This month has zipped by so fast already... its Christmas this weekend. I am prepped for it with presents wrapped & under the tree, decorations up, lights up, cards out etc. But I am not mentally feeling prepped. I am hoping this weekend once in the midst of it all it will finally sink in... its Christmas! This year has been an amazing one to say the least. This time last year I was moving us into our new house by myself with two kids and didnt really get to enjoy the Holidays. This year Shawn is safely home from over seas, we have our beautiful 10 month old Foster Daughter "D" in our lives, in about 30 days we will be holding our first in our arms, we are healthy, both have jobs... I am feeling blessed thats for sure. With all thats gone on this year I am anxious to see what 2012 holds for the Adams family, I have a feeling some pretty amazing things! Thank you to everyone who has stood by us and helped us out over the obstacles this last year with Shawn being deployed we are so lucky to have such wonderful Friends and Family supporting us. Shawn has 5 years left in the Army and we are hoping he wont have to deploy but once if at all, that will be nice once he retires for only one of us to be in still. By then I will only have 5-6 years left myself, then we can just focus 100% on our family! I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holiday season, enjoy the time with your Friends and Family and reflecting on the past year good and bad and looking to next year to be a great year! Love to you all!!
Happy Holidays from the Adams Family
Shawn, Tara, "D", Baby Adams and Fo
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Non Stop...
If you are on Facebook then you will have seen some of the things we have been up to lately, if not, its been non stop since Shawn got home. A few days of relaxing and just hanging out at home but then it was time to jump into life. First up, we got maternity pictures done. Yes, a bit early but with the Holidays so close to the delivery date it was the best time to do them. Here are a few of my favorites...
We absolutely LOVE how they came out. We had an amazing photographer, you can check her out at: vickilynnphoto.com
We had a Halloween/Welcome Home Party for Shawn which was tons of fun. Shawn dressed up appropriately as Rambo and I was just "pregnant" lol!
A couple days later we had our Baby shower for little Baby Adams. Surrounded by so many friends & family it was a blast! We were overwhelmed with Baby & pink everything!
Shawn got a total of maybe two weeks off before heading back to teaching. His choice for many reasons. So, together as a team we worked hard to set up his classroom and other things to set him up for a successful school year. He is teaching 4th grade this year, and so far he loves it. Hes been back in the classroom for about 2 weeks now. I went thru the official screening process and became a district volunteer so that I could be assigned to him to volunteer in his classroom. I have already logged 14 hours of volunteer time for him. Well, unless you count the hours at home cutting things out and helping him plan things. Last time he was teaching he was going in for a couple hours on the weekend and it was a bummer for me. So, I wised up and am volunteering during the week to help him make copies, set up display boards etc so that he doesnt have to go in on the weekends and we can spend that time together instead.
I am home during the day with only 1 Foster kiddo right now. But this is a good thing since as of today I am 32 weeks 4 days pregnant, I have started to slow down doing things just a little bit. I have been so incredibly blessed with a smooth pregnancy, no sickness, maintained pretty high energy and no real abnormal ailments. We are due January 20th which will be here before we know it. I like to be prepared for things whenever I can so we are more than ready for this Baby to arrive. I have all her clothes washed and prepped. Shawn fixed the cradle we had which was hand made by my Grandpa, I slept in it, my siblings and my nephews slept in it and now our daughter will sleep in it. So amazing! I have an over night bag for Shawn, Baby and myself packed and sitting by the door. As well as the car seat it prepped and ready to go. I AM READY!!
We have fallen back into a pretty good routine at home. I was expecting Shawn to come home and just pick up the reins with 1/2 the load. But, with him jumping back into working so soon it didnt quite happen like that. I am still carrying quite a bit of the load but am slowly letting him take things over as he is ready. I know that by the time Baby Adams makes her appearance we will be settled into a solid routine. We are only nervous about the actual labor, since we have raised 2 babies already we know exactly what to expect once we are home.
In between welcoming Shawn home, celebrating the baby, the Holidays, getting Shawn back into the classroom, and trying to get a routine down at home... I have still be playing Army 1 weekend a month as well as I am going thru the application process to get into Arizona State University to start on a double Masters degree... Non Profit Administration and Social Work. They are just waiting on one last thing from me, a 4.5 hour long test I am taking this Friday that is required. All this while pregnant, there is no slowing me down lol! If I am accepted I will be starting School again in Jan/Feb time, I am super anxious to find out if they accept me or not. This is a big thing I never thought I would go as far as Masters degree, I guess I have my persistent Husband to blame.
Well I think that covers just about everything that has been going on since Shawn has been back home. It feels like forever ago some days but its only been about 7 weeks. I am just thankful to have him back at my side. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we had a nice quiet relaxing one with my Dad and Step Mom.
Today I have spent the day pulling out all the Christmas things and decorating the inside of the house. Hopefully next week a little every night we can get the lights up seeing as this weekend is booked with Army for Shawn and next weekend Army for me. No rest for the wicked I suppose, on the bright side its helping the days tick on by and we will be holding our precious little daughter in our arms in no time!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Picture follow up post
First up... my AWESOME new (well new to me) chairs! Second hand but I am very selective and I even go as far as to spot and sniff check, I know that sounds kinda funny and weird but not really if you think about it. They look almost brand new, they are now one of my top 5 favorite 2nd hand finds!
One of my Fall projects if hanging from the mirror. Just a bunch of scrap ribbon pieces I had in Fall colors tied in a row for instant, cheap and easy Fall color!
This punch of Halloween color was super simple and again very cheap. Its made with a wire hanger left over from the dry cleaners. I bent it into a circle and tied black heavy duty cloth that I cut into strips all the way around. I then decided it needed some orange so I used a thicker orange ribbon and randomly tied them on!
One of a slew of my recent organizing projects. Kid toys tucked away but easily accessible. Dummy proof really clear see thru bins AND labeled!! I LOVE my labeler!
Good bye cluttered counter! I mentioned I had three metal canisters on my counter containing flour, sugar and powdered sugar but that they did not hold the whole package and the rest was stored in the cupboard. I got smart and its all in the cupboard now nice and LABELED lol! Plus my counters look less cluttered, more room for prepping when cooking and baking!
Many more projects have been in the works especially in the organizing category so stay tuned!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Nightmare Before Christmas...
I have spent this past week making and decorating the house for Halloween and fall in general. My dinning room table has been covered in paper, ribbon and all sorts of fun stuff. With a bigger house to decorate I felt like the decorations from the hold house just didnt make any kind of statement. But, I didnt want to have to spend an arm and a leg to buy more. So, I got creative... one of my most favorite things to do! I made 2 ribbon wreaths, a ribbon banner, and a small laboratory display. I need to upload the photos to my lap top so will post those later this afternoon! I have also been listening to Christmas music while doing thins... I am so stoked for the Holidays this year. I usually am anyway its my favorite time of the year I get to wear 2 clothing obsessions... boots and scarfs, I love the time with family, good food, down time from work and just the over all splendor of it all. Starting with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Being in the military and married to the military some Holidays arent as fun when a loved on is not home but this year not only are we both home, but were spending our 1st Holidays TOGETHER in our new home, while waiting for the much anticipated arrival of our 1st child and a baby girl at that!! I feel like I might actually bubble over with excitement!!
Not only have I been busy with Holiday projects but house projects too. We have almost been in the house for a year now and I thought I better go thru closets, cupboards, nooks and crannies and clear anything out we havent used with a few small exceptions. In this process I ended up organizing even further than things already were. I am an organizing freak, I find that if everything has a place and you dont have to move anything to put things away the house will stay much cleaner. Its been a great philosophy. One I struggled with at the old house cause we never seemed to have enough room. Not the case any more, I even have empty cupboards which I love and will work hard to keep clear for kids later. My husband is one of those guys who has a hard time finding things but I have gone out of my way to put things in clear, cleanable labeled bins. Hes getting used to my organizing tactics and is more inclined to go look and find something on his own rather than pester me. Its come in great handy with kids, I can find things quickly and have even had a 2 year old who helped pick up his toys because it was so easy!! So, everyone benefits from this OCD thing I have. I will have to post a few pics of some of the newest nooks and crannies that have been cleaned up and cleared out. I recently decided less is more. Shawn has been sorta [reaching this to me for a long time and I have tried but I think I have finally embraced the spirit of it finally! I am working on less THINGS around the house and before I purchase something I really think long and hard about do we need this, and will it serve more than one purpose, last us a long time etc. For example in the kitchen I have had these 3 containers that were holding flour, sugar and powdered sugar but they couldnt hold the whole package so I had to store the rest in the pantry... it suddenly hit me that this was the dumbest thing ever. I grew up w this concept my Mom even does it now but I decided that it made more sense to just store it all in the pantry in clear labeled air tight sealed containers. (found some awesome ones at Kohles) So I now have more counter space and it actually makes my kitchen look even cleaner... Loving it!! You get the idea I have been on a mission and there is no stopping me. These happen occasionally and Shawn loves them but this one has been going on for over a month and I am almost upset that I am running out of things to organize lol! Other projects have been prepping the "pink room" (we thinks its cool to call our rooms by the colors they are painted, they do it in the White House so why not?!) The pink room is going to be our baby girls room once she turns two. Its upstairs and raising 2 babies already I have learned some valuable tools like stumbling past my bedroom door for a bottle, or a crying baby SUCKS! So instead of a nursery kiddos sleep in a crib in our room until they are 2 when they can then move upstairs into twin sized beds, we even have a mini fridge in our room for bottles so we literally role out of bed, feed & change baby and climb right back in all without turning on anything but a small nightlight! Genius really! Anyway in the pink room I have been arranging furniture and the closet, made some small wall art arrangements etc, its coming together so awesomely will post pictures soon!!
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY... but all fun and exciting ventures. Shawn should be home in 2 weeks or less I am praying for less. I am planning for less so spending the weekend trying to finish up projects. I am actually headed out the door to go 2nd hand furniture shopping and estate sailing with my Mom. I stumbled onto two glorious chairs yesterday for about $230 each... this is a steal because they look very similar to two I fell in love with about 2 years ago that were $1,000 a piece. I will post pictures of these two awesome finds later this afternoon with all my project pictures.
See you back here later for a quick pictures only post. Im off to get coffee and shop.... what a wonderful Saturday!!
Not only have I been busy with Holiday projects but house projects too. We have almost been in the house for a year now and I thought I better go thru closets, cupboards, nooks and crannies and clear anything out we havent used with a few small exceptions. In this process I ended up organizing even further than things already were. I am an organizing freak, I find that if everything has a place and you dont have to move anything to put things away the house will stay much cleaner. Its been a great philosophy. One I struggled with at the old house cause we never seemed to have enough room. Not the case any more, I even have empty cupboards which I love and will work hard to keep clear for kids later. My husband is one of those guys who has a hard time finding things but I have gone out of my way to put things in clear, cleanable labeled bins. Hes getting used to my organizing tactics and is more inclined to go look and find something on his own rather than pester me. Its come in great handy with kids, I can find things quickly and have even had a 2 year old who helped pick up his toys because it was so easy!! So, everyone benefits from this OCD thing I have. I will have to post a few pics of some of the newest nooks and crannies that have been cleaned up and cleared out. I recently decided less is more. Shawn has been sorta [reaching this to me for a long time and I have tried but I think I have finally embraced the spirit of it finally! I am working on less THINGS around the house and before I purchase something I really think long and hard about do we need this, and will it serve more than one purpose, last us a long time etc. For example in the kitchen I have had these 3 containers that were holding flour, sugar and powdered sugar but they couldnt hold the whole package so I had to store the rest in the pantry... it suddenly hit me that this was the dumbest thing ever. I grew up w this concept my Mom even does it now but I decided that it made more sense to just store it all in the pantry in clear labeled air tight sealed containers. (found some awesome ones at Kohles) So I now have more counter space and it actually makes my kitchen look even cleaner... Loving it!! You get the idea I have been on a mission and there is no stopping me. These happen occasionally and Shawn loves them but this one has been going on for over a month and I am almost upset that I am running out of things to organize lol! Other projects have been prepping the "pink room" (we thinks its cool to call our rooms by the colors they are painted, they do it in the White House so why not?!) The pink room is going to be our baby girls room once she turns two. Its upstairs and raising 2 babies already I have learned some valuable tools like stumbling past my bedroom door for a bottle, or a crying baby SUCKS! So instead of a nursery kiddos sleep in a crib in our room until they are 2 when they can then move upstairs into twin sized beds, we even have a mini fridge in our room for bottles so we literally role out of bed, feed & change baby and climb right back in all without turning on anything but a small nightlight! Genius really! Anyway in the pink room I have been arranging furniture and the closet, made some small wall art arrangements etc, its coming together so awesomely will post pictures soon!!
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY... but all fun and exciting ventures. Shawn should be home in 2 weeks or less I am praying for less. I am planning for less so spending the weekend trying to finish up projects. I am actually headed out the door to go 2nd hand furniture shopping and estate sailing with my Mom. I stumbled onto two glorious chairs yesterday for about $230 each... this is a steal because they look very similar to two I fell in love with about 2 years ago that were $1,000 a piece. I will post pictures of these two awesome finds later this afternoon with all my project pictures.
See you back here later for a quick pictures only post. Im off to get coffee and shop.... what a wonderful Saturday!!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Early to bed
8pm and the little one is in bed... even the dog went to bed. So, I have some peace and quiet down time for 45 wonderful minutes! What better time to blog!
Semi productive day today... started & completed 3 projects for the pink room (Pics tomorrow of the projects!) as I have affectionally named it. I dont want to call it the nursery because we dont plan on putting Baby Adams in there until she is 2 and we are waiting anxiously to see if D is going to be in our lives forever or not. The plan is for them to share a room I have painted pink. Yes, pink. Its a pale pink and I have adding punches of hot pink, a pale green, some baby blue hidden in there, just fun all around. I am going for a little bit of a funky, modern vintage feel. No actual theme because the girls would grow up just wanting to change it so I have even kept the bedding in solid colors. I am anxiously awaiting the Hubbies muscles... not that I cant do it myself and I am dying to trust me but I wont take any chances while prego. There are a few things to be hung and a headboard that needs to be cut down before I will take pictures to share with you all. I will take pictures I promise your just going to have to wait a little bit longer.
The past two days I have been buried in our GIANT master closet trying to organize it like a game of tetris. You would think with it being the size of a small bedroom this would be easy... wrong. See we have 2 dressers in our room that I am going to have the Hubby move up stairs into our Foster care room and we are going to have NO dressers in our room. For the look of simplicity really. Besides I now have a crib AND a cradle in my room so its getting a little crowded and less romantic feeling in the Master Suit. I would however love to get an electric fireplace in there. We have one in the front room as seen in previous pictures and we love it! The dressers have to go other wise we would be wall to wall furniture, literally. I am on a mission then, to get every piece of clothing, shoes, purses, accessories, etc into our closet. Its not impossible, it might just be me cause I might be boarder line OCD and have a serious organizing streak in me. I am getting close to being done so possibly next blog post will be a glimpse into our closet!
All I have for you now is a few before pictures of the kitchen, tomorrow will be the after ones .... Enjoy.
BEFORE:
Semi productive day today... started & completed 3 projects for the pink room (Pics tomorrow of the projects!) as I have affectionally named it. I dont want to call it the nursery because we dont plan on putting Baby Adams in there until she is 2 and we are waiting anxiously to see if D is going to be in our lives forever or not. The plan is for them to share a room I have painted pink. Yes, pink. Its a pale pink and I have adding punches of hot pink, a pale green, some baby blue hidden in there, just fun all around. I am going for a little bit of a funky, modern vintage feel. No actual theme because the girls would grow up just wanting to change it so I have even kept the bedding in solid colors. I am anxiously awaiting the Hubbies muscles... not that I cant do it myself and I am dying to trust me but I wont take any chances while prego. There are a few things to be hung and a headboard that needs to be cut down before I will take pictures to share with you all. I will take pictures I promise your just going to have to wait a little bit longer.
The past two days I have been buried in our GIANT master closet trying to organize it like a game of tetris. You would think with it being the size of a small bedroom this would be easy... wrong. See we have 2 dressers in our room that I am going to have the Hubby move up stairs into our Foster care room and we are going to have NO dressers in our room. For the look of simplicity really. Besides I now have a crib AND a cradle in my room so its getting a little crowded and less romantic feeling in the Master Suit. I would however love to get an electric fireplace in there. We have one in the front room as seen in previous pictures and we love it! The dressers have to go other wise we would be wall to wall furniture, literally. I am on a mission then, to get every piece of clothing, shoes, purses, accessories, etc into our closet. Its not impossible, it might just be me cause I might be boarder line OCD and have a serious organizing streak in me. I am getting close to being done so possibly next blog post will be a glimpse into our closet!
All I have for you now is a few before pictures of the kitchen, tomorrow will be the after ones .... Enjoy.
BEFORE:
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
4 weeks
So today marks only 4 more weeks to go until the wonderful moment I get to run into my hubbies arms. I am so anxious and excited more than any other deployment, its been a really long year full of so many challenges. As I soldier I know some of the briefings you get upon returning home and many times they talk about your spouse has been running the show and has become self sufficient so dont be surprised if its hard to integrate... NOT this spouse. I will be nice and give him a few days off but I am ready and waiting to hand over the reins! I think this giant house will finally feel more like home with him in it and us living out our daily schedules together. We are very anxious to start living the family life. Dont get me wrong we have had a great time the past 8 years just the two of us, we have really gotten to know each other more than most couples before having kids. Not to mention the Foster Parenting... I dont think a couple could be more ready for a baby than we are right now. Its still sinking in that we are having a baby, a baby girl at that a dream come true for both of us!! I just have to get thru this home stretch... I know that the days will continue to tick on by but I would love to just snap my fingers and be standing all dressed up waiting to jump into his arms. Well, ok I dont know if this go round I will be jumping the belly might get in the way, but I sure will throwing my arms around him! I am excited to spend a few days in Vegas too as a mini vacation before jumping back into life together again. A lot of couples struggle with the separation of deployment and I am not down playing it, it sucks but Shawn and I use it as a chance to appreciate each other all over again the separation actually makes us love each other all over again. When you get home for us its been almost like a honey moon all over again. We joke after a year or more of being home that its time for one of us to deploy again cause by then we start to irritate each other, with love of course. So far Shawn has never been the spouse left at home deff not the the single parent left at home, I have been hoping this could happen soon so he can experience this end of a deployment. Being a soldier and being a deployed soldier I very much respect and understand that part of the experience, just need the shoe on the other foot for him! Im sure he will handle it fine hes very good at balancing and planning but he would just understand my thoughts and emotions from being on this end more. I have great respect for military families who have endured these multiple deployments and am happy to hear that they will soon die down and hopefully the families can get back to some semblance of normal. I light a candle every Sunday for all soldier's who are deployed the the loved ones the have left at home. 4 more weeks seems like forever away but right around the corner too, I cant wait!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Blogging slacker
Wow I have really been slacking haven't I?! Well here goes trying to update...
In June the hubby came home on leave and it was the most amazing 2 weeks EVER! Nice and slow paced, fun and even relaxing. We saw Tyler graduate High School, we sadly said good bye to J (but still get to see her), I celebrated the big 30, & we announced we were preggers! We had done IVF and were blessed that it work... to date today we are officially 20 weeks. ITS A GIRL!! Never did I imagine my husband being so excited about having a daughter. I did not have a preference as to what we had as long as it was a healthy baby, after a long journey of ups and downs I just wanted a baby. Now I couldn't be happier. I have been trying live a zen life I guess you could say during the pregnancy. Eating healthy (have only gained 8 lbs), staying steady active but getting an equal amount of rest (naps) and so far it has paid off. I haven't been sick, I have plenty of energy and baby according to ultra sound tech said everything looks "perfect"!! I will be glad when the hubs is back home though so I can relax a little bit more. I am anxious of course to hold our little bundle of joy but am in no hurry she can stay in there nice and safe until our due date, Jan 20,2012. I am soooo ready for her on the other hand, all this Foster Parenting I have raised two babies in the past year & 1/2 that I feel like I will be able to raise ours with my eyes closed. Im not panicked about being ready because really we already have everything we need, and when we moved into the house I decorated 3 bedrooms... 1 girly, 1 that was more boy but could easily be girly, & a 3rd gender neutral. I have a ton of baby girl clothes since the 2 foster babies we have had were girls, but I did recently go out and buy some new things.... washed them, folded them and organized them all ready to go! The holidays are going to be upon us in no time so I figured now was a good a time as any. We are ready! The only things left to do is go sign in with our hospital to let them know we will be coming in January and go take a lamaze class. I have elected to do no drugs and will be sticking to it, I figure if women of that past could do it then so can I, I am a soldier for goodness sakes... I will let you all know how it goes. So until the hubby comes home some time in October I am spending these last few weeks working on the finishing touches of the house. I have been done over all for months but just tweaking a few things. I wanted to finally share some pictures with you all, so here there are.... (finally!)
Previous owners paint colors all in flat paint, not kid friendly.
In June the hubby came home on leave and it was the most amazing 2 weeks EVER! Nice and slow paced, fun and even relaxing. We saw Tyler graduate High School, we sadly said good bye to J (but still get to see her), I celebrated the big 30, & we announced we were preggers! We had done IVF and were blessed that it work... to date today we are officially 20 weeks. ITS A GIRL!! Never did I imagine my husband being so excited about having a daughter. I did not have a preference as to what we had as long as it was a healthy baby, after a long journey of ups and downs I just wanted a baby. Now I couldn't be happier. I have been trying live a zen life I guess you could say during the pregnancy. Eating healthy (have only gained 8 lbs), staying steady active but getting an equal amount of rest (naps) and so far it has paid off. I haven't been sick, I have plenty of energy and baby according to ultra sound tech said everything looks "perfect"!! I will be glad when the hubs is back home though so I can relax a little bit more. I am anxious of course to hold our little bundle of joy but am in no hurry she can stay in there nice and safe until our due date, Jan 20,2012. I am soooo ready for her on the other hand, all this Foster Parenting I have raised two babies in the past year & 1/2 that I feel like I will be able to raise ours with my eyes closed. Im not panicked about being ready because really we already have everything we need, and when we moved into the house I decorated 3 bedrooms... 1 girly, 1 that was more boy but could easily be girly, & a 3rd gender neutral. I have a ton of baby girl clothes since the 2 foster babies we have had were girls, but I did recently go out and buy some new things.... washed them, folded them and organized them all ready to go! The holidays are going to be upon us in no time so I figured now was a good a time as any. We are ready! The only things left to do is go sign in with our hospital to let them know we will be coming in January and go take a lamaze class. I have elected to do no drugs and will be sticking to it, I figure if women of that past could do it then so can I, I am a soldier for goodness sakes... I will let you all know how it goes. So until the hubby comes home some time in October I am spending these last few weeks working on the finishing touches of the house. I have been done over all for months but just tweaking a few things. I wanted to finally share some pictures with you all, so here there are.... (finally!)
Previous owners paint colors all in flat paint, not kid friendly.
Our paint color choices and decor. The tan is the same we just had it re done in semi gloss. But replaced the copper with a nice green.
This is basically the view you see as soon as you walk thru the front door. Awesome giant windows looking onto the back patio and yard with a swimming pool. This picture was taken the day we looked at the house for the 1st time and a couple hours later Shawn got on a plane for a year.
After...
Before...
After...
Our entry way before was plain tan and had white shutters on the window.
After...
Took me almost a week, but I measured and painted these stripes, it was worth every minute cause I love them!
Thats it for now, more to come soon and do mean soon!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
2 blogs a month isn't bad I guess...
Where does the time go sometimes? I am some how managing to keep up with the daily routine with the kids and all. Laundry, dishes, picking up the daily mess thats about it if I am lucky. "J" is gone on the weekends right now and its my chance to catch up on anything I didnt get done during the week... this weekend I did a whole lot of nothing. Today I slept in, went to church the to go see the new Pirates movie with my Dad and Step Mom its was a nice lazy day! When I got home from the movie I went into freak cleaning mode in the kitchen when I found some bugs, gross. Now I am waxed... watching Taken (AWESOME Movie, I would so be a parent who hunted anyone down who took my kid & Liam is plays his part so well) I am catching up on some over due blogging (obviously) & I just ate stouffers mac n cheese which I am lately addicted to. I have been eating a lot of microwaveable food for dinner these days. Silly to cook for one adult and besides the girls never seem to let me do much, I am lucky to go to the bathroom, throw in a quick load of laundry or do the dishes really fast on a good day. My Dad and Step Mom love to cook and are always watching the cooking channel and cooking up some amazing food. They told me they dont approve of my new eating habits and are going to start cooking for me and bringing me food! I keep telling Shawn if we ever won the lotto I would get a cook and maid that way I could have fun and focus on the kids. Well seems I have gotten the cooks lol now I just need a maid.... anyone interested were not super messy...
Not a whole lot new here. My days seem to blend into each other but everyday with out fail the girls make me laugh and smile so it makes it all worth it. I have yet to have a solid nights sleep now in over 7 months. Down to 2 weeks until Shawn comes home and I am so excited. Excited to run into his arms which I do literally every time we are apart. Excited to show him how I have made our new house a home, & I have never been so excited for a hot summer before. Now we have a pool which will make it so much more bearable and even enjoyable. Even if its only two weeks I will be so happy to hold Shawn's hand, to get even one full nights sleep, to actually cook in our nice new kitchen so many little things that so many people take advantage of. I love being an Army wife and would not have it any other way because I am married to a true Hero willing to sacrifice so much to make his family and even people he doesnt know safe. I think about the living conditions I saw while living in Iraq for a year and I am so great full to be an American living with so many freedoms, something so simple as plumbing, my kids wearing shoes and not walking barefoot, being able to walk outside without the fear of being occupied and the casualties of war. I LOVE MY SOLDIER!!
Think thats about it for the Adams family for now. I will have much to share while Shawn is home and will actually have a free moment or two to blog! Hope everyone is well and prepping to have a really great summer.
Not a whole lot new here. My days seem to blend into each other but everyday with out fail the girls make me laugh and smile so it makes it all worth it. I have yet to have a solid nights sleep now in over 7 months. Down to 2 weeks until Shawn comes home and I am so excited. Excited to run into his arms which I do literally every time we are apart. Excited to show him how I have made our new house a home, & I have never been so excited for a hot summer before. Now we have a pool which will make it so much more bearable and even enjoyable. Even if its only two weeks I will be so happy to hold Shawn's hand, to get even one full nights sleep, to actually cook in our nice new kitchen so many little things that so many people take advantage of. I love being an Army wife and would not have it any other way because I am married to a true Hero willing to sacrifice so much to make his family and even people he doesnt know safe. I think about the living conditions I saw while living in Iraq for a year and I am so great full to be an American living with so many freedoms, something so simple as plumbing, my kids wearing shoes and not walking barefoot, being able to walk outside without the fear of being occupied and the casualties of war. I LOVE MY SOLDIER!!
Think thats about it for the Adams family for now. I will have much to share while Shawn is home and will actually have a free moment or two to blog! Hope everyone is well and prepping to have a really great summer.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Another Day Down
The days are just flying by. Ive heard people wish for more hours in a day... heck I have said it myself. I wish it still sometimes when my to do list gets out of control. I am T minus 39 days until Shawn gets home and I wish there were LESS hours in the day so he would just be here already. I miss him terribly even when we squabble on the phone about something stupid I wish I could see his face while we are being stubborn. I miss so many things about him. I remember when we were dating, we were both busy working on active duty and going to school. We were on opposite shifts so it was hard to see each other and when did it was usually snuggled on the sofa each of us lost in a text book... I would take that over days on end of not seeing each other any day. I am a strong independent woman I could even go a whole year apart but I am only human if I long for my wonderful husband.
In other news I am down to two kiddos, I had three for a while, talk about BUSY. I have never been a parent before so this is all a learning experience. I can say though by the time we have our own I will be a pro!! Just "J" who is now a year old we threw a wonderful 1st Birthday for her! As well as another little one "D" who is now 10 weeks. They make me smile every day, I love them both to pieces!! It will be hard to see "J" go but I remind myself daily they are not mine and I am just supposed to love them and keep them safe until fate decides other wise. I never used to be so carefree and easy going in my thinking I have my husband to blame and thank for that. We have been fostering for a year now and have had 6 different kids come into our lives, they have all stolen our hearts and taught us so many things along the way. I look forward to so many years to come of these innocent kids coming into our home and lives. My family has been wonderful about embracing them and making them feel like they are part of the family its so awesome to see. More people need to do this and I know it takes a special kind of person but not really all you have to do is love them and keep them safe. So many NEED that and there are so many that can give that but are afraid to put forth the effort. I hope to turn more people onto fostering.
Went to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert last night with my Dad & Step Mom... It was AMAZING! He has such an astounding life story that is touching, moving, sad but energetic and renewing all at once. It was nice to get out of the house for a little bit as well of course. Right now its nap time and the sound of silence is beautiful! I have many of things to be doing but have made a personal promise to blog more. To share our story, for family & friends to see what we are up to, & maybe even en spire, creative outlet.
I hope everyone is well, summer is almost officially upon us.... with a pool now I couldnt be more excited to roast in the sun!!!
In other news I am down to two kiddos, I had three for a while, talk about BUSY. I have never been a parent before so this is all a learning experience. I can say though by the time we have our own I will be a pro!! Just "J" who is now a year old we threw a wonderful 1st Birthday for her! As well as another little one "D" who is now 10 weeks. They make me smile every day, I love them both to pieces!! It will be hard to see "J" go but I remind myself daily they are not mine and I am just supposed to love them and keep them safe until fate decides other wise. I never used to be so carefree and easy going in my thinking I have my husband to blame and thank for that. We have been fostering for a year now and have had 6 different kids come into our lives, they have all stolen our hearts and taught us so many things along the way. I look forward to so many years to come of these innocent kids coming into our home and lives. My family has been wonderful about embracing them and making them feel like they are part of the family its so awesome to see. More people need to do this and I know it takes a special kind of person but not really all you have to do is love them and keep them safe. So many NEED that and there are so many that can give that but are afraid to put forth the effort. I hope to turn more people onto fostering.
Went to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert last night with my Dad & Step Mom... It was AMAZING! He has such an astounding life story that is touching, moving, sad but energetic and renewing all at once. It was nice to get out of the house for a little bit as well of course. Right now its nap time and the sound of silence is beautiful! I have many of things to be doing but have made a personal promise to blog more. To share our story, for family & friends to see what we are up to, & maybe even en spire, creative outlet.
I hope everyone is well, summer is almost officially upon us.... with a pool now I couldnt be more excited to roast in the sun!!!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Where is the year going... with out me?
The days are flying by... which is good cause Shawn comes home but bad cause I still have so much to do before then. STILL painting... only 3 bed rooms, 1 bathroom and the 2 car garage left. Can't wait to be done. Summer is right around the corner so gotta purchase ceiling fans for all the rooms and get those guys installed! The pool is getting drained, scrubbed and re filled starting Tue and I am SOOO excited, I cant wait to get into it. I had an above ground pool during highschool years and have been dying to have a pool every summer... THIS IS THE SUMMER!! Probably wont be blogging much... I will be pool side! The kids will love it which will make it even more fun. Picked up a few pool toys today, dont want to be over run by them so just the necessary. Got a table and chairs on the back patio today too for the kids to eat lunch at... no wet kiddos in my house.
Kids are keeping me busy, 3 is no joke on your own. I have most things concord like getting them up & going in the mornings and down for bed & naps. I dont mind taking all 3 out for errands, especially with the new Suburban we got makes it much easier for transport and Ive gotten pretty savvy once we hit the store too. Some would think I have been doing it for years instead of only weeks. "J" is officially 11 months now and we found out we will have her for her first Birthday... a BIG shin dig is already in the works! "I" will be going to live with a Grandma before the end of April. But "D" will be with us for quite some time so that will be fun to be blessed with another baby and experience all the firsts, its so much fun and so amazing to watch. "J" has been sick now since Monday night... had to call in re enforcement's... she is such a puke machine and wants no one but me when she is sick. So, my Sis who just moved out last week, came over with my Dad & Step Mom to help keep the other two kids occupied and taken care of. (Thanks guys!!) I have gotten pretty much no sleep in the past 5 days so my fuse is pretty short these days but "J" is at an over night weekend visit so I am going to get as much sleep as "D" will let me who recently has been sleeping 6-7 hours and only at 6 weeks... I love her already!! Shes such an easy going low maintenance baby compared to "J" they are like night & day.
Any way kids keeping my days kid filled and I am still cranking away at painting this gigantic house. I am still unpacking the garages. I have not even started to unpack my loft area thats filled with all my crafts and scrapbooking stuff... I will need lots of free time for that one cause I will get sucked into my stuff!! Each day if I can get one more thing done that gets me closer to the finish line of having this house in the exact order I want it were doing good. By the time Shawn comes home in June I want all painting, unpacking and projects done so this place looks like a model home for him to come home to and relax... keep you posted if I complete this mission. Hope everyone elses year is not running away from them... I cant believe its going to be April in 1 week... "J" turning 1, my sis turning 21, and Easter... lots of party planning to do... stay tuned for pictures!! OK, Im going to go read and book in the tub and hope I dont fall asleep in the process. Night all.
Kids are keeping me busy, 3 is no joke on your own. I have most things concord like getting them up & going in the mornings and down for bed & naps. I dont mind taking all 3 out for errands, especially with the new Suburban we got makes it much easier for transport and Ive gotten pretty savvy once we hit the store too. Some would think I have been doing it for years instead of only weeks. "J" is officially 11 months now and we found out we will have her for her first Birthday... a BIG shin dig is already in the works! "I" will be going to live with a Grandma before the end of April. But "D" will be with us for quite some time so that will be fun to be blessed with another baby and experience all the firsts, its so much fun and so amazing to watch. "J" has been sick now since Monday night... had to call in re enforcement's... she is such a puke machine and wants no one but me when she is sick. So, my Sis who just moved out last week, came over with my Dad & Step Mom to help keep the other two kids occupied and taken care of. (Thanks guys!!) I have gotten pretty much no sleep in the past 5 days so my fuse is pretty short these days but "J" is at an over night weekend visit so I am going to get as much sleep as "D" will let me who recently has been sleeping 6-7 hours and only at 6 weeks... I love her already!! Shes such an easy going low maintenance baby compared to "J" they are like night & day.
Any way kids keeping my days kid filled and I am still cranking away at painting this gigantic house. I am still unpacking the garages. I have not even started to unpack my loft area thats filled with all my crafts and scrapbooking stuff... I will need lots of free time for that one cause I will get sucked into my stuff!! Each day if I can get one more thing done that gets me closer to the finish line of having this house in the exact order I want it were doing good. By the time Shawn comes home in June I want all painting, unpacking and projects done so this place looks like a model home for him to come home to and relax... keep you posted if I complete this mission. Hope everyone elses year is not running away from them... I cant believe its going to be April in 1 week... "J" turning 1, my sis turning 21, and Easter... lots of party planning to do... stay tuned for pictures!! OK, Im going to go read and book in the tub and hope I dont fall asleep in the process. Night all.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Whew...
I have been FALLING into bed at night these days. I am loving these kids more & more every day but they are sure giving me a run for my money.
The 2 year old is very energetic, hes not high maintenance thank goodness but he has his moment every once in a while. Hes super adorable, really smart, over all super well behaved for a 2 year old boy and he continues to make me laugh several times a day.
Baby "D" is like a textbook baby... we are at average every 4 hours now during the day she wakes up to feed, burp, and a diaper change. Some times now she stays awake checking things out for a few but then right back to sleep. At night I have got her almost up to 6 hours... she's only 7 weeks old... by the time we have kids I will have my kid sleeping through the night the first night lol! Everyday I feel more and more like I have been a Mom for like a hundred years. I have some really great systems set up... ask my sis who has been a huge help with the kids I am super anal about keeping the systems in play... cause they work! Trial & error. I could really go for a full nights sleep more often and maybe a whole day to myself every two weeks then I might feel like I could do anything. The girls are the ones guilty of interrupting my nights, "J" wakes up around 2 or 5 cranky and wanting a bottle for some reason still working on trying to cure that prior but no luck thus far... will keep at it. "I" WAS having a horrible time going down for naps and night time but after several things we got a routine down that works and have cured the screaming tantrums.
My sister is moving out this week in with my Dad & Step Mom so I have been working hard at doing things completely on my own with the kids and the house. The only thing I have not concord is the mornings... the kids all seem to wake up at the same time no matter what I do. I have them staggered going down for naps/waking up from naps & going down to bed... just not waking up yet. Wish me luck, if I can get this down to a science I think days will be great... gotta start off on the right foot.
We bought a Chevy Suburban last week and I am LOVING it, its perfect to haul the kids and there things in and all there stuff. We were squished in the xterra. We kept the xterra as a back up vehicle... I bought that on my own 5 years ago and we have had not issues with it and we paid it off almost 2 years ago so I felt almost guilty getting rid of it. So, my wonderful husband let me keep it ;-) The "Burb" as Shawn has fondly named the new suv is one of the best things we have ever bought, I love driving it, the kids are not on top of each other and there is even a little room to grow since we have no idea what the future holds for this family but we like to think BIG!!
So, my life these days I eat sleep and breathe the kids and in between the huge house. I feel like I am at a happy high in my life. We have been so blessed this year being able to get a new house and vehicle to support our plans of a big family and I am so excited to see what the months and years ahead have in store for us!! Its getting closer to Shawn coming home on leave and I am almost jumping out of my skin I am so proud of all that I have done quite often single handedly but with some amazing help of my family by getting us settled into our new home and I cant wait for him to see it. Since projects are slower going with kids I am afraid you all will have to wait till Shawn sees the house to see pictures. I am working hard to complete ALL projects by this summer... pretty ambitious but I am pretty certain I can do it!! Got really creative today... baby gated "J" & "I" in "I's" room with toys and a portable dvd player while I did some painting in the hallway... didnt get a whole lot done but something is better than nothing! Its late, Im rambling and I am exhausted so... night family and friends.
The 2 year old is very energetic, hes not high maintenance thank goodness but he has his moment every once in a while. Hes super adorable, really smart, over all super well behaved for a 2 year old boy and he continues to make me laugh several times a day.
Baby "D" is like a textbook baby... we are at average every 4 hours now during the day she wakes up to feed, burp, and a diaper change. Some times now she stays awake checking things out for a few but then right back to sleep. At night I have got her almost up to 6 hours... she's only 7 weeks old... by the time we have kids I will have my kid sleeping through the night the first night lol! Everyday I feel more and more like I have been a Mom for like a hundred years. I have some really great systems set up... ask my sis who has been a huge help with the kids I am super anal about keeping the systems in play... cause they work! Trial & error. I could really go for a full nights sleep more often and maybe a whole day to myself every two weeks then I might feel like I could do anything. The girls are the ones guilty of interrupting my nights, "J" wakes up around 2 or 5 cranky and wanting a bottle for some reason still working on trying to cure that prior but no luck thus far... will keep at it. "I" WAS having a horrible time going down for naps and night time but after several things we got a routine down that works and have cured the screaming tantrums.
My sister is moving out this week in with my Dad & Step Mom so I have been working hard at doing things completely on my own with the kids and the house. The only thing I have not concord is the mornings... the kids all seem to wake up at the same time no matter what I do. I have them staggered going down for naps/waking up from naps & going down to bed... just not waking up yet. Wish me luck, if I can get this down to a science I think days will be great... gotta start off on the right foot.
We bought a Chevy Suburban last week and I am LOVING it, its perfect to haul the kids and there things in and all there stuff. We were squished in the xterra. We kept the xterra as a back up vehicle... I bought that on my own 5 years ago and we have had not issues with it and we paid it off almost 2 years ago so I felt almost guilty getting rid of it. So, my wonderful husband let me keep it ;-) The "Burb" as Shawn has fondly named the new suv is one of the best things we have ever bought, I love driving it, the kids are not on top of each other and there is even a little room to grow since we have no idea what the future holds for this family but we like to think BIG!!
So, my life these days I eat sleep and breathe the kids and in between the huge house. I feel like I am at a happy high in my life. We have been so blessed this year being able to get a new house and vehicle to support our plans of a big family and I am so excited to see what the months and years ahead have in store for us!! Its getting closer to Shawn coming home on leave and I am almost jumping out of my skin I am so proud of all that I have done quite often single handedly but with some amazing help of my family by getting us settled into our new home and I cant wait for him to see it. Since projects are slower going with kids I am afraid you all will have to wait till Shawn sees the house to see pictures. I am working hard to complete ALL projects by this summer... pretty ambitious but I am pretty certain I can do it!! Got really creative today... baby gated "J" & "I" in "I's" room with toys and a portable dvd player while I did some painting in the hallway... didnt get a whole lot done but something is better than nothing! Its late, Im rambling and I am exhausted so... night family and friends.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Busy Mom... That's ME!
SO..... every day has its surprises! It had been relatively quite in the Adams house hold with just baby "J" and I had planned on taking a small break and just enjoying her before she is set to leave us this summer. But, I got a text from my licensing agency that there was a baby girl only 4 days old at a hospital only 5 min from my house... the one my Step Mom works at actually. How could I say no to a 4 day old baby girl... I couldn't so I set off to go pick her up and my Step Mom met me upstairs when she got off work to help get her settled in at home. Baby "J" was at home with my Dad who was so graciously making dinner for me that night. (Best parents ever!!) It has now been almost 3 weeks that baby "D" has been in our lives. She is a really well behaved baby girl... she was sleeping every 3-4 hours waking up to feed & be changed and that was that. Now she is on a 4-5 hour schedule which is GREAT!! Especially considering only a few days ago I got a phone call that baby "D" has 3 brothers who had been removed from the home and did I want one (a 2 yr old, 4 yr old & a 5 yr old) I said yes to the 2 year old. So, yes now I have a 2 year old boy in the house... that equals 3 kids under the age of two in the house. It was pretty crazy at first and it still has its occasional moment but we have fallen into a pretty good routine. My sister is moving out next week so I will be doing it alone which I have insisted on doing for the most part already to get used to the demands. Its been really good so far. Sunday, I was so proud of myself I got all three kids fed, bathed, dressed and out the door to church... all by my self! I impress myself sometimes ;-) I am actually really enjoying it the kids keep me busy which makes my days go by faster for the anticipation of Shawn coming home and a bonus... they make me smile several times a day. I couldn't ask for more right now. Everything happens for a reason! School fell thru this semester and I was bummed I was going to have to wait till May... now not so much. Needless to say house projects have slowed... not to a halt, just slowed so pictures will just have to wait a bit longer. Just another day in the life of the Adams family...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Hello weekend!
I am so excited for this weekend... I have completed so much this week off my to do list it feels soooo great! I have actually impressed my self. One minute I'm painting (yes still painting, 3,100 sq ft is no joke) the next minute I'm playing Mom while making appointments, folding laundry and finishing unpacking. Right now I am blogging while holding a 5 day old little girl that just came into our home last night. Our newest foster child, baby "D." She is a good little baby, so much easier than baby "J" since she is full term she just eats with no complications and goes back to sleep right on the dot, every 3 hours. Baby "J" who has seriously become a Mama's girl is enthralled by baby "D" but is pretty jealous. She tried taking the bottle from "D" this morning and after 3 stern "No's" from me she threw her first official BIG temper tantrum. It was funny and sad all at once. I had made arrangements for my Dad and step Mom to take baby "J" this weekend so that I could just relax and focus on me at home and get some sleep... "J" has been sick up until 2 days ago. Little did I know I would be getting a littler one. My sister is a champ and is going to be on baby "D" duty this weekend. Its going to be a perfect weekend. I love rainy days here in AZ and it looks like its going to rain all weekend long. I plan on watching season 2 & 3 of Gilmore Girls that the hubby surprised me with, catch up on some reading, catch up on some shut eye, and catch up on emails/phone calls!!! My sister was cool enough to start my weekend off on the right foot by ordering Red Lobster for dinner... YUM! I hope everyone else is looking at a relaxing weekend, remember to take some time out for you and dont get consumed with all the to do.
On another note before I sign off... here are the pictures of our wonderful new home that were posted online when it was for sale (original owner). They do NOT do it any justice and I have made so MANY changes already but gotta start at the very begging to get the full scope. After these I will post the pictures of it empty when we came to see it in person for the first time, a few in between pictures and then the finally! ENJOY!
On another note before I sign off... here are the pictures of our wonderful new home that were posted online when it was for sale (original owner). They do NOT do it any justice and I have made so MANY changes already but gotta start at the very begging to get the full scope. After these I will post the pictures of it empty when we came to see it in person for the first time, a few in between pictures and then the finally! ENJOY!
View one of the kitchen
in the kitchen looking into the back tv room
View two of the kitchen
guest bath downstairs
5th bedroom downstairs
Master bedroom downstairs
Master bathroom
Front room
2nd bedroom upstairs
upstairs bathroom
salt water play pool... with fountains in the wall
2nd view of pool
back patio
tv room off of kitchen
Friday, February 11, 2011
Run away year...
Everything happens for a reason... is so far the theme of this year. I never saw it coming... but we are no longer the parents of our spirited 8 year old foster daughter. We decided together that she needed a much more stable environment to be able to continue moving forward in her journey in life. She came such a long way in the 9 months she was with us and everyone is so pleased with her progress. I knew she would test me with Shawn gone but she really started to regress in her behaviors. We realized that we had seriously rocked her boat and that we were going to do so many more times in this year and next year so we decided for her sake that it was time to move on. I was fortunate enough to be a part in the selecting of a new family for her and everything fell into place so unexpectedly that is truly proved that everything happens for a reason. She is settled in with her new family and they knew going in what they were getting into and have be so wonderful in letting Me and Shawn be a apart of her life still. We are all adjusting pretty well and I think that God had a plan that non of us knew about but it has worked out so well in every aspect for everyone involved. In a way its part of the whole foster parent experience we cant keep every child that comes into our lives but we sure can help make a difference and leave a positive impression in the time that we have them, and we did just that with "A".
We still have baby "J" who will soon be turning 10 months, I cant believe it. She is holding strong at about 16.5 lbs which is really good for her. She has been sick several times with some serious congestion problems due to her being a preemie. I am running on little sleep and am no longer really fazed by being puked on and coated head to toe in it... I am not exaggerating. She has for sure given us a crash course in parenting... I think people should do foster care if they are thinking about having kids and then they can make an informed decision as to what they are getting into.
I have been plowing away and settling into the new house, its coming along nicely and I am truly in homeownership love. I have a little painting left but as soon as thats done I will be letting everyone into our gorgeous home. I am so excited to fill it with children, laughter and love. Only 117 more days until Shawn will be home to be by my side to be enjoying this with me!!! (Miss you terribly my love xoxo)
My days are clicking on by I am busy with Dr apts for Jessica... every week. I just registered for school and on Feb 21st will be starting my Masters degree!! I just picked up my BA diploma at my school on Wednesday and I was so giddy holding that piece of paper, Thank you Uncle Sam for footing the bill and Thank you Lord for giving me the perseverance to see it through to the end no matter how many hick ups came along the way. I look forward to my journey in pursuing my Masters degree... AND I have decided that I will be pursuing a second Masters later on... I know I am crazy its that simple. Thank you to my wonderful Hubby for being my cheering section along the way, he is my motivation and the reason I work so hard at everything I do... saving the world as he likes to say. My wonderful girlfriends and I that started a non-profit has hoped to launch this school year but have conceded to more preparation and will be launching the following school year, we are still very excited and working hard to make it a super success!! I have kept busy on and off with the Army... I went before a promotion board yesterday in pursuit of my commission and was selected, the paper packet review board will be meeting in May and I am anxious to see if I am selected then because that will mean there will be two officers living in this house!! This year holds so many exciting things and I am anxious but being patient to see how they all turn out. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful husband who got me a year membership at Massage Envy and every month I go to get a massage to relax and collect my thoughts... Thanks honey, you rock!
Stay tuned I hope to blog more regularly now... the big move, holidays and saying goodbye to "A" have kept me insanely busy. This weekend I have a Dr apt at 9:30, a missions cluster meeting at Church at 10am and then a foster seminar across town at 1-4pm... thats just a glimpse into my life... my Mom saw my calendar laying out the other day and said "wow is that your schedule" I may not have a Mon-Fri 9-5 job but I sure keep busy with Army, school, parenting, non-profit, church... and saving the world ;-) Hope everyone is having a good year so far cant believe that we are almost moving into March this year is truly running away right from underneath my feet.
We still have baby "J" who will soon be turning 10 months, I cant believe it. She is holding strong at about 16.5 lbs which is really good for her. She has been sick several times with some serious congestion problems due to her being a preemie. I am running on little sleep and am no longer really fazed by being puked on and coated head to toe in it... I am not exaggerating. She has for sure given us a crash course in parenting... I think people should do foster care if they are thinking about having kids and then they can make an informed decision as to what they are getting into.
I have been plowing away and settling into the new house, its coming along nicely and I am truly in homeownership love. I have a little painting left but as soon as thats done I will be letting everyone into our gorgeous home. I am so excited to fill it with children, laughter and love. Only 117 more days until Shawn will be home to be by my side to be enjoying this with me!!! (Miss you terribly my love xoxo)
My days are clicking on by I am busy with Dr apts for Jessica... every week. I just registered for school and on Feb 21st will be starting my Masters degree!! I just picked up my BA diploma at my school on Wednesday and I was so giddy holding that piece of paper, Thank you Uncle Sam for footing the bill and Thank you Lord for giving me the perseverance to see it through to the end no matter how many hick ups came along the way. I look forward to my journey in pursuing my Masters degree... AND I have decided that I will be pursuing a second Masters later on... I know I am crazy its that simple. Thank you to my wonderful Hubby for being my cheering section along the way, he is my motivation and the reason I work so hard at everything I do... saving the world as he likes to say. My wonderful girlfriends and I that started a non-profit has hoped to launch this school year but have conceded to more preparation and will be launching the following school year, we are still very excited and working hard to make it a super success!! I have kept busy on and off with the Army... I went before a promotion board yesterday in pursuit of my commission and was selected, the paper packet review board will be meeting in May and I am anxious to see if I am selected then because that will mean there will be two officers living in this house!! This year holds so many exciting things and I am anxious but being patient to see how they all turn out. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful husband who got me a year membership at Massage Envy and every month I go to get a massage to relax and collect my thoughts... Thanks honey, you rock!
Stay tuned I hope to blog more regularly now... the big move, holidays and saying goodbye to "A" have kept me insanely busy. This weekend I have a Dr apt at 9:30, a missions cluster meeting at Church at 10am and then a foster seminar across town at 1-4pm... thats just a glimpse into my life... my Mom saw my calendar laying out the other day and said "wow is that your schedule" I may not have a Mon-Fri 9-5 job but I sure keep busy with Army, school, parenting, non-profit, church... and saving the world ;-) Hope everyone is having a good year so far cant believe that we are almost moving into March this year is truly running away right from underneath my feet.
Monday, January 3, 2011
1st Monday of the New Year
First Monday of the New Year... felt kinda like any other day. I was excited to send "A" back off to school... 2 weeks off is way to much, she is a child who thrives on structure and with a move and me being busy painting and unpacking its been rough. It feels good to officially be in 2011 cause I cant wait for Shawn to be home. We have been separated so many times but this time with so many things on my plate its much more challenging and I am ready for us to get back to a normal schedule. Well, as normal as possible considering were planning on a LARGE family! Another reason I am excited to be in 2011 I can't wait to see what awaits us with foster care and kids!! I am working hard to get the house in order by the end of the month... everything painted, in its place and organized so that I can handle any kiddos big or small that come our way. I am stoked for our first summer with a pool in our backyard. My parents had me in swim lessons while I was in diapers and had me follow thru all the way to life guard training I plan on sharing all that with "A" shes going to be a champion swimmer!! I also want to get all settled in this month so that I can focus on throwing one big PERFECT Birthday party for "A" she will be 9 in February! Then in April my sis is turning 21 she shares the same Birthday with little "J" so I am working on planning another perfect party for the 2 of them. My sis and I love watching Sandra Bullock and she was in a movie called Practical Magic where they have midnight margaritas... we are having a girls night watching old movies with family and girlfriends and will be in our pj's having midnight margaritas!! I cant wait! I was dreading my 30th Birthday this June but am now getting super excited... life is just getting started and I have so many things to tackle in life still. I am going back to school in February to get my Masters degree and I am sooooo excited to get back in the class room!!
Here are just a few Christmas pictures to hold everyone over till I am done with the house ones... I want to be able to post before and afters at the same time!
Here are just a few Christmas pictures to hold everyone over till I am done with the house ones... I want to be able to post before and afters at the same time!
Everyone digging into the Christmas goodies!
My sis in law took several pictures of the siblings cause she's still getting used to my focus... my brother stuck out his tongue on the only one that came out focused... boys.
Kids with Grandma
"A" LOVED ALL her MANY gifts the girls wore matching dresses! Picked out by Daddy!
Got my sister her first set of Victoria Secret "boyfriend" pj pants... She is addicted now just like me!
Shawn wasnt here to buy me some so I bought my own!
Me and Fo... I am wearing the awesome bracelet from Shawn & "A"
The aftermath...
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