Hello all!
Well, 2011 slipped away and so did my blogs. You all tell me frequently that you love reading my blog. Why did I stop?
Well, I came to realize that most of my blogs have a very happy-go-lucky tone. Unfortunately, there was a lot to 2011 that had me down at times. Writing is therapy to me, yet somehow I didn't want to bring others down. So I guess I went into blog hibernation. I apologize. It's not that I don't like sharing the whole gammut. I guess I just pulled away in hopes that good times would return soon, and my writing would sound less negative.
On that note, 2012 is looking up! First and foremost, we have our missing piece rejoining us soon! Of coure I cannot post dates but I can say that our Daddy Kiss Jar is looking very sparse. I have many plans and items on my to do list but none of it really matters. I'm just so excited to be reunited, be normal, be deliriously happy, be content, be AT PEACE.
Caden and Cole both understand and are very excited. Caden can count the days on his fingers and gets a goofy grin every time I remind him. It's been a long haul for that kiddo but I'm so impressed with how's he's held up. Yes, of course he had some meltdowns here and there and moments of impatience and anger, but it's his overall forgiving and understanding attitude that astounds me. He's gone 7 months without his Daddy and has never once accused us, blamed us, or asked why it couldn't be different. He has repeated to me more than once that Daddy is a hero and that he's proud of him. So even when deployments tear at our hearts and wear us down, those moments are when I remember, yeah, that's why we do this. We're good at it, we're needed, and we're called.
I must thank you all for all you've done FOR US. Be it prayers, phone calls, messages, packages, monetary donations...you name it, you provided it. Without a doubt, these challenges would have been much different if it wasn't for all of you.
Let's run through a few quick updates:
CADEN: He's becoming quite a BOY. He cracks ridiculous meandering jokes that make no sense. He likes to tell Papa Pat that he's going to pour ice down his shirt. He likes to talk about farting and pooping. (Ugh.) He knows exactly what he wants and can be rather demanding. He has recently asked me if he can run with me so we'll see how he does with Stroller Warriors this spring! He is interested in Legos, Star Wars, Transformers, and weapons of any kind. He celebrated his 5th birthday last weekend and invited a few of his favorite friends over for a Lego Star Wars Party. Unfortunately, we had to cancel because Cole was sick. So, him and I had a mini party here, just the two of us, and then rescheduled for the following weekend. This meant he got to celebrate his birthday on FOUR different days (in Iowa, at school, on his birthday, and then his do-over party). He picked out all his decorations and thanked me more than once for his birthday. He's doing great in preschool and Mrs. Drum tells me that he's her rule follower, and likes to inform others of what the rules are. He also tells me what God's rules are. I like to remind him of the one about respecting his Mommy. He's become very interested in his faith and chooses to read his Bible Stories most nights. He loves the Book of Genesis. He always tells me, let's start at the beginning, and would let me read all night if I didn't cut him off at 30 minutes.
COLE: Talking up a STORM. Oh my goodness, I'm not sure what happened but the boy suddenly started talking in full sentences. Every day he strings together words I did not even know he knew. My favorite word though is MA. He calls me Ma and says it adjacent to almost every word. "Hey Ma..." "Look Ma..." "Food Ma!" and the list goes on. Perhaps my favorite is "Too Ma" which means Love You. He asks for hugs frequently especially if he sees "Bruher" get one. He likes kisses from "Cowt" but only for a minute. Then he pushes her away. I just love seeing him grow and prosper.
Today, he walked 25 feet with his gait trainer. His progress is a cycle of ups and downs but every so often he completely surprises me with a big accomplishment out of left field. He had a terrible PT day yesterday (well, a terrible two's type day) so today he decided to show me what he was made of! Right now, he's sleeping in a big boy bed for the first time. He was excited and kept saying, "My bed!" I hope he has a good night. Can't wait for Brian to return and see how much he's changed. He's an amazing kid.
We'll be attending a wheelchair clinic on Feb 29th in Norfolk Virginia to select his chair. We also scheduled genetic counseling for the whole family on March 6th at Duke University. Then we will finally pinpoint where this disorder derived, either hereditary or a genetic defect at conception. I'm neverous about that but ready to know. We're continuing with therapy twice a week and just ordered him some new cool toys with some of the donations from family and friends. (Thank you once again!) We will look at trading in the car and getting a wheelchair van once we select the right chair. Lots of changes in the near future but so glad Brian will be here to walk the path with us.
BRIAN: Ready to be done! Beard is gone, hair is cut, and he's just been mostly reading and hanging out. Time is ticking. He's mostly happy with the deployment but of course there's always more he wishes he could have down. That's why we love him though.
ME: Well, as if you aren't aware, I've been pretty busy with Military Spouse of the Year. I'll spare you the same mundane details and thank yous and share a little insight about what's going through my head. First off, I'm completely amazed by all of you. Some of you I have not talked to much in years, yet you still support me and voted numerous times. I think what's even cooler is that you wrote me to tell me. Very heart-warming. Some of you are voting multiple times a day, even setting alarms and using different computers! All I can say is, wow. I guess I hope I win it mostly for all of you, and for the Stroller Warriors. I won't deny that I do have some reservations. I catch myself wondering how I will balance everything. I already felt like my plate was full, so how would I make room for this? How much travel would it entail? Would I be able to accomplish all I want?
I know though that whatever happens is meant to be and I will welcome any opportunities with an open heart. I'm actually quite at peace with this and have tried to push those lingering questions aside. Just trust. I'm not nervous at all, just excited to hear news. And I can genuinely say, I don't think I'll be disappointed. It's been way too fun to allow anything negative.
Stroller Warriors gears up next week so I'm looking forward to the workouts and seeing all the ladies! I vamped up my training as I will run a half marathon in both March and April. The Stroller Warriors have created a fundraisor! We will be running the Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon to raise money for Families of SMA in honor of Cole. So excited and happy and already emotional. We're ordering some pretty awesome personalized shirts, and just seeing them made me teary. These ladies sure are something special. They're all my angels.
FAMILY: We had a GREAT time in Iowa seeing everyone this past winter! So many activities and trips and events, I can't even describe it all. But highlights included Christmas with my family and the Geraghty's, Pat's retirement party on New Year's, a visit to Missouri to see the Null's and the Patterson's (BFFs from Quantico) and also a visit in KC to see Brenda and Erin (BFFs from KU!). The trip included a few obstacles, including a few trips to the ER, but we're all healthy and happy for now. My parents just booked a trip to the Caymen Islands and Brian's parents will be traveling down here for Homecoming. The Hasley's will visit us in March for Spring Break, and my parents will make a trip down here in April right before planting. Lots of great things in the near future! Cannot wait!
HOUSE: Nothing has fallen apart recently so that's a bonus. We had a septic tank disaster before Christmas. Thank God I was here and could act on it. I've made some room changes, including assembling a massive bunk bed unit and moving the boys in together. I sold the baby decor and am making the extra room into a guest BR. (Hint hint visitors!) I might paint if time permits, but we're getting down to the wire, so maybe I'll just wait when we have help. The bunk beds were plenty project. Holy lumber. I could not believe how many boxes showed up via UPS. Thank goodness my UPS delivery driver rocks, because he carried them all upstairs for me. It took me about one full week of off-and-on assembly, but it's solid and I'm thrilled! Can't wait for Brian to see them! (Shhhh...he doesn't know.) I also replaced a ceiling fan recently and am excited to get working on the yard. I planted a bunch of bulbs and I have some daffodils already blooming. Crazy weather. I recently bought new bedding for our MBR because ours comforter fell apart. It's white. Yeow. Hope Brian doesn't flip. It will be fun to show him all these changes!
DOG: Scout is a joy. Period. I know you all had your doubts. Trust me, ME TOO. But she is absolutely a wonderful addition to our family. She's grown up a lot. She listens to me. She rings the bell when she needs to go outside and never has any more accidents. She is friendly with everyone but barks when someone is near the house (which I like). She plays and makes the boys laugh. She even sits and cuddles now, and has stopped nibbling and biting as much. I guess, I finally understand what all this "Dog Lover" nonsense is. I truly love her. She's a good friend and I think my favorite part is the bond she's created with us. She loves us too! Caden especially. Cole and her are still working on it. Her idea of playing is to bite his diaper, and his idea of playing is to tackle her. It doesn't seem to work out for either one of them! I'm really excited for Brian to meet her. She's fast...I am wondering if we could run with her?!
I think that's it for now! I hope to have some fun news to share news but just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that LIFE IS GOOD. I'm feeling strong, confident, happy, and focused. It's a good place to be.
Much love and thanks for being patient. I'll blog more if you'll read.
Well, 2011 slipped away and so did my blogs. You all tell me frequently that you love reading my blog. Why did I stop?
Well, I came to realize that most of my blogs have a very happy-go-lucky tone. Unfortunately, there was a lot to 2011 that had me down at times. Writing is therapy to me, yet somehow I didn't want to bring others down. So I guess I went into blog hibernation. I apologize. It's not that I don't like sharing the whole gammut. I guess I just pulled away in hopes that good times would return soon, and my writing would sound less negative.
On that note, 2012 is looking up! First and foremost, we have our missing piece rejoining us soon! Of coure I cannot post dates but I can say that our Daddy Kiss Jar is looking very sparse. I have many plans and items on my to do list but none of it really matters. I'm just so excited to be reunited, be normal, be deliriously happy, be content, be AT PEACE.
Caden and Cole both understand and are very excited. Caden can count the days on his fingers and gets a goofy grin every time I remind him. It's been a long haul for that kiddo but I'm so impressed with how's he's held up. Yes, of course he had some meltdowns here and there and moments of impatience and anger, but it's his overall forgiving and understanding attitude that astounds me. He's gone 7 months without his Daddy and has never once accused us, blamed us, or asked why it couldn't be different. He has repeated to me more than once that Daddy is a hero and that he's proud of him. So even when deployments tear at our hearts and wear us down, those moments are when I remember, yeah, that's why we do this. We're good at it, we're needed, and we're called.
I must thank you all for all you've done FOR US. Be it prayers, phone calls, messages, packages, monetary donations...you name it, you provided it. Without a doubt, these challenges would have been much different if it wasn't for all of you.
Let's run through a few quick updates:
CADEN: He's becoming quite a BOY. He cracks ridiculous meandering jokes that make no sense. He likes to tell Papa Pat that he's going to pour ice down his shirt. He likes to talk about farting and pooping. (Ugh.) He knows exactly what he wants and can be rather demanding. He has recently asked me if he can run with me so we'll see how he does with Stroller Warriors this spring! He is interested in Legos, Star Wars, Transformers, and weapons of any kind. He celebrated his 5th birthday last weekend and invited a few of his favorite friends over for a Lego Star Wars Party. Unfortunately, we had to cancel because Cole was sick. So, him and I had a mini party here, just the two of us, and then rescheduled for the following weekend. This meant he got to celebrate his birthday on FOUR different days (in Iowa, at school, on his birthday, and then his do-over party). He picked out all his decorations and thanked me more than once for his birthday. He's doing great in preschool and Mrs. Drum tells me that he's her rule follower, and likes to inform others of what the rules are. He also tells me what God's rules are. I like to remind him of the one about respecting his Mommy. He's become very interested in his faith and chooses to read his Bible Stories most nights. He loves the Book of Genesis. He always tells me, let's start at the beginning, and would let me read all night if I didn't cut him off at 30 minutes.
COLE: Talking up a STORM. Oh my goodness, I'm not sure what happened but the boy suddenly started talking in full sentences. Every day he strings together words I did not even know he knew. My favorite word though is MA. He calls me Ma and says it adjacent to almost every word. "Hey Ma..." "Look Ma..." "Food Ma!" and the list goes on. Perhaps my favorite is "Too Ma" which means Love You. He asks for hugs frequently especially if he sees "Bruher" get one. He likes kisses from "Cowt" but only for a minute. Then he pushes her away. I just love seeing him grow and prosper.
Today, he walked 25 feet with his gait trainer. His progress is a cycle of ups and downs but every so often he completely surprises me with a big accomplishment out of left field. He had a terrible PT day yesterday (well, a terrible two's type day) so today he decided to show me what he was made of! Right now, he's sleeping in a big boy bed for the first time. He was excited and kept saying, "My bed!" I hope he has a good night. Can't wait for Brian to return and see how much he's changed. He's an amazing kid.
We'll be attending a wheelchair clinic on Feb 29th in Norfolk Virginia to select his chair. We also scheduled genetic counseling for the whole family on March 6th at Duke University. Then we will finally pinpoint where this disorder derived, either hereditary or a genetic defect at conception. I'm neverous about that but ready to know. We're continuing with therapy twice a week and just ordered him some new cool toys with some of the donations from family and friends. (Thank you once again!) We will look at trading in the car and getting a wheelchair van once we select the right chair. Lots of changes in the near future but so glad Brian will be here to walk the path with us.
BRIAN: Ready to be done! Beard is gone, hair is cut, and he's just been mostly reading and hanging out. Time is ticking. He's mostly happy with the deployment but of course there's always more he wishes he could have down. That's why we love him though.
ME: Well, as if you aren't aware, I've been pretty busy with Military Spouse of the Year. I'll spare you the same mundane details and thank yous and share a little insight about what's going through my head. First off, I'm completely amazed by all of you. Some of you I have not talked to much in years, yet you still support me and voted numerous times. I think what's even cooler is that you wrote me to tell me. Very heart-warming. Some of you are voting multiple times a day, even setting alarms and using different computers! All I can say is, wow. I guess I hope I win it mostly for all of you, and for the Stroller Warriors. I won't deny that I do have some reservations. I catch myself wondering how I will balance everything. I already felt like my plate was full, so how would I make room for this? How much travel would it entail? Would I be able to accomplish all I want?
I know though that whatever happens is meant to be and I will welcome any opportunities with an open heart. I'm actually quite at peace with this and have tried to push those lingering questions aside. Just trust. I'm not nervous at all, just excited to hear news. And I can genuinely say, I don't think I'll be disappointed. It's been way too fun to allow anything negative.
Stroller Warriors gears up next week so I'm looking forward to the workouts and seeing all the ladies! I vamped up my training as I will run a half marathon in both March and April. The Stroller Warriors have created a fundraisor! We will be running the Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon to raise money for Families of SMA in honor of Cole. So excited and happy and already emotional. We're ordering some pretty awesome personalized shirts, and just seeing them made me teary. These ladies sure are something special. They're all my angels.
FAMILY: We had a GREAT time in Iowa seeing everyone this past winter! So many activities and trips and events, I can't even describe it all. But highlights included Christmas with my family and the Geraghty's, Pat's retirement party on New Year's, a visit to Missouri to see the Null's and the Patterson's (BFFs from Quantico) and also a visit in KC to see Brenda and Erin (BFFs from KU!). The trip included a few obstacles, including a few trips to the ER, but we're all healthy and happy for now. My parents just booked a trip to the Caymen Islands and Brian's parents will be traveling down here for Homecoming. The Hasley's will visit us in March for Spring Break, and my parents will make a trip down here in April right before planting. Lots of great things in the near future! Cannot wait!
HOUSE: Nothing has fallen apart recently so that's a bonus. We had a septic tank disaster before Christmas. Thank God I was here and could act on it. I've made some room changes, including assembling a massive bunk bed unit and moving the boys in together. I sold the baby decor and am making the extra room into a guest BR. (Hint hint visitors!) I might paint if time permits, but we're getting down to the wire, so maybe I'll just wait when we have help. The bunk beds were plenty project. Holy lumber. I could not believe how many boxes showed up via UPS. Thank goodness my UPS delivery driver rocks, because he carried them all upstairs for me. It took me about one full week of off-and-on assembly, but it's solid and I'm thrilled! Can't wait for Brian to see them! (Shhhh...he doesn't know.) I also replaced a ceiling fan recently and am excited to get working on the yard. I planted a bunch of bulbs and I have some daffodils already blooming. Crazy weather. I recently bought new bedding for our MBR because ours comforter fell apart. It's white. Yeow. Hope Brian doesn't flip. It will be fun to show him all these changes!
DOG: Scout is a joy. Period. I know you all had your doubts. Trust me, ME TOO. But she is absolutely a wonderful addition to our family. She's grown up a lot. She listens to me. She rings the bell when she needs to go outside and never has any more accidents. She is friendly with everyone but barks when someone is near the house (which I like). She plays and makes the boys laugh. She even sits and cuddles now, and has stopped nibbling and biting as much. I guess, I finally understand what all this "Dog Lover" nonsense is. I truly love her. She's a good friend and I think my favorite part is the bond she's created with us. She loves us too! Caden especially. Cole and her are still working on it. Her idea of playing is to bite his diaper, and his idea of playing is to tackle her. It doesn't seem to work out for either one of them! I'm really excited for Brian to meet her. She's fast...I am wondering if we could run with her?!
I think that's it for now! I hope to have some fun news to share news but just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that LIFE IS GOOD. I'm feeling strong, confident, happy, and focused. It's a good place to be.
Much love and thanks for being patient. I'll blog more if you'll read.
