a soccer ball better than kids double his age. That could come from all of the soccer games of his cousin Dyer that he went to. He's also really into baseball(YAWN). I can not stand the silly game but Pres brings me his bat and asks to go outside so we can play. We put the ball on the T and he hits the heck out of it. He's got the stance and swing correct (certainly not from watching me) but we can't seem to get him to understand the concept of running the bases. Right now after every hit, he comes and gives me a big hug (I'm not complaining about that one because it is the only interesting part of playing baseball with him!)

All of these traits are so amazing because they are completely opposite of what I thought my child would have. I'm a book reading, bike riding, and piano playing kind of gal (notice all solitary activities)and Pete is a guitar playing, runner that isn't that into cars or sports. We are both pretty laid back and tend to go with the flow...BUT...somehow this made a car loving (I mean LOVING), athletic fanatic that likes to get his own way at all times and did I mention there is NO going with the flow unless it is Preston's flow! God has an ironic sense of humor!

Here are some current pictures of the little monkey from the past week.

Trying to change his diaper...notice the big blur...this is pretty much all that I see to as he wiggles and fights having to stop running for 5 seconds!

After bath and getting ready for bed (Chrissy notice the t-shirt? It's the ones we made years ago during the hurricane in NC)

Loving on our "baby". We are using this bear to help him get used to the idea of a baby in the house. We hold it, feed it, and love on it. So far...Pres will be a great big brother...as long as Ashlyn doesn't mind being mercilessly tossed on the floor when he is bored with her!

The back on the couch is his new favorite place. He will sit or stand up there for long periods at a time just singing and blowing kisses! Not the best thing to allow but given all I've shared about the other battles, this is one I choose not to fight. We did after all buy this couch because we thought it would be good with kids (we were right too!).

Pres in his favorite place, the backyard, playing soccer and running around with daddy!

Warrant Officer Graduation Pictures

2009-02-09T11:51:00.014-05:00

First a quick thank you to Megan and family for coming over to make pizza and Wii bowl! It was tons of fun (especially when I kick booty at bowling!). Another little quick note would be shame on both of us for not taking any pics...what kind of bloggers are we?!

Secondly, when Megan came over she had a CD of pictures that she took of Pete's graduation. They are awesome and we are so excited to have them!

Here we go:

Here's a picture of the ribbon I wore on my finger. It was how I told Pete we were having a girl. When I went to pin on his new rank, he saw the pink ribbon for the first time! His expression was priceless and Megan got it on film!

Here's when he found out...

...and here's the silly grin on his face after I told him that yes, we were having a girl!

The program for the graduation and me hiding my finger...his whole class knew about how I was going to tell him and was trying to sneak looks at my finger!

His WOC classes' ummmmmmm...design...emblem...flag...I don't know what they call it, but his class motto is on it. It's also the same design on his class coin. One of the guys in his class came up with the design and drew it...I think this guy missed his calling because he might be better suited for someting in the arts.

The Army band played and they did a wonderful job. I only chuckled once when they played the Army song-if you've ever heard the song then you know why. Sorry guys but it is a really silly sounding song!

Pete taking his oath to be a Warrant Officer!

Pete getting ready to go up and be pinned. He's the second bald head from the end of the row!

Some ceremony pics.

After the ceremony pictures.

If only...

2009-02-07T20:24:00.004-05:00

If only I had a camera with me on our trip to Dothan today. If I did here's what I would have taken a picture of:

The woman in the daisy dukes, tank top, and cowboy boots that had NO business being in daisy dukes.

The young kid with the Afro all thugged out in his clothes with the exception of the bright glittery belt around his pants!

The woman in the stall next to me at the Barnes and Noble who decided that a public restroom was a good place to have a blowout and a...make her own special music the whole time I was trying to pee. (I have no shame in admitting that I said "ew" and then proceeded to laugh my head off!)

The man drooling on a bench in the middle of the mall with a Nascar shirt on and his fly undone.

And last but certainly not least, my own son on his belly in the middle of the food court, trying to slide around on the floor!

Life is certainly interesting for us here in the deep south! You don't need tv, just a bag of popcorn and a nice comfy bench to people watch on!

Quick Update

2009-02-04T15:14:00.002-05:00

Last week flew by so fast! I can't believe that it is already February. I want to give my sister Lynne and Miss "L" some birthday shout outs! My sister turned 28 on Monday and Miss "L" turned 4!

Not too much going on around here. Pete's still in his bubble and we are really enjoying having him home from lunch time on! It's nice to have someone play with Pres after he is pumped from his nap.

I am trying to pick out a new dining room set and am amazed with how difficult it's been. Who knew that you could find 50 tables with ugly pineapples and trees carved into them but forget about finding a simple table with clean lines that has a matching hutch and buffet! Really...it could be where I am shopping...excess seems to be the design theme here in good 'ole Alabama. I much prefer a little boring. It is after all going to be a table to entertain our friends, their kids and our kids. Anything elaborate would ultimately end up with crayon on it!

The pregnancy is going well. I have been SUPER tired lately and have found myself taking afternoon naps. This is a rare thing for me and I wake up feeling like I've wasted the day. I've also found myself enjoying the wonders of my baby resting on my sciatica! All I can say about that is "OUCH!" Luckily it goes away as quickly as it comes so I'll hurt for a couple of days, Ashlyn will finally move position and then I can relax until she goes right back to the same spot! Pete has been wonderful about back and knee rubs during these periods and I am so thankful to have him home with me! (Any suggestions from you other mom's that have been pregnant about how to help with the pain, I am ALL ears!)

Pres is now talking up a storm and comes up with the funniest things. I still can not get over him coming into the room and saying, "Hi momma". It literally melts my heart every time. His favorite saying right now is, "I'm okay". He says it anytime he falls, slips, or drops something so we hear it all day long.

I need to wrap this up and get dressed. Our friend Mark graduated today from WOC school and we are off to his house to celebrate with his family. They have two little girls and Pres loves playing with the oldest who is 2.

Pete's 32nd B-Day!

2009-01-27T16:36:00.008-05:00

We had a fun-filled weekend for Pete's birthday. Pete was able to take the motorcycle safety course on post and had a good time with a lot of his WOC class buddies hanging out and riding motorcycles!

Here at home, we had cupcakes to decorate and as requested homemade chicken wings plus beer for a snack! Here are some pics.

Decorating the cupcakes:

The finished product of lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting...YUM!

On his actual birthday Pres and I blew up balloons for him to come home to! We hung some at the mailbox and the rest were waiting inside. These were such a big hit-not only with Pete but with Pres as well. He had a blast playing in them!

My chicken wings turned out great and I found a new sauce to make that Pete loved. Here they are along with the funniest shot of Pete eating them! I'll call this eating shot a little birthday hazing (sorry babe...I couldn't resist!).

Ashlyn and I were there-I promise! I was in charge of the pictures and the food so not much time to pose in front of the camera. Here's a somewhat fuzzy bathroom pic of the growing belly taken on Pete's birthday.

Doc update

2009-01-21T16:27:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the OB here in Enterprise, AL for the first time. He came highly recommended from just about any woman I had talked with as well as the pastor at our new church. He was nice and his office was nice as well. He didn't have my medical records yet so we'll have to go into more specifics after he gets them. I will say that after talking with him, I am really torn. I'm sure he is a good doctor, but he in NO way comes close to the caliber of care I was receiving in Florida. Frankly if he stepped foot into either one of the doc offices that I have in Orlando I'm sure he would feel extremely inadequate.

I left his office not really knowing what to do. Pete and I are going to go ahead and do the hospital tour in the area. If the hospital and the nursing staff instill some confidence, then we will go ahead and do the delivery here. After all, the nurses really end up the ones being there for you in the long run. If not, I'm sticking with what I know and will head to Florida to give birth. We'll keep you all updated. It's hard to make these decisions when I am feeling a bit hormonal and therefore am extremely judgemental on everything about this small southern town.

As far as the Ashlyn goes, her heartbeat was very strong! That's what we want to hear with the medication I am on. It is not having any effect on her at all!!!!

Next up...the local cardiologist. Yikes! I have my doubts about a specialist in a small town (see the judgemental thing again) but hopefully I will be proven wrong!

I am an Occifer now!!

2009-01-17T18:28:00.004-05:00

Well after 5 weeks of school with 2 weeks of Christmas exodus in the middle, I have finally graduated Warrant Officer Candidate School and I am now a WO1. The school taught me a lot about the ins and outs of the Army, and brought some new perspectives about leadership and my career. The days were long and planned out from 5:25am to 11:00pm, but it all came to an end soon. I had a great class of 53. This was the first school I didn't want to punch someone out!!! 19 of us were aviators and I will spend the next 2 years with them. I had a guy in my class named Garret that will be in my unit in Clearwater (he is in the middle of the picture, with my friend Justin on the other side).
I am currently in a hold pattern called a "bubble" for the next 6 to 8 weeks before I start flight school. In this time I have plenty to do around the house, study for the beginning of flight school, get in shape, do more with the business and start my masters degree. Oh yeah, and become a father to a beautiful little girl. This year will be very exciting for the Dean family. We will keep you all posted on everything that is going on.

We're having a...........................

2009-01-13T23:14:00.004-05:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I told Pete the news today during his promotion ceremony so now I can share with everyone. Pete, Pres and I will be welcoming Ashlyn Elizabeth Dean in less than 5 months!!!!!! Megan came and took some pictures for us of the graduation and she was able to get the exact moment I told Pete on camera. His face was priceless. I'll share more about that and the pics later on. It's been a busy week with lots of visitors and fun with our new friends. My feet are swollen and I am exhausted!

Warrant Officer School: Class Song

2009-01-09T19:21:00.005-05:00

Today was class day with Pete for his Warrant Officer School. I had two classes with him a finance one and an Army courtesies and traditions. They were both a bit redundant and boring. I can sum them both up in a sentence each.

Finance:
Plan and spend wisely

Army Courtesy and Tradition:
Respect for yourself and others (also don't let your wife dress like a hooker!)

It was very nice to be able to just sit with Pete! I've missed him and it felt like I was back in high school trying to secretly hold my boyfriends hand without the teacher knowing!

In between the two classes they had to break for lunch and to sing their class song. This is a long standing tradition for the WOC candidates. They write and come up with music for their class song. They then have to perform it in the Chow Hall in front of everyone is this symbolic "hanging of the hat" thing. I'm not 100% clear of the whole history behind it but it basically ushers them into their senior phase of school and allows them to now have the right to talk to each other when they eat.

Here's a video of their class song. Pete is in the center section on the right hand side. You can't really see him, but it's neat to hear the song.

Good job guys and congrats on making it this far!

I found out, I found out!!!!!

2009-01-05T16:17:00.004-05:00

This morning after having Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast and drinking a whole 8 oz bottle of Welch's Fruit Punch, I had my ultrasound. Two things happened: 1. I had to pee the whole time and was afraid I was going to burst and 2. Baby Dean #2 was active and awake on a sugar high and spread open the legs to give us a very quick and fleeting peek at what was between them!

I haven't told Pete yet so I'm going to leave it a little guessing game for a bit longer. I will however post the picture from the ultrasound that shows what it is and you are more than welcome to guess! I had to cut a little out of the picture because the tech wrote on there what it was.

Here you go with arrows and all! Can any of you pro moms tell what it is?????

2008 in Pictures

2008-12-31T18:42:00.023-05:00

So Megan did this great blog of their year in pictures. I loved it and decided to completely steal her idea. Here we go with our year in pictures. We've had a lot of changes this year and are looking forward to at least one big change next year!

January

January brought Pres at 6 months and crawling all over the place! It also brought in two bottom teeth...OUCH! Pete turned another year older and put his 20's well behind him by turning 31.

February

February made me another year older at 28 and was a calm month full of family fun!

March

March began our first step toward heading to Alabama. We renovated the kitchen to make it more appealing. This took a little longer than expected as it went into April, but it was well worth the effort! Pres was beginning to get into everything and his strong willed personality was coming out full force over the battle of the TV doors. Eventually we took the doors off and admitted defeat!

April

This was my best month. Pres just blossomed and was so much fun. Gramma and Grampa Blanchard visited us this month as well. We also made a lot of head way in the kitchen renovations.

May

This was my first Mother's Day with Pres and we had a great time celebrating with my mom and sister while daddy was having a boys weekend in Vegas. This was also the month that Pres discovered the fun of the toilet and I learned to pick my battles (in other words, he can play away in the toilet because I have bigger "no's" to say to him!)

June

June was a big development month for Pres. He celebrated his first b-day, began to walk which opened up a whole new world of things to make messes with. I got to see my FF gals in St. Louis for Chrissy's first baby shower and Pres and daddy were alone together for the first time. His obsession with books was also in full force and I read "Hickory Dickory Dock" and The Itsy Bitsy Spider" more times than I like to think about!

We had our first family trip this month to Disney World and had a wonderful time celebrating Pres' 1st birthday at the Shades of Green Resort!

July

July was a busy month. Pete and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary and I went to Canada with Chrissy for her second baby shower. Chrissy came and Pres was able to meet his Aunt Chrissy for the first time. Jen and Greg also came to visit, meet Pres, and fill us in on their beautiful wedding that we missed due to lack of babysitter :( Pres continued to leave behind his babyhood and was well on his way to being a toddler. We also had the big water leak of 08 in the Villas and Pres found a new best friend...Grandpa Mike!

August

This was our big bumps and bruises month. Pres decided he wasn't content to just walk and would run everywhere. This led to so many nasty bumps and cuts that I didn't think I he would come out of this month unscared (he did, but only by the grace of God).

We took our second Disney trip this month and took the plunge to get year passes!

September

This was a scary month as well. Pres got sick for the very first time and it was a doozy. He had a fever of 104 and 105 for three straight days and even the Motrin could not keep it down. There were doctor visits and some scary nights but eventually his fever came down and we were brutally introduced to the childhood disease of Roseola.

The offical Alabama move countdown began this month as well and I stressed for the whole month about moving to a new place and then being left alone.

October

October we enjoyed the Food and Wine Festival at Disney. We had a great time at the Winter Park Fall Festival with Grandma and Grandpa Crotty, Dyer, and Beanie. We also had a trip up to Fort Rucker and found our house. As if that trip wasn't big enough, we finally decided to let the world know that we were expecting baby #2!

November

November brought our big move and Pete's departure. THe first few weeks here in Alabama were tough but things are slowly getting better (much in part to the awesome people I am meeting...Alabama itself still sucks!)

Pete also left for WOC school and we began our new time in a new place without him.

December

December has brought lots of wonderful new friends into our lives and Pete was able to come home and spend it with us! I am sad to see him go on Friday, but am looking forward to the new year and all that it will bring!

Makes a Father Proud (and want to puff out his chest)

2008-12-29T21:07:00.001-05:00

Aunt Chrissy got Pres these great pj's that read "FUTURE ROCK STAR". After bath we put them on and Pres ran in his room to play. He was making all kinds of noise so upon further investigation we found him in his room with his microphone singing "la la la" and dancing!

My little rock star!

A good Christmas

2008-12-27T15:18:00.009-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas here in Alabama. Pres woke up at about 4am and we brought him in bed with us. He slept in until 8:30am! I got up and made Pete his requested breakfast of biscuits and gravy or as he told my dad on the phone CANNED biscuits and PACKAGE gravy...guess who will be making his own breakfast from now on...yup that's right...PETE...the same guy who won't be living down that conversation for many years to come!

Despite the canned biscuits (which by the way were Pillsbury grands) the morning was tons of fun. Pres didn't quite get the whole concept yet and was so excited with the first toy that he opened that he walked away with it and played with it for hours! Pete and I had to open the rest of his gifts for him and show him his new toys. He responded to each one with a "wow!" and was so excited for them all that Pete and I felt like the best parents in the world. Pete wrote me funny messages on all of my presents so I had the best time reading them all. I love that my hubby knows that the cute little sayings mean more to me than some silly bow!

In all, it was such a nice and relaxing day followed by a yummy nontraditional homemade Thai dinner. (we can blame that one on the pregnancy!)

The new Bean was pretty active all day and responded with lots of somersaults at big brother's squeals and noises throughout the day!

I wish you all the same wonderful day that we had and hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years!!!!

Here are some pics from our day:

Making cookies with daddy. We couldn't let daddy miss out on the cookie making this year.

The gifts before they were all opened.

The first toy Pres opened. He was so excited with it that he wouldn't open any other presents!

His Thomas the Tank Engine bath kit was a huge hit! He loves that Thomas has water coming out of him now!

The spoils of all the gifts!

Our very yummy but nontraditional dinner!

Maybe I can do this...

2008-12-23T20:06:00.002-05:00

In this journey I've taken on of becoming (soon I hope) a psychologist, I have been working and taking classes non-stop. I've been challenged in every way possible and a lot of times have felt as if someone with my type of religious beliefs (being a Christian) does not belong in this field. Every class I take, I have had to challenge what is being taught as normal and go against the flow. I have held steadfast in my convictions and despite all A's I have been discouraged a lot of the time. This semester I had to get into the psychology of human sexuality. I was not looking forward to this class because I knew that once again my views would be the opposite of many of my peers. As we have tackled abortion, sex, divorce, and homosexuality I have respectfully been very different from a lot of my classmates (thank you Chrissy for letting me vent to you about them so that I can be respectful to them!).

Just before this Christmas break I had to assess three scenarios as a therapist might. They were tough and between trying to juggle what the book says, holding on to my values, and getting the format correct I was a big mess that I was going to completely bomb this assignment. I made Pete listen over and over again to what I was going to say (poor man knows more than he ever wanted to about elderly sex). I received my feedback today and was so excited and encouraged that I just had to share!

Here's what Dr. S (my instructor and sex therapist for the past 20 years had to say):

"I thought the paper was well written and you clearly demonstrated qualities of a therapist by outlining how a therapist would address each case. These suggestions were appropriate. I think you have the makings of a budding therapist:). Good job in this section."

So YEAH! There is hope that despite my utter disregard for a lot of the notions of psychology (such as people are generally good...NOT) I can logically and in an educated manner hold onto myself and still make a difference!!!!!

Christmas Tradition

2008-12-21T20:32:00.008-05:00

This Friday before Pete came home I introduced Pres to a wonderful tradition we have here in the Dean household...Grandma Blanchard's annual cookie box! It is always filled with lots of yummy Christmas cookies but most importantly it has the creme De la creme of sweets...MAGIC BARS!!!! These hardly last long in our house and are something we look forward to every year. You see, Susan (Grandma Blanchard) sends us a personalized magic bar concoction. It is always with yummy different treats on top and always so good you can't stop at one!

Needless to say I waited about 2 seconds before I opened the box, carelessly put the other cookies on a tray and immediately opened the magic bars! Pres had been playing at his water table so he was already in his swim trunks (it was 78 degrees here) so I decided to grab two magic bars, go on the porch and introduce my son to this wonderful tradition of pigging out on Grandma Blanchard's cookies.

Here's the tentative taste...

Yep...liked his first bite...now he's run away from me to make sure that I don't take it away! He's waving at our mail woman and telling her "COO-KA" (cookie)

This might not look like anything, but as his mother I knew right away what he was thinking, let me interpret: "Can I put it ALL in my mouth?"

I knew the answer to that question as well...yes he can and he did!

After eating the whole half in two bites he came running at me full force for the other half I had in my hands. In his sugar high frenzy of grabbing for it, he smeared my camera with all kinds of sticky goo from the magic bar (and if he or I could have licked it off we probably would have LOL!). Look at his mouth!

Thank you Grandma Blanchard for the yummy cookies! Here's a picture of the cookies and the note attached. Just so you know, I thought they looked like pure gold!

I finally look pregnant...not like I had too many cheeseburgers!!!

2008-12-18T13:10:00.004-05:00

I've been stuck in that horrible phase where I just look a little plump in the mid section rather than pregnant. Most people I've met here haven't really even known and me in all of my vain glory have hated that they might think I am fat. (I know...it is not an attractive quality at all!)

A couple of factors keep me small in the beginning but the biggest one is my heart rate. It's so fast that I am constantly in aerobic state. Now that my meds are finally settled and my heart rate is back at 100 BPM, I am finally starting to show! YEAH!!!!

Let me just give a quick shout out to my new cleavage...HEL-LO and thank you baby # 2 for once again giving me Baywatch boobs!

Hey...where did the baby go?! See in this pic, I just look a little fat. While my tummy has been small, my hips sure have been in preparation for birth (as if I needed ANY more size in the hip area LOL!)

Perhaps I should have cleaned all of the stuff off of my sink before I took the pictures! This is Pres' new activity...to take everything out from underneath the sink and put it on top. When Pete comes home one of his first tasks is to baby proof the bathroom cupboards!

Cookie Making Party and a trip to see Daddy!

2008-12-16T15:48:00.009-05:00

Sunday was a big day for Pres and I. We got to not only spend a few hours with Pete, but we had some new friends over to decorate cookies with us.

Pete is doing great and he looked fantastic. I forgot my camera so there's no pictures...but that's probably a good thing. Pete in his whole Class B uniform with his long black trench coat buckled up plus beret is too much to look at and not mock. Needless to say I didn't know whether to hug him or to raise my hand and "Hail, Hitler" at him. Pres was super excited to see his daddy and the whole visit went very well. The Wings Chapel had such a nice set up for us WOC families with cookies, drinks, and coffee. It was a wonderful time although I didn't do any listening to the sermon (sorry chaplain but you were not as important as talking to my hubby!)

After we left Pete we came home to get ready for our cookie party!

Here Pres is helping me make the cookies!

Look at these cute flour toes! I can't get over them!

Here he is tasting the dough. I think it was a hit.

Some of the finished product.

We had Santa Chef hats that the kids made and lots of yummy candy and icing to decorate the cookies.

These last pictures I got from Megan's blog! I didn't take any of Pres decorating and of the Santa hats! I hope you don't mind Megan. The little cutie under the hat is her daughter and let me tell you she REALLY makes me want to have a girl!!!! So sweet!

Here are the pics of Pres' finished cookies! He actually decorated them and had fun with the sprinkles. He took a bite out of each of his cookies before decorating them, but it was so cute to see him get involved in the activity!

Thank you to Megan and Jodie for sharing this with us plus all of the kiddos! It was tons of fun!!!!

Christmas has finally come to the Alabama Deans!

2008-12-11T17:51:00.012-05:00

So...we are back and have had terrible weather here in New Brockton. It has rained and rained for days and there have been such strong wind gusts that there are trees over all around here. My backyard looks like a marsh but...we finally are beginning to look a little like Christmas! My parents came back up with me for a day and helped to decorate and hang lights outside (thank you Dad!). It looks so pretty even with the rain and some minor wind damage to my poinsettias from the stupid storms. Here are some pics of what Christmas looks like at our house.

First off, here's what my backyard looks like...YUCK!

This is the smashed part of the fence from the tree falling into it! It's hard to see the tree, but I think you can get the idea!

This is the outside of the house. I took this quickly between the downpours we've been having.

This is my front porch. It is my favorite part. Thank you to my dad again for putting together the rocking chairs for me and making sure it looked good not once, but twice after the wind last night ripped apart all of his hard work from the day before.

Finally...the piece de la resistance...my tree!!!! BIG thanks to my mom for making all of the bows for me!

Here's a quick pic of Pres. I was trying to get him in the Christmas tree ones but he kept running away and giggling! He's such a silly goose. I caught him mid run in this pic!

I should probably share why he is without his pants because it is funny. While I was taking a picture of the marshland aka our backyard, he decided to go running around in the mud!

Here's our stockings. One for me, Pete, Pres, and the Bean.

Last but certainly not least, the reason we celebrate the season. Here's my manger scene. I absolutely love it!

That's all for now. I should be doing my homework, but will have to get to that when Pres is sleeping. On Sunday I get to see Pete for church! I can't wait and am going to try and sneak some pics of him.

Merry Christmas!

Still in Florida...updates from the sunshine state

2008-12-06T08:42:00.004-05:00

So we came here for a visit on Thanksgiving week and we are still here! Pres ended up with a nasty ear infection and I am waiting to head home until the pediatrician gives him the all clear here. She will see him on Monday so hopefully the antibiotics cleared it right up.

I had my doc appointments here this past week and all went well. My cardiologist doubled my medication. I'm not too happy by this, but it was what I expected with some of the problems breathing I had been having.

I saw the high risk OB and everything with the baby is perfect!!!! The new Bean was all snuggled up not wanting to wake up for us. The Bean did (after much prompting from the tech who nearly made me wet myself in her enthusiasm for getting the baby to move) give us a little wave. The stubborn Bean would not uncross its legs to let us tell if I should buy pink or blue. The first week in January I have another ultrasound so hopefully we will be able to tell then. If not, I am going to be dying with anticipation. Here's some pics from the ultrasound this week. If you notice you can only see one leg because the other leg is tightly crossed behind it.

Preston has had a lot of changes the past two weeks. He is talking up a storm and is starting to put three and four words together. This morning he looked at my parent's Christmas tree and said "I like it". It sounded more like "I ike wit." but it was cute none the less. My parent's have their tree on a remote control and Pres figured out how to turn the tree on and off. This occupies him for quite some time and I let him do it becuase it distracts him from taking the ornaments off of the tree!

As for a Pete update, he is doing well at Warrant Officer School. He's passed his PT test and his first school test. He emailed me yesterday that he was, "losing weight but still had his mind!" I hope to be able to talk to him on Sunday. He is expecting to meet me at the church on post (we can go to church together) but I will still be here because of Pres' ear infection. Hopefully he doesn't think we forgot about him!

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

2008-11-22T21:18:00.010-05:00

Since Pete is leaving on Monday, we decided to have our Thanksgiving today as a family! It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed Christmas music, cooking all day, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas and lots of yummy snacks! Pres had fun with all of the activity going on and wasn't too sure what to make of all of the time I spent cooking today.

Pete was able to watch some football and he and Pres spent some time outside playing European football! Here's some pics from our day!

Our Thanksgiving mugs. Pete had his coffee and I had my tea!

Pres walking around after our big Thanksgiving breakfast! He had a BIG diaper explosion last night, so we had to do a quick early morning pj bottom change! The top is from the new jammies that Aunt Chrissy got him, and they are super cute!

Our afternoon snacks! Yum! I am totally addicted to LTD Commodities and can't help but buy all of their seasonal stuff! You should see all of the Christmas decorations I have! Thanksgiving is nothing compared! (Ignore the shelf under the table that is not hung! I put all of the hanging stuff on the floor where I wanted it and we are not quite finished hanging everything!)

Mommy and Pres before dinner.

The spread (and yes, I did realize that there are only three of us!)

Time to eat! I'd love to say that my son ate all of the yummy food we gave him. I'd love to say that he most certainly did not take his spoon, mix everything up and then proceed to toss it on the floor. I'd also love to say that we did NOT have to microwave him a hot dog when we had all of that food!

It was a great Thanksgiving and I had a wonderful time with my little family! Thank you hubby for making is such a fun day! I'll miss you when you are gone and I am so proud of you!

Happy Birthday Chrissy!

2008-11-20T21:55:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say Happy Birthday to the wonderful woman whom I have had the privilege to call my best friend for more than six years now! (Can you believe you've been stuck with me this long?!)

Happy Birthday Glitter

Thank you for always being a true friend and telling me what I always need to hear (even the tough stuff!)

P.S. For those of you reading can you believe that she is 7 months preggo in this picture?! So not fair that she looks that good!

We are here in the heart of Dixie and...umm...

2008-11-19T12:09:00.004-05:00

...I was taught that if I didn't have anything nice to say then I shouldn't say anything at all. However (and sorry mom and dad) I'm going to say it all. My goodness does life move VERY SLOW here. Everyone is slow. They talk slow, drive slow, eat slow, and do business slow. It's enough to drive any sane person crazy! Pete remarked that it feels as if we are in a completely different country. One where all of the normal rules and applications that we are used to do not exist. We've been keeping a mental note to sort of share some of the things we have experienced here.

Example 1: Time Warner Cable. Even as only typing those words I am frowning. I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use them again. The first problem we encountered was THREE weeks ago as we were first setting things up here. We called to schedule service and at first it seemed to be okay. We are in a new house so they have never serviced our home before. They informed us that they must enter our address into their system which takes about 5 to 7 working days. This was strange to us but we went with it. I called back 7 days later and was told that our address had not been put in the system. Okay, this was annoying but people make mistakes. I went ahead and had them do it again and waited two days before calling to check on the status. I was again told that they had no record of our address even being entered. At this point I am beginning to get really irritated. I demanded a reference number and was given one. The next day Pete called and gave them our reference number and I'm sure you can guess what happened next...THEY HAD NO RECORD OF ANYTHING NOT EVEN THE STUPID REFERENCE NUMBER! Needless to say we're now livid and irritated with the whole place. We decided to forget Time Warner and see who else we could get. I looked up some places in the phone book and Pete proceeded to call. The problems was that not a single stupid, redneck business answered their telephones. Grrrrr. Seriously it was just ridiculous at this point. On Monday we decided to go personally into Time Warner and see if we could just get it done there. We got a little further...sort of...the ignorant jackass behind the counter had a very difficult time getting it to put in a service call with our address. I'm not sure why, and was so frustrated that when he looked at me and told me it would be yet another 7 days before they could do anything, I just burst into tears. I also began to talk(okay rant), and talk(rant), and talk(rant) and most of it was not flattering to any person in that office. I had just reached my limit and was OVER being in a stupid small town with limited options. Wonder of wonders, tears did the trick and they miraculously were able to get someone out in two days to do the cable and Internet, but it would still be 7 days for the phone. (Again, don't know why considering it all runs from the same cable and when the guy came today he set up everything for the phone just short of activating it...see...small town rednecks.)

Example 2: The Library. Since we were having all of this trouble getting Internet and I need it to do my school work, we decided to try the library. It is actually a really nice facility with a cute children's area and many computers hooked up with Internet. I was surprised and impressed. I went up to the librarian to see about getting a library card and was flabbergasted by the requirements. I'm not sure you guys are ready to hear them because they are so laughably small town you might not believe me. I need to have the normal basics-proof of residency, but after that it gets stupid. I need to have two personal references that are local. Ummm...dumb redneck...I just told you that I was new in town. How on earth could I know two people?! How about I use my husband...nope can't use him...okay...well...then I guess I can't get a library card. This seems small, but added up to all of the nonsense with Time Warner, I was so frustrated. Luckily I could still use the Internet (only for an hour) without a library card, and did so to get my school work finished.

Example 3: The Trash. Oh what a pain in the butt this one has been. The local trash people will not take boxes (even broken down) unless they are in a garbage bag?! WTF! So...you see...they will gladly take our boxes as long as they are put in a nice trash bag. Even though said garbage bag is square and in the shape of the boxes. Yeah...figure out that one for me. It's one that irritates Pete to no end. In fact, he was so frustrated yesterday that he went out there to talk to the trash guys. He had just finished working out, so his tattoos were showing and he looked a little mean. Those trash men looked terrified and unfortunately they probably had reason to look that way. Pete was so upset I was waiting by the door with Pres in my arms in case I needed to bring out the little guy to calm down daddy. I think my poor hubby finally reached his own personal stupidity limit and was having his talk (rant!) time. It ended with the trash guys saying that they will come back later for the boxes, so I am assuming that Pete made his point loud and clear.

Despite saying "stupid redneck" more in the past week than I have in my life, we are really loving our new home. It is spacious and roomy and the huge backyard has limitless possibilities. I personally am loving have a Commissary to shop at again and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of the yummy world wide variety they have. How many grocery stores can you go to and see Korean pilots shopping in the Asian section of the super market?! It was really cool to see that they were there AND that they were able to fill their carts with all of the exotic selections. It is like a bigger and more worldly Publix (although still not quite a Wegmans) and it is a nice treat.

Yesterday we drove the 45 minutes to Dothan which is the closest bigger town. We were delighted to find all of our favorite stores and enjoyed picking up the things that we needed. It's a little strange to have to plan to trip to go shopping, but it was a nice family outing.

Fall Festival...better late than never...Pres at 16 months...and here ya go Chrissy!

2008-11-07T13:55:00.007-05:00

***I can't find the camera with the move, so pics will have to come later...whenever I can find where Pres hid the camera!***

We had a wonderful time at the Winter Park Fall Festival. Pres loved seeing all of the kids in costumes and the different activities. He went on his first hay ride and had the most fun watching the trains go by from the train station nearby.

My baby boy is growing so quickly. He is changing daily and the last little bit of baby is slowly leaving. He's finally figured out that he has been blowing kisses backwards, and while it is cute to see him do it the right way, my heart broke a little knowing that I would never again see the backwards kiss blown to me simultaneously while he is saying "BU-YIIIIEEEEEEEE". It is just another reminder that he is growing much faster than I would like. He's come into his own and temper tantrums are par for the course. His favorite time to throw a big hissy fit is as we are coming in from playing outside. He simply goes limp and lays on his belly saying "oooohhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhh". I suppose in Pres language this really means, "I DO NOT WANT TO GO INSIDE!" It means most days I must step over him to get into the house and then proceed to slide him away from the door so that I can shut it up tight because he can now reach all of the door handles!

His words are amazing and I can't believe how well he enunciates them. He speaks clearly and likes for you to look at him when you have a conversation together. If you do not look his way, he will take his chubby little hands and put them on your cheeks and turn your head until you are looking at him. He is copying EVERY word he hears now! "No" is not very big in his vocabulary but I tend to tell him "enough" rather than "No" so I'm sure soon I will be hearing "enough" yelled at me when he is unhappy with something.

Last but not least Pres is now in a big boy bed! He loves it and the transition was so easy that it had to just be the right time.

Favorite Books:
Any truck/train book
Books that he can lift flaps
Hickory Dickory Dock (still and Lord help me I want to throw it away)

Favorite activities:
Anything outside
Playing with Thomas the Tank Engine

Favorite Food:
Pizza
Waffles with Chocolate chips
Macaroni and Cheese
Hot Dogs

Favorite Memory from Mom:
When he wakes up in the morning he comes into my room and says "Hi ma-maaaaa" with the sweetest smile on his face. I wish I could bottle up the sound of his voice and the look on his face. It could end all wars!

Favorite Memory from dad:
The night that he pooped in the tub. It was gross and funny at the same time-PETE

Introducing...Baby Dean #2!!!!!!!!

2008-10-29T16:31:00.004-04:00

So my high risk appointment went beautifully!!!! I had to have a vaginal ultrasound because I am still so early along, but the baby has a strong heart beat and seems to be moving along really well!!!! FINALLY! A doc appointment that I didn't leave in tears! The due date is going to be like last time (for those of you who remember). My medication slows down the growth of the baby a little so it is hard to pinpoint an exact date. The growth of the baby is showing at 8 weeks but my last period says it would be about 11 or 12 weeks. The doctor jokingly said to me that he could narrow it down to the end of May or the beginning of June and that doesn't take into account the C-section option! That's fine by me as I could care less as long as the baby is healthy and developing like it should. Here are some pictures from the ultrasound today.

The heart rate of the baby is super strong and steady at 140! This was a concern as the Lopressor I am on to slow my heart rate can also slow down the baby's heart rate. It hasn't and I am so happy I just can't even put it into words. Those pictures are why I restrict myself, take this horrible medication, and put up with the constant worry. At the end of all of this is another beautiful baby that I have the privilege to be it's mommy!

I am way overdo for a Preston update and have some pictures from this cute Fall Festival we went to this past weekend. I'll post them this evening!

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Pregnancy Update

2008-10-26T20:32:00.004-04:00

I've tried to write this blog many times this past week. It's hard to put all of these emotions into words. I haven't even shared this with all of my FF gals because to tell them makes it all real to me and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. To make a long story short my visit to the Cardiologist was not good. I received no good news and again left the doctor in tears. I will be monitored every two weeks with cardio visits and if needed a halter monitor if there is any change. I go on Wednesday to have one put on and will have to wear it this time for only 24 hours!!! I hate those things and am glad to only have to put up with it for a day. My spirits are low and I have been struggling for the past few days. I'm not sure how much is just preggo hormones and how much is caused by the new meds. The meds are helping but will have to be increased regularly as the baby continues to grow and put more stress on my heart. The good news is that I have hope and I know that my heavenly Father is really in control. He will not and has not given me anything more than I can handle.

A second thing that has been going on and I feel the need to share are the comments I have been getting from the doctors and people around me. These comments have all centered along the lines that I terminate this pregnancy. Let me tell you all now in case any of you are feeling the need to share the same with me. IT IS NOT AN OPTION. I have been blessed with this new life and it is A LIFE! I will not even give the thought consideration. Shame on those of you (and you know who you are) who have had the audacity to even speak the words to me. It was not in my hands to become pregnant and it is not in my hands what happens. Despite what many of you think it is all up to the Lord. His will is to be done...not mine or what you think it should be. All of this and all of the uncertainty is to Glorify Him. I'm not sure how it will all work out, but I do know that it will all be used to Glorify my Savior and for me that is all I need to know.

I have my appointment with the high risk OB on Wednesday and will hopefully have some fun new baby news to share. We will get to have an ultrasound and I can't wait to see the little bean!

First Doc appointment and moving day

2008-10-17T12:04:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I had my first official doctor's appointment with my OB. They always start off the same...me having to pee in a cup and then getting my vitals taken. I HATE having my vitals taken. It's always scary to see what the heart rate will be. I had been hoping and praying that my heart rate would be fine. After all, with Preston I didn't have any trouble until my fifth month. I wasn't so lucky this time around. My heart rate in my first trimester is at 142! That's almost double what it should be right now. They had me lie down and rest and took it two more times. It was the same both times. This lead to a quick shuffle out of there as my OB is not the high risk doctor. His staff made appointments for me this Thursday with the Cardiologist and on the 29th with the high risk OB, Dr. Almalt.

On my way home I just burst into tears. It's scary that it is already so high and means that I already have to take it easy. This is basically an impossible task with a move this week and a very active 15 month old. I'm not sure how any of this is going to work. I am going to have to fight TRICARE tooth and nail to make sure that in Alabama I have the same quality care. The problem is that since I am near a military post, I technically have to see the OB there. NOT GOOD, OVER MY DEAD BODY, NEVER...in case you can't tell, I have little if any faith in the post doctors. They are typically straight out of their residency and I have no desire to be some jackass’s learning curve. Please join us in prayer that it all works out and that my doctors here can help me find the same in Alabama. The stakes are just too high this time. My life and my baby's life are on the line again, plus my sweet baby boy needs his mommy! I almost didn't survive my first delivery and I had the best of the best in high risk OB's. I don't even want to think about what could happen with some second rate hack.

As you can tell I am waaaay over emotional right now and my preggo hormones are working against me as I am overwhelmed with everything going on right now.

On a bright note, the move is going well...or at least well compared to the news we got yesterday. Our renter will move in on Friday and we are working hard to make sure that the place is ready. The dryer broke so we had to buy a new one and then go through the installation and take out of the old one! Pete also stepped off the beam in the attic and put a small crack in the bathroom ceiling that needs to be fixed. So much to do and not a lot of time to do it in!

I'm off to do more packing. This will be my last post written from Villa Lane! Good-bye sweet little house and thank you for the memories!

Our home away from home...

2008-10-14T17:28:00.004-04:00

...for the next 18 months! Here is a pic of the house we picked to rent. It's a cute place with a huge back yard! It's on a cul-de-sac and all of the neighbors have kids. It will be a welcome change for a bit and will be a nice place to add to our family. It's hard to tell from this picture, but it has a nice front porch to put some rocking chairs on and a beautiful kitchen. I'll post some inside pics once we are all moved in.

In even better news, we have found a renter for our place here! So far everything is running along smoothly and as long as the criminal check comes back clean, our place is rented! YEAH! This is a huge load off of our minds. Our renter is a single paramedic who is going to school. Needless to say, he doesn't have much time for partying and has to keep his nose clean. This means our home will be taken care of! He wants to move in on the 24th of this month, so I am packing like a fiend trying to get it all done. This will mean that our move date to Fort Rucker is definitely going to be the first week of November.

Piggly Wiggly, Cotton Fields, and a sign that read "Sausage Breakfasts is here again"...

2008-10-11T16:56:00.003-04:00

...Sweet Home Alabama!!! Greetings bloggy world from Enterprise, Alabama. Pete and I are up here this weekend to find a home. It was an adventurous trip with everything from a blown tire to the house we had driven up to see having already been rented!

We left last night at about 7pm EST and got into town about 2am CST. It was a long trip, but my baby boy was good. He didn't sleep much with all of the excitement of the trucks and tire exploding, but he was good. We checked into our room and all fell fast asleep. I got up to go to the bathroom at about 5am CST and I heard Pete talking. I assumed that Pres had woken up and was surprised when he handed me the phone. It was Chrissy letting me know that she was in labor!!!!!!! Sweet baby Asher was born at 5am AZ time this morning and is absolutely beautiful. My kick booty friend had a completely natural birth! Go Chrissy!!!!! After all of this excitement I was awake, so I played the waiting game for my boys to wake up. We got up this morning and headed out to look at houses. It was a big pain in the neck with everything from lost appointments to losing our rental. We finally found a cute little house in the nearby town of New Brockton. Now it's the waiting game to see if we get the house- competition up here for rentals is fierce!

The move is coming up quickly and it looks as if we'll be in Alabama in November. It's your typical military town with lots of pawn shops, Chinese buffets, and barber shops by the dozen! The cotton fields are just beautiful! I told Pete when we saw them that now I really feel like a southerner!

We spent some time on post today and it too is like all of the others. Lots of woods, slow speed limit, and bald men everywhere! It's fire safety month and the Fort Rucker fire department was at the Exchange with their big truck, balloons and plastic fire hats! Needless to say, Pres was in heaven!

We are back at the hotel now and Pres is finally napping. I should take a snooze myself, so I'll end this post here!

...and baby #2 makes four

2008-10-05T18:25:00.003-04:00

Well, here we go again. I went to my new Aviation unit down in Clearwater for drill this weekend. It seems certain news hits my cell phone when I am away with the Army. For the second time in two years, I got a picture text from April of a POSITIVE pregnancy test. Yes, that's right, # 2 will be a spring baby. We are excited to add another Dean and to reuse all of the stuff we got for Preston. (Chrissy and Ryan, can we have that stuff back when your done?! LOL!!!) For my Mom and Dad, this will be their 8th grandchild. Good luck at Christmas!! Anyways, we will keep you all posted through the blog, so check back frequently.

Our Week in Pictures

2008-10-03T13:17:00.007-04:00

SUNDAY
Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. Pres had a wonderful time playing with his favorite person in the world-Grandpa Mike! He and my dad are so sweet together. The nice part about this was that Pete and I were able to really enjoy all of the yummy food and wine!

MONDAY
Running up and down the hill with Daddy! Aren't they sweet together?! The best part is that I get to sit and take pictures and don't have to be the one running up and down the hill! This is one of Pres' new favorite activities.

We also went to the Walmart to do some shopping. I was gossiped about by two ladies who decided that I was "not your typical Walmart shopper" ie I was a bit too fancy for Walmart. I took some offense to this because they were judging me based on my clothes. Yes, I do like to dress nicely, but ladies I AM your typical Walmart shopper. I am middle class and like to be thrifty with my money. I do also shop at Publix, but if I am going to do a big shop, it's Walmart ALL the way...I also get my oil changed there and find all kinds of yummy smelling candles! It is such a generalization to assume that everyone that shops there is poor. Let's face it, most people who are poor can't afford Walmart. Let me get off of this subject because I could go on and on...I can't stand when you judge people by what they "appear" to be! Here's a pic of my outfit that day. Let me point out a few things:

1. I live in FLORIDA! Sundresses are par for the course.
2. I got this dress on sale at Marshalls for $24.99.
3. My hair is done because my cute hubby was home with me all day (look at him, do you blame me?!).

TUESDAY

Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. A little naked swimming always is a good time! Pres had fun with Daddy, but he was on lookout mode for Grandpa Mike!

WEDNESDAY
The best excuse for an early nap I've ever seen! Look at those tired eyes!

THURSDAY
This is a fun activity to do with the little ones. We took cheap shaving cream and bought some crayola sidewalk paint. You add a little sidewalk paint to a bowl of shaving cream and then have fun. We all had a blast painting each other and the ground. The best part is the clean up is a breeze...just turn on the hose and rinse!

FRIDAY

The following pictures are from what I am referring to as "POOP GATE". I knew Pres was pooping, and I went to get a diaper and some wipes. I came out to find his pants and diaper pulled just slightly down, and poo on his hands, the ottoman, and the tv consule! Yuck! How on earth do you stop that one?! I made it so that he can't take off his diaper, and now the big stinker has found a new way to get his poo all over the house, he'll just stick his hand right on down IN his diaper. It might be funny later on, but not today!

Pres likes his infant seat...15 months too late!

2008-09-26T11:37:00.004-04:00

My dear friend Chrissy is about to pop any day now with the birth of her first son. I can't wait for him to get here. I've had tons of fun going through all of Pres' old toys and passing them along. It's a blessing to know that these things that Pres loved will now be able to be loved by baby A! Slowly but surely we've been sending everything out. This week the last items were sent. The stroller, car seat, and cradle.

Pete had them set out in the dining area so he wouldn't forget to take and have them shipped the other morning. I was making Pres' breakfast and didn't even think that he would be interested in the items. After all, the car seat has NO special memories for Pres. He hated that thing from the moment we put him in it and only slept in it when he had exhausted himself screaming! Having said this, imagine my surprise when I go to get Pres to feed him breakfast and I find him like this:

It was too much and I stood there taking as many pictures as I could. After all, I don't think I have any of him actually in it when he was little-he was always screaming!

Bath Time

2008-09-24T12:17:00.003-04:00

Bath time has been a roll of the dice since Pres was born. On some nights, he absolutely loves it, and on others he is a big pain about it. Once Pres could sit up in the tub, Pete took over bath time (my hero when I've had a long day!). They do all kinds of silly things from playing with cars to splashing all over the place. Here's some pictures of Pres' new favorite kind of bath-a bubble bath. Make sure to notice the Thomas and Salty trains. That child is waaaaaay to into those silly trains.

Toddler Fun

2008-09-22T14:28:00.007-04:00

Our nap time wake up routine is as follows...I open his door and am greeted with either a grump (if it wasn't long enough nap) or a big grin. He then wants to be picked up, head to the kitchen and get some juice. Once he has his juice cup, he lays about on the couch drinking it for a bit. Once he's done, he tosses the juice cup, gives a big stretch, and then begins to run to his toys.

Today he wanted to go and play outside. I needed to weed, so it was the perfect thing to do. He played in the sprinkler and had a blast "helping" me water the plants- for some reason the front door needed to be watered today!

Who knew you could have so much fun with a $2.99 sprinkler from Home Depot!

TGIF

2008-09-19T14:47:00.004-04:00

**UPDATE for Jackie in Denver** My sister left her camera at her bf's house, I should have them on Wednesday!!!

We have a new tradition here at the Dean household. We have (insert the trumpet sound) da da daaaaa "Soccer Extravaganza Fridays"! My nephew is playing soccer now in this league and he has games every Friday. Last week was tons of fun and Pres happily played and giggled his way through our first game day. He only tried to run to his cousin once on the field, but in his defense, Dyer did try and run to us off the field once as well!

I made a picnic last week and am doing the same this week. It is so much fun to have all of the families together and eat and have a good laugh as the 6 & 7 year olds try and learn the game. We are quite the blended bunch with my sister, her ex-husband with his new wife, my parents, her ex's parents plus me, Pete and Pres! I enjoy all of them very much. They are just a great group of people and I am proud to be apart of them!

Last week Dyer scored a goal and I hope for the same this week! I didn't bring my camera last time because I didn't have high hopes for Pres lasting the entire time, but this week I am camera ready! I'll add pics in here tomorrow from our fun time!

Off to the smell of sweaty kids, dirt, and freshly cut grass...life is good!

Daddy Day

2008-09-18T13:33:00.005-04:00

I titled this post "Daddy Day" because this Saturday all Pres wanted to do was be with Pete. From the moment he woke up yelling "Hiiiii Da-da" to naptime when he blew Pete and big smack with a "Mu-AH" "bi-yeeee daddy" on our way to his bed to finally bed time when daddy had to rock him to sleep, Pres was ALL about Pete. It was super cute and here are some pics of them doing boy stuff a.k.a. making a total mess of my house!

Snuggles for daddy after he woke up from his nap.

The obligatory picture for mommy...don't they look thrilled?!

Daddy simultaneously not missing his Premiership game and entertaining the kiddo.

Too cool for school! This cracks me up as he was shaking it all the way to give me a hug!

These next ones are Pete playing the guitar for Pres. He gets so excited and just runs in circles around Pete as he plays!

Fort Rucker Update #2

2008-09-17T12:13:00.007-04:00

Pete has his orders, and he leaves for WOC school on November 24. He will get a two week break for Christmas, then graduate on Jan. 14. After that, he begins his flight training on Jan. 19th! Not too much time to get everything situated between the two, so we are trying to do it before.

Things are so crazy here. I am very stressed about settling things here and have been shocked with the things potential renters will say or even do. It's really disgusting and people should be ashamed of themselves. We thought we had a renter, but they are doing A LOT of back stepping right now. I'm about to hand in the towel and tell them forget it. I can't believe the requests and demands that people make. On one hand, I want to meet them because I don't want to be apart from Pete for 18 months. On the other hand, some things are just pushing it and I am reaching my bulls*#@ limit very quickly. We'll see how that goes. I'd like to ask you all to continue to pray that we find the right situation. Who knows...maybe we'll even get a miracle and be able to sell our home.

The Army has some assistance programs and I am in the process of getting together the information I need for them. They can help us with the sale of our home if we are having trouble. I'm not too sure if we qualify or not (probably not), but I will try and take advantage of every opportunity so that we can be together as a family.

Here's our Buyowner ad. http://www.buyowner.com/property.asp?code=orl26873

That's about all for now because I am at max capacity emotionally.

Pres "fixing" the table, diaper shenanigans, and pencil fun

2008-09-11T14:58:00.007-04:00

I am so busy lately that I barely have time to think. School is intense and the extra classes are giving me about two hours of homework a day. Sorry the blog has been neglected. We had a wonderful weekend and a great week.

Pres found a pencil the other day and I have no idea where it came from. I asked him to give it to me (which he did and is very good at doing) and then proceeded to tell him that it could hurt him. No more than seconds into my speech, I jab the pencil into my palm and hurt myself. This produced instant tears from me and a stunned look on Pres' face. Here's a pic of the damage.

Yesterday I was putting batteries in one of Pres' old toys for his friend Colton to play with. He watched me do it, reached for the screwdriver, then proceeded to flip the toy over and "work" on it, then flip it back to check it out just as I had. It was super cute! I think Colton was very happy that his friend made the toy work for him.

Other than that, Pres now will not keep his diaper on. It is becoming such a pain as he will take it off, throw it in the garbage and then proceed to run around the house naked. I wouldn't mind so much if this didn't leave me BIG pee pee messes to clean up! His tushy is cute and here's what I came out to the other morning after my shower. I'm not sure exactly what he was trying to do, but it sure is funny watching him try and fit in the back part of his Tonka truck!

This about sums up the past week pretty well! I just hope we get him potty trained before he starts to take off the poopy diapers! Heaven help me if we don't!

A little (big) rant...

2008-09-08T15:45:00.004-04:00

Today started off to be a very promising day. Pres slept all through the night and woke up at 7am. He was happy and fun to be around. Nap time came and he went down like a champ UNTIL my annoying, overbearing, and self important Home Owner's Association president decided that he had to talk to me. He knocked on the door, I ignored it, after all nap time is when I do school. He knocked again, I ignored it again. He then began to ring the doorbell again and again and again and again. At this point, Pres is awake and screaming his head off, and I am irritated. To make it worse, he then begins to scream out my name!!!! Goodness. All of my blinds are shut and that is a big indication to GO AWAY! Rude, rude man. I throw open the door and he proceeds to tell me that the new grass they put in (on the common area) needs to be watered for 1 hour every day for the next 6 weeks. Uh-huh...okay...why is he telling ME this. I tell him that was the more idiotic excuse I have ever heard for his banging on my door repeatedly and not so nicely informed him that if he wanted it watered then he could do it himself! After all, that is why I pay $400.00 a month in home owner's fees, so they take care of that stuff. He then gets angry and says that the grass will die. At this point, Pres is still screaming and I had just had enough. I won't tell you what I said to him-it's not fit to print-but suffice to say I doubt he will ever knock on my door again. This afternoon, the sprinkler guys were here adding to the sprinkler system to water the grass. The moral of the story...sometimes it pays to be a big b*@#h.