Giving it a go

So, I started a second blog! One to post my photography on that I have fallen deeper in love with since Shawn bought me a new camera this past year. I have been using family as testers and I am pretty impressed with myself and my photos. I will slowly start posting all the sessions I have done this past year and then hope to in real time post all the new ones to come! So far I have not made a penny off this hobby but am hoping to soon, very soon. So stay tuned to see how it goes. I struggle with a name so suggestions are welcome, I have been going with Adams Photography with a line of Today Tomorrow Forever but have considered calling it Today Tomorrow Forever Photography as well. Beyond that I have nothing else, so bring on the suggestions. I have a session this Saturday to take family photos of my Older brother, Sister-in-law and my nephews!

Really good weekend!!

The Adams family had a really good weekend, we wont be having any awesome weekends till Shawn is back home. But being a single parent I will take really good weekends over bad weekends. I personally did a whole lot of nothing and it felt really good, granted I am feeling a little behind and overwhelmed today but thats ok. "J" is feeling much better, super cranky though from being totally thrown off her schedule. Today has probably been more rough than when she was sick, but we will figure it out.

"A" had one of her best weekends yet, I think. She had one small incident but she worked through it pretty well with some guidance from me. At one point I said "Honey, I am not trying to be mean, I am just trying to teach you a lesson to help you make better choices next time." She replied with, "I know" and later on after a long silence spell she ended up saying "Mom, thank you for teaching me a lesson, I am never going to do that again." I had to chuckle but I did tell her she was welcome. When I tucked her in last night I told her I was really proud of how she ended up handling herself when she was sorta in trouble, and I told her to keep up the good work. She said, "Thanks, I will" It was for sure one of those moments where I knew we were doing something right. What 8 year old says Thank you for teaching me a lesson, seriously, I was beaming with pride. I feel like she really is going to blossom into an amazing girl and overcome her crappy past and do great things because she is with us and not in a rotten situation any more!! I am so confident that I am like, "Bring on the next kid, we will help as many as we can!" One of "A's" favorite movies is Cheaper by the Dozen... as crazy as it may sound sometimes I think... we could do that... other times I think no way. After this weekend I was leaning towards we can do that, but time will tell...

This week SHOULD be pretty calm. The girls have a couple in home visits, I have a stack of homework but will be going to my last Chemistry class this Thursday! As long as I pass it they will mail me BA that they let me walk for already!! I am doing a super crazy out of control happy dance once this Thursday is over, I have a feeling I am going to pull off a "C" and I am perfectly happy with that!! We hope to hear some kind of news on the new house this week, which would be perfect timing. I can switch from school mode to moving mode and get us all settled in during the next 3 months that I will be taking off from school. If it is meant to be it will happen! So I look forward to taking this week one day at a time. Saturday we are doing some volunteer work for church which I am really excited to expose "A" to and then Sunday is Halloween. We will be Trick or Treating with my 2 Nephews then coming back home to give out candy and maybe let "A" go out one more time with my sister. My Mom has been working really hard to make "A" an amazing dress (she is going to be a vampire) its a period dress which we picked so that she can wear it to the Renaissance Festival in February, which is a huge family tradition to go all dressed up. Something else I am looking forward to exposing "A" to, she is going to do and see so many things with us, she will be a very well rounded young lady some day!

I am off to catch up on laundry which seems to never end with two kids now, and tidy up some other things in the house, maybe do a little packing to....

It never fails...

It never fails, Shawn leaves and things starting stressful and crazy. Thursday night when I got home from Chemistry class "J" spiked a 103 degree temp. Since she is foster and has a history of medical issues I was not taking any chances, I took her straight to the ER at 10pm. I figured it was from her shots but since she has never reacted to them I figured it couldn't hurt to play it cautious. Well, the ER trip was HORRIBLE. I told them she had her shots and clean bill of health just that morning from her pediatrician, but they apparently didn't really hear that. They proceeded to take chest x rays (I don't know why, she wasn't coughing or anything of the sort) They decided to try and put a catheter in her to take a urine sample (which by the way is the most awful thing to watch I was almost in tears, some how I kept it together but man did I want to punch the nurses) All this for a fever seriously? It took them more than an hour to even give her children's tylenol which I told them she has had before with no adverse reactions. Finally at 1am they come back and tell me she has pneumonia, I know the doctor went to med school and all but I asked him several times if he was sure. She had been perfectly healthy at home and only hours prior had received a clean bill of health from her Dr. He insisted she had it and they gave her medicine for it and prescriptions for me to fill. Something (the Mommy in me) decided NOT to get the medicine from the pharmacy because I swear the Dr at the ER was an idiot. I took "J" in to see HER Dr again the following morning who said she is perfectly fine its just a reaction to the shots and he politely in a round about way asked me to never take her to that hospital again (Banner Del Web on Grand & Reems) He said they tend to over care/medicate the kids that go through there. Thats an understatement they tortured poor "J"
Yesterday she continued with the 103 temp on and off, I gave her children's Tylenol, water, and cool baths and we finally broke her temp VERY LATE last night. At one point yesterday she decided to gag on her tylenol and barfed ALL over me. If you have ever seen the movie the Exorcist she did that to me, her clothes and mine. I managed to get her to the tub only keeping the barf on the two of us and had no choice but to get in the tub clothes and all the both of us and attempt to clean up... that was fun in a VERY sarcastic way. I hope I never have to do that again. Thank goodness A was at school!!
So, today is going much better. J has stayed cool thus far and I even gave her, her first bottle with rice cereal in it!! She has not spit up at all!! Its great! Not that she spit up a ton of spit up but just a little and rather often, the Dr said the rice cereal should help, plus they want to chunk her up some more :-) My mom spent the night last night so my sister could have the weekend off... she is over sewing A's Halloween dress!! She took A out of my hair for a little while to go visit my sick Nan (Mom's Mom) but before they left I took some truly AWESOME pictures of A in Fall/Halloween fashion, she stayed in her little outfit to go show my Nan, whom she calls GG for Great Grandma. I am sure it will brighten her day, not make her better but for sure bring a smile to her face. So I put J down for a nap and am editing pictures, blogging, catching up on emails, and tidying the house a bit. I hope to have a relax full weekend. I hope everyone else enjoys there weekends as well. I have to take it one day at a time, we sure are making memories that will last forever though!!!

Back from Dr.'s office

SO, before I forget everything or am too tired after Chemistry class... baby J weighed in at 12 lbs 8 oz. lower than I assumed she would be and lower than they would like her at this point. She has this really BIG grey area for everything because technically she is only 4 months even though she is 6 months. Over all they said she is continually progressing and they are happy with what they see. Her umbilical hernia is going away slowly but surely! She got 5 shots today, they gave her 2 before she realized what was going on and screamed till she turned purple and I thought she would never catch her breath. She is now fast asleep and will probably stay that way most of the day. She reacts well to shots thank goodness. To help with the weight they now would like us to mix in rice cereal with her bottles and in a month try spoon feeding her the rice cereal along with starting her on baby food, veggies first. She is growing up soooo fast and its sad that Shawn (well and her mom I suppose) are missing out on all these exciting mile stones. As long as she is with us, she is safe and healthy and we are blessed to have this opportunity of witnessing a miracle really. She was born 2 months early weighing in at only 2 lbs, at 2 months when we brought her home she only weighed 5 lbs. so she has come along way! Thats all I have for now, going to finish up my Chemistry homework while J is taking her nap.
On a side note: LOVING this cloudy AZ rainy weather the past 2 days. I have lived in so many places but AZ has the most amazing rain storms around!!

Friends and Family, check out...

Hey guys, be sure to check out Project Nursery OR The Tomkat Studio (both blogs that I follow, and both I am fans of on Facebook) They are promoting Operation Shower. A 3rd blog that I follow is the one who helps put this event on... a giant baby shower for deployed soldiers spouses who are expecting! What a great thing! You can download free printables from The Tomkat Studio with the intent of hosting a party of some kind and raising money to donate to Operation Shower. OFCOURSE the second I saw this I knew I had to take part. I know what you are all thinking... "Your plate is so full already" If hundreds of thousands of soldiers can leave there families for 365 days to possibly give there lives for complete strangers... than I can give a couple days to plan a party and 1 day for a party for a good cause. I have been planning on giving a Pampered Chef party as a house warming party once we get the new house, well now I have been inspired to bump it up a notch. So for those of you who live out of state check out these sights and donate to Operation Shower if you can, other wise locals stay tuned for party details.

In other news I spent my whole day doing laundry and homework... B-O-O! I dont know why I torture myself with school. Well, I do have a newer motivation... to set an example for our 8 year old in hopes she will reach for the starts and go to college and go out in the world and make something of herself!! But I do so dislike homework. I am REALLY looking forward to the Holiday semester off from school, I dont think you could even remotely feel the excitement I feel. I just have to focus a little bit longer. Oct 28th I can throw my Chemistry book out the window!! (not really just a figure of speech)

On the kid front. J had a really great day, shes so alert and VERY squirmy. I put her on the floor to make a bottle on her tummy mat and she flipped and rolled her way halfway across the living room... soon we will have to baby proof the house. She has her 6 month Dr apt tomorrow so I promise to update every one! A on the other hand, had a rough day. She just struggled to make good decisions, she started and ended her day in timeout. But, she is learning so quickly and is truly going to blossom into an amazing girl. She is fast learning you do the crime you do the time, sometimes more humbly that most 8 yr olds other times not so much... she is a character and keeps me on my toes. Maybe that is what I need over this next year of single parent hood.

Ok, well sadly my Chemistry homework will not do its self (darn it) and neither will the laundry. So, I must go wrap them up so that I can fall into bed utterly exhausted to wake up in a few hours for J's nightly feeding and then a few hours later to get A off to school. Then more homework, to then sit in Chemistry class for 4 hours (only one class left after tomorrow) then it will be time for bed again... One day at a time.

One day at a time.

So, Vegas was a BLAST! We had a ton of fun on our first official family vacation. "A" got to see and do so many things she has never done before and was such a great experience just seeing her face or hearing her comments the whole trip. We stayed at the Golden Nugget in a suit for 2 nights and played in there newly renovated pool that has a shark tank in the middle of it, we ate pancakes at midnight one night, saw Freemont Street at night, the strip at night, and a Cirque show on Saturday night! It was a busy line up but we had a great time. We discovered (by accident) just how great having Grandparents come along on vacation can be. The Air Force Inn that Shawn had a room at informed us no kids when we went to check in so we put my Mom, her husband and "A" up in a hotel across the street from the base.... BRILLIANT!! We got to spend the day with them and "A" and at night we got alone, silent adult time together. We are completely sold on the whole idea of Grandparents on vacation and having a Nanny, I have never been so spoiled in all my life... Hollywood has it good! Now if I could just find myself an assistant we would really be rocking and rolling!! "A" went home with my Mom on Sunday afternoon so that Shawn and I could have our last day together, I had to watch him say goodbye to her and I started tearing up. He gave her a gift bag with stationary in it and a cool pen and said she needed to write him. She didn't shed a tear but only because she's experienced so many adults coming in and out of her life or she has no concept of how long a year really is, time will tell. I said my goodbyes to Shawn on Monday after I took him into work, I cried again... mind you not blubbering crying cause I have done this enough times, its never easy to say goodbye, although I am getting used to it. I had a nice 6 hour drive home that should have only taken 5 but hit some construction on the Hoover Dam and a rain storm in Kingman. I finally made it home, nice and tired and climbed into a quick hot bath then bed. My sis was nice enough to take baby "J's" night feeding so I could sleep. Speaking of "J" I am gone only a couple days and she is growing up so fast... she was attempting to roll back to front before I left and was very close but is officially doing it now and is doing a modified Army low crawl. She will be crawling in no time at all. She will squeal for you if you tickle her but today I officially got a real laugh out of her!! She turned 6 months on Sunday... time really does fly.
Today I had every intention of doing some Chemistry homework from class on missed on Thur and for class this Thur... but I got sucked into a good book and a nice long nap. So, tomorrow is homework and laundry (I did manage 2 loads tonight) I cant wait to get through this Thur night cause then I only have one more Thur night class meet after that and then I am done..... for 3 whole months. I am taking a semester off so that I can enjoy the Holidays for once, especially with the kiddos and also to get us moved since we have practically grown out of our house over night. Anxiously awaiting any word on the house we have an offer on, I really hope I hear something soon. I am packed and ready to go and starting to go a little stir crazy.... hopefully very soon!! So I am a to bed on time person now and better call it a day. Its been more relaxing than I had planned but tomorrow its seriousness no down time. I have to take this next year one day at a time and I will be ok.

*to tired tonight, but will try before bed tomorrow night to post a couple Vegas pictures!*

2 weeks come & gone...

I can not believe Shawn has been home for 2 weeks already. My stomach starts to turn when I really think about it. I wish I could keep him to myself for just a little bit longer, but the soldier and the soldiers wife in me knows better. Its time to start saying goodbye.

It has been a great 2 weeks but a very busy 2 weeks too. We managed to celebrate Halloween and this past Sunday we celebrated Thanksgiving. We had a total of 22 people over that I cooked a whole Thanksgiving meal for, family and some very close friends gathered around to send Shawn off with well wishes! It was "PERFECT" were the words Shawn used, as long as he liked it, it was a success then! We have had many appointments in the 2 weeks getting legal things in order for the just in case, as well as we met with an attorney and have officially started the adoption process for A becoming our legal daughter. Its all very exciting! Shawn is some how blessed with missing out on manual labor or any large extensive projects, he just signs his name on some paper and I can now adopt an 8 year old girl, as well as buy a 3,100 square foot house without him! This year I think will only be rougher in some aspects due to the fact that I have never been the one home... WITH KIDS. It is still so crazy to think that 6 months ago I only had a husband and 2 dogs to worry about. Sadly we lost Dinah and now it is just Fo, but I still have the hubby, plus a rabbit, some fish, a baby, an 8 year old, and a nanny... all we are missing now is the partridge in a pear tree.

We head for Vegas tomorrow for a small mini family vacation! Shawn, me and A, as well as my mom and her husband. We are going to enjoy the city, attend his going away ceremony for his unit and then the official goodbye for a year. Most soldiers get 2 weeks R & R in there tours but since he is the boss I keep in the back of my mind that it could not happen. So for 1 year I hold down the for while playing Mom and & Dad, being a soldier myself, attending college classes to get my Masters degree, run a non-profit organization and try very hard not to lose my mind. I say it over and over I am always up for a challenge, this may be the biggest one yet. So until November 2011 if I dont ever blog again it could be I have fallen off the face of the earth being over run with all that is my life. I know until November 2011 I wont fully feel like myself, Shawn and I complete each other, we are the only 2 people on the face of the earth that can stand each other... that means a lot!! (lol) So, friends and family if I forget to say it along the way I will say it now... THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU ARE GOING TO DO THIS NEXT YEAR IN SUPPORT OF SHAWN AND I, WE APPRECIATE YOU!!!

*I am getting really excited for this adoption to be done so that we can share A with you all* (6 months max and the world will meet our daughter)

Happy Halloween!

You read correctly, Happy Halloween! As a soldier deployed it is highly likely you will be participating in what is called the holiday gauntlet. Oct-Halloween, Nov-Thanksgiving, Dec-Christmas, Jan-New Years, Feb-Valentines, Mar-St. Patty's... Shawn is going to be going through this gauntlet soon. No matter how many times you do it its never easy. So, this time around I thought it would be cool to celebrate a few early, with him, before he leaves. Today, we dusted off our Halloween decor and placed it around the bare house (I am still chugging away at packing) I am a cupcake fan but Shawn asked for a cake so I made one, we made Halloween cookies, we had candy corn. I decorated the table super festive, we had one of Shawn's favorite meals, Turkey and potatoes and cheesy asparagus. It turned out really well, my mom came over to celebrate with us and we sat and watched "Its a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." Tomorrow we are going to carve a pumpkin. Not only did I think Shawn would enjoy celebrating Holidays early, but I thought it would be important to do this for A. This is the first Holidays with us and we have no way of knowing what her passed Holiday experiences were, so we want to give her a taste of our traditions and to re assure her of the family factor even though Shawn is leaving for a year.

This week is going to be insanely busy, we have several appointments for the girls. Many errands and appointments for Shawn to get him off for a year away from home with everything he needs and everything I may need without him here. Hopefully with my ability to juggle busy schedules and plan events as well as an obsession for ME time, we will have a good week... get everything accomplished, manage to relax and make some really great memories. This great weekend is a good sign that we can do this.