So Thankful

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is over!! I planned for weeks to ensure that my thanksgiving would be a success and it came and went in a flash.  Originally I wasn't going to cook an entire turkey since it was just going to be Brennan and I, but then he invited some people from work and I was forced into a whole turkey.  To say I was apprehensive about cooking a frozen turkey is an understatement! The last time I cooked a turkey it was fresh and I didn't have to worry about thawing.  This time I had an 18lb turkey to worry about.  I took it out of the freezer last friday to ensure it would be ready in time for me to prep it wednedsay night.  Luckily I checked it regularly because if I hadn't let it sit in water tuesday night it never would have been ready!

I was fortunate to only have to work a half day wednesday so when I got home I started preparing the house and everything I could prepare the day before - green bean casserole, Deb's beans, and my turkey.  I had made my pumpkin breads the previous saturday and they were safe in my freezer.  My refrigerator was strickly thanksgiving food, thus the reason for eating Taco Bell wednesday night for dinner!! I felt pretty comfortable with all I had accomplished wednesday and went to bed early knowing I would have to wake up at 5:15am to get my turkey in the oven.

Thanksgiving day went off quite well and our guests couldn't believe it was only my second time cooking a thanksgiving meal!! Yay!! My turkey was AWESOME and so moist and ready in plenty of time for me to cook all my casseroles, etc.  Brennan even helped carve it!! I would post a pic of the carving but I can't figure

out how to post vertical pics so oh well!! 

Here's what we had:  Turkey, cooked carrots & celery, stuffing (bought from a restaurant in town), cranberry sauce, Sweet potato casserole, Green bean casserole, and crescent rolls. For dessert I made something called, "The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford" - it's a layered dessert with chopped pecan crust, a cream cheese, sugar & cool whip layer, a chocolate pudding layer & whipped cream on top, plain and chocolate chip pumpkin bread & a pecan pie.  We were supposed to have four guests (thus the 18lb turkey) but we ended up only having two...needless to say we will be eating leftovers all weekend!! Yay for not having to cook again till next week!!

I am so thankful for such a great day and for all the blessings in my life including these incredible guys:

I can't imagine my life without them and am so thankful to have such a supportive and wonderful husband and my two amazing little men!!! Here are some more photos from Thanksgiving Day:

Emmett loves this Chuck Truck!!

Gobble Gobble till you Wobble!!

Hidin' under the table...he did this all day!

Logan took this picture!!

Emmett missed his afternoon nap during thanksgiving and this is what happened later that night...he was rocking with Daddy when he just leaned over and fell asleep!! I could have died it was so cute!!

I must also give thanks for my incredible family.  They have been so wonderful and are so great in dealing with our moves and living far away.  I could not live a military life without them!!  And thank you Mom for being available all Thanksgiving day for all my cooking questions - it wouldn't have happened without you! I am also thankful for my friends, old and new, especially my newest family here in Greenville, First Presbyterian Preschool!! I am really enjoying my new job and all the new people I've met along the way!!

Can't wait to decorate the house for Hannukah this weekend and get ready to start teaching full time on Monday!! December is going to be so much fun!!

Until next time...Happy Thanksgiving!!

Diana

Military Life

Saw this on a friend's facebook and had to post it!! 


For all military wives this is for you, it's the story of our lives! I stole this from a friend and I love it!


Lots of moving... Moving... Moving... Moving far from home... Moving 3 cars, 2 kids and 2 dogs..all riding with HER of course. Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house; Moving curtains that won't fit; Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours. ...Mo...ving away from friends; Moving toward new friends; Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.
Often waiting... Waiting... Waiting... Waiting for housing. Waiting for orders. Waiting for deployments. Waiting for phone calls. Waiting for reunions. Waiting for the new curtains to arrive. Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!
They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better: She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book; Handle the yard work; Fix a noisy toilet; Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts. She can file the taxes; Sell a house; Buy a car; Or set up a move...all with ONE Power of Attorney.
She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. She reinvents her career with every PCS; Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south. And learns to call them all 'home'. She MAKES them all home.
Military Wives are somewhat hasty... They leap into: Decorating, Leadership, Volunteering, Career alternatives, Churches, And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people. Their roots are short but flexible. They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.
Military Wives quickly learn to value each other: They connect over coffee, Rely on the spouse network, Accept offers of friendship and favors. Record addresses in pencil...
Military Wives have a common bond: The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a 'JOB' He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit... He's on-call for his country 24/7. But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town! His language is foreign TDY PCS OPR SOS ACC BDU ACU BAR CIB TAD EPR And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his. She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.
A Military Wife has her moments: She wants to wring his neck; Dye his uniform pink; Refuse to move to Siberia; But she pulls herself together. Give her a few days, A travel brochure, A long hot bath, A pledge to the flag, A wedding picture, And she goes. She packs. She moves. She follows.
Why? What for? How come? You may think it is because she has lost her mind. But actually it is because she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man, Who puts duty first, Who longs to deploy, Who salutes the flag, And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband, She will remain his military wife. And would have it no other way.

Sick Kids...

Sick kids are something I have been dealing with a lot lately.  I know it comes with the territory when your kids are in school/daycare, but it's still not fun.  Emmett started our visit to Minnesota a little congested and got better as the visit went on.  Logan, on the other hand, got sick during our visit and was barely well enough to make our trip home.  Logan was so sick that we ended up taking him to the emergency room.

It all started monday night...Logan was having nightmares and talking in his sleep...I knew that he would wake up the next morning with a fever.  He had a fever on and off all day and we tried to give him Infant's Tylenol because that's all he'll take for us, but that means he needs 3 dropper fulls and it's hard just getting him to take one.

 So Wednesday when he still wasn't well Brennan and I decided to take him to the emergency room.  Of course we waited almost four hours before being seen...at least there was a TV in the room!!

 Logan loathes doctors, doctors offices and anything that resembles any of these things.  He was polite at the ER, but he had to be coached through everything...taking his temperature, listening to his heartbeat, looking in his ears, the list goes on and on.  And to top it off his stomach started bothering him once we got into our room and literally as soon as I would sit down, he'd have to go potty again.  We almost ran out of pull-ups people!! They determined it was a stomach bug and gave him some anti-nausea medicine and some juice and watched him for about an hour.  Luckily he took the pill they gave him because the alternative was an IV and neither Brennan nor I was going to even think about going down that road.

I don't know how many of you out there (if there's anyone out there?) have kids who HATE medicine but Logan is #1 Liquid Medicine Hater!! He'll take tylenol for something like a tooth ache, but man when he gets sick forget about it!! Somehow I managed to get him to take Children's Tylenol, finally, but it wasn't pretty.  We made the trip home alright and by sunday he was back to eating normal meals.

Of course, since it's our first week back at school we're all sick...coughs, runny noses, tired, etc.  Even Emmett has a cough, which is SO sad!! Logan didn't get sick till he was over 1 year old but poor Emmett didn't stand a chance.  I feel bad but I try to keep reminding myself that it'll only make him stronger in the long run.

Sickness sucks when you have kids...because everyone in the family is going to get some or all parts of the sickness.  You can't avoid it...no matter how much you tell everyone to cover their cough and wash their hands.  I have tissues in every corner of the house and my medicine cabinet it quite stocked.  The best stuff I've found for little ones besides Tylenol and Infant Advil (which they can't have till they're 6 months or 18lbs) are the products made by Little Remedies. They have so many "all natural" products for children too young to have cold medicine...meaning 4 years old or younger. I have used the following from them and have been very satisfied: Little Noses Saline Drops, Little Tummy's Gripe Water, Little Colds Honey Elixir, Little Colds Honey Pops, Little Tummys Gas Relief.  If you're a mom or soon to be mom, you MUST store their products!!

Anyway, I'm hoping that this week we will all begin to feel better and will get into more of a routine of going to school...we start full days next week!!

Here's to good health and crazy schedules!!

Diana

Happy Halloween!!

What a Halloween we had this year!! I'm so glad we planned on being in Minnesota for Halloween because last year's Halloween in Greenville was not very exciting.  This year Logan picked out his costume all on his own...I know you're all going to be shocked when I tell you he choose Finn McMissile, from Cars 2. He was so excited to wear his costume and couldn't wait to put it on Monday afternoon.  Emmett was a pumpkin...I know it's not very "original" but I really feel the pumpkin was the perfect costume for Emmett, so whatever.  

Our Halloween celebration started last saturday when we went to Minnesota Harvest and picked out our pumpkins. (See Minnesota Harvest Blog for more...)

We decided that we would carve our pumpkins that night since we had the time so Brennan, Me, and Grandpa Russ all carved pumpkins.  Logan helped...by pulling out the pumpkin pieces as I carved...

He was so proud that he was helping!!

Logan helped me pick which thing I was going to carve...(it's a Cat/Bat)

Here's a picture of Brennan hard at work...

Grandpa Russ was very proud of his creation...

Uncle Mike got in on some of the action too...

Brennan's friend Cooper was there too...He helped scoop the goo!!

And here are our finished products:

From Left to Right: A vampire (by Brennan), Ghosts (by Russ), Cat/Bat (by Me), and a crazy face (by Me)

 Our Halloween Celebration then took a slight rest until October 31st.  We started our actual Halloween celebration by going to Grandma Anne's Nursing Home Trick or Treat.  Brennan's cousin Sarah and her kids met us there and the kids had so much fun!!

Then we went home to rest and eat dinner before taking Logan out trick or treating for the first time!! Here are some family pics...they're not the best but I my I can never load vertical photos onto this thing so you'll just have to deal with it!

Before we left we got Emmett out of his costume so he could help answer the door with Grandma & Grandpa...

And we took Logan Trick or Treating!!

I honestly think that although Logan has fun knocking on doors and saying "Trick or Treat", his favorite part was answering the door for the trick or treaters that came to our house.  Every time someone rang the doorbell he would run out of his seat and open the door and say, "Are you here?!" Then he'd ask them what they were dressed up as...he had so much fun!!

All in all it was a great Halloween!! Everyone had fun and I can't wait to have 2 trick or treaters next year!

More to come from our visit in Minnesota...we're going to the Children's Museum tomorrow!!

Diana

October Update

October Update

Yay it’s fall!! Gotta love the cooler temperatures and the changing leaves! We’ve had an incredible month and I’m so excited to share this update with you!

Me, Myself & I

Emotionally:  Doin’ really well! Started work and am still feelin’ pretty confident! I know it’s going to be challenging but overall I’m grateful for the opportunity.  Also we got to visit with family this month which is always AWESOME!

Physically:  Will the tiredness ever end?! Still not getting full nights sleep…maybe by Emmett’s 1^st birthday?! Haha who knows…makin’ it work though!
Weight loss: Still working on it!
Employment: Loving it!! I’m having so much fun and can’t wait to see what a full day of work will be like come November!
Things I am Thankful for: My in-laws for letting us crash at their house for two weeks while running them ragged with all the fun things we had planned! My husband who supports me no matter what and helps me make hard decisions when I’m on the fence about something.  Infant’s Ibprophen for which I would not have gotten as much sleep as I have due to Emmett’s teething!

Logan - 33 Months

Growin’ like a weed:

Size: Height: About 39.5” Weight: About 39 lbs...Percentile: 95^th…What this means: We've officially moved into 4T/5T clothing and size 9 shoes.  I’ve just recently bought Logan all new fall/winter clothes including an adorable jacket from Old Navy.  Hoping to find him a fleece while in Minnesota!

Teething: Complete!! All of Logan’s teeth are finally in! Going to take him for his first dentist appointment in the next few weeks – can’t believe it!

Sleep: Sleepin’ really well!! Hoping to nip everything in the bud once we get home from Minnesota!

New Skills:

Tried Something New: This past week Logan had his first experience on Theme Park rides at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America! He loved it…

Potty Training: Still a work in progress…he’s staying dry most of the time during the day and at night…thinking we’ll start wearing underwear once we get back to school in November.

Likes: Playing outside, digging in the dirt, Sharks and any kind of animal, bath time with his brother, meeting new friends,  making Emmett laugh and wiping away kisses (from mommy in particular)! And the book "Lull-a-bye Little One"!

Dislikes: Time out and leaving play-dates!

Saying(s) of the month: 

·         “….nevermind”- what kid says nevermind!?

·         He told the women in Emmett’s preschool class the following when we went to pick Emmett up one day: “Give Mommy her baby back” and “Mommy wants her baby back!” – He was very concerned they were going to keep Emmett!!

Emmett – 5 Months, Week 4

Growin’ like a weed, too:

Size – Height: 28” Weight: 21lbs Percentile: 95^th…What this means: 6-9 month clothing…more like 9 month - gonna have to go shopping for this kid too!

Teething: We can see the very beginnings of his two bottom teeth!! They’re gonna pop any day I just know it!!

Sleep:  Getting’ better.  Emmett is actually taking naps at school which was my biggest fear!! YAY!! And we’re still holding at 1 (sometimes 2) feedings a night.  With all the teething nonsense he sleeps in our bed most of the time. 

New Skills/”Firsts”: Starting to push himself around!! Emmett hasn’t quite mastered crawling yet but he’s definitely learned to get from point A to point B!! It’s so cute – he rolls and pushes himself all over the place! Can’t wait till he learns to pick his butt up and crawl!! He is also close to supporting himself while sitting up.  He can sit up for a little while by himself but eventually rolls over onto his belly…I know he’ll master this soon!

Food: Emmett definitely loves his baby food.  His favorites are Green Beans, Apple Vanilla Grain, and Farmer’s Market Vegetables – we are feeding him Gerber Baby Food, Stage 2…I hope to maybe try giving him a sippy cup with juice when we get home!!

Likes: Emmett still loves attention and having people talk to him.  He also loves his elephant toy, being in his exosaucer and the new Hippo Toy Grandma bought for him.   Emmett loved the aquarium and he loves being outside.  Books are also something Emmett seems to really like - his favorites are "Hush Little Polar Bear" and "Goodnight Moon"!

Dislikes: The sun in his eyes, sleeping by himself, loud noises and apples. 

I’m amazed at how quickly these updates come along and how much the kids are growing and learning!  October has been a month filled with fun and family and it’s been wonderful! I’m looking forward to November as we give thanks for so many incredible things in our life!

Until next time…

Diana

Pickin' a Pumpkin

We had another wonderful day in Minnesota.  Our goal for today was to acquire some pumpkins and we certainly accomplished it! We went to a place in Jordan, Minnesota (about 35 minutes away) called Minnesota Harvest.  I really wanted Logan to pick his own pumpkin this year and this was the perfect place.  The weather was a gorgeous 65 degrees and we arrived around 11am.  The first thing we did was ride the pony...Logan couldn't have been more excited and the woman leading the pony said he was a pro!!

Then we had to ride the tracker to the apple orchard. We didn't realize we would have the chance to get off the trailer and pick apples, but we did!! They were growing three different types of apples in the orchard and we picked one of each.

Logan also got to jump in a huge haystack...it was probably one of his favorite parts!

After we petted the donkey and talked to the goat:

We went into the pumpkin patch and picked our pumpkins...this was supposed to be the best part, but of course all the other things took the cake and Logan was less than amused by this activity.

Then we finished the afternoon off with some lunch and gelato...

I realize most of these pictures are of Logan, but Emmett was there too.  He loved being outside and watching Logan do all kinds of activities.  

We're going to carve our pumpkins this week!! Can't wait for that!

It's dinner time, so time to go!!

Have a good weekend!

Diana