Am I getting old? Don't answer that! I am finding that when I go to bed at night, I am having "aches and pains" (ooh if that isn't "old people" terminology I don't know what is)
Am I getting old? (Nah) Am I working out too hard (yeawh right) or wait, oh yeah, is it because I let my daughter and son use me as a jungle gym? That may be it. Kenneth wants to be carried so much lately I fear his legs will atrophy. Julia greets me when I pick her up at school by running towards me and jumping on me. Even her teacher comments "Wow, one of these days she is going to actually knock you over." Uh, yeah.
Oh, and there are "Camel Rides" where Julia (53 lbs) and Kenneth (30lbs) BOTH climb on my back and make me walk around to their delight and glee. I was looking at Kelly for sympathy, but he just narrowed his eyes and said "Why do you let them do that to you?" I really didn't have an answer for him besides the fact that I am a total shmuck but he already knows that so I didn't need to say it out loud for him.
Ah which brings me to my hippy dippy alternative therapy - the rice filled sock. A staple in both of my pregnancies. If you do this you will never use a heating pad EVAH again. Take a long, tubular sock and fill it with rice up maybe 1/2 way (you want to leave enough space to tie off the top of the sock when you are finished.). Tie off the sock. Place in microwave for 2 minutes. (Just like McDonalds Coffee PRODUCT WILL BE VERY HOT) Sometimes it is good to let it sit for 10 min before using it.
Now you can place the sock where it is needed. I like to place a towel in between the sock and my back or wherever. It really can get that hot, I can't emphasize this enough. (If I give one to a child, I only heat it up for about 10-20 seconds and it is plenty warm.)
What is nice is that unlike a heating pad it conforms to the shape of your body, and boy does it retain it's heat for a long time. It's great to put on a sore neck as well. And it's all natural!
All I had was Basmati Rice, so I am sitting here typing with the sock in the small of my back and it smells like my favorite Indian restaurant in here. Just need some Chicken Tikka Masala and that would be the shiz.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Happy birthday, Kelly!
My husband just turned 21 today. Isn't that amazing? ;)
He decided to take his 1st day off work in 9 months (well besides the R&R, but you know what I mean) and ran a 10k to "celebrate" - yeah I know, strange. Who does this...but it's Kelly, so ya know, maybe it's better not to ponder too much. (Love ya babe)
We sent him a World of Warcraft expansion set and strategy guide, he says he can't wait to try it out on his new laptop. Something to further distract him from his Arabic studies, but hey he deserves to have some fun in his life.
Kelly has a confirmed class start date at Naval Postgraduate School to report 29 June, he starts his Master's program on 6 July. Before that, we are going with him to Texas for a month so he can complete a course in preparation for meeting his Lt.Colonel board. We are looking forward to getting to live in Monterey again, we will be there for at least 18 months, possibly 2 years if he gets to stay for the advanced Arabic course. Then it's off to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO where Kelly will be a Professor of Arabic Studies, and then it is our hope and dream to retire there.
Kelly left April 30th of last year, so he is hoping to be home sometime in April or early May by the latest. He still needs to report back to Tyndall AFB, FL where we are still technically stationed to complete his outprocessing, he will do this en route to Fresno to reunite with us. After that, he will be on leave until we leave for TX.
Whew!
He decided to take his 1st day off work in 9 months (well besides the R&R, but you know what I mean) and ran a 10k to "celebrate" - yeah I know, strange. Who does this...but it's Kelly, so ya know, maybe it's better not to ponder too much. (Love ya babe)
We sent him a World of Warcraft expansion set and strategy guide, he says he can't wait to try it out on his new laptop. Something to further distract him from his Arabic studies, but hey he deserves to have some fun in his life.
Kelly has a confirmed class start date at Naval Postgraduate School to report 29 June, he starts his Master's program on 6 July. Before that, we are going with him to Texas for a month so he can complete a course in preparation for meeting his Lt.Colonel board. We are looking forward to getting to live in Monterey again, we will be there for at least 18 months, possibly 2 years if he gets to stay for the advanced Arabic course. Then it's off to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO where Kelly will be a Professor of Arabic Studies, and then it is our hope and dream to retire there.
Kelly left April 30th of last year, so he is hoping to be home sometime in April or early May by the latest. He still needs to report back to Tyndall AFB, FL where we are still technically stationed to complete his outprocessing, he will do this en route to Fresno to reunite with us. After that, he will be on leave until we leave for TX.
Whew!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
"Real" Update
Well I haven't really been saying too much on here since Kelly went back overseas. I have been trying to keep it light, posting a random pic here and there, but just haven't felt up to writing anythng substantial.
The month since Kelly left has been a hard one. I felt "strong" and like I could handle everything the 1st 8 months he was gone. I was positive, enthusiastic, maybe even a bit proud of myself for "keeping the fires burning" at home. The children were thriving, and between school, Julia's sports, the gym, our Church, and our family and friends we were always busy and engaged with life. I figured if I just kept going, going, going all the time I wouldn't think about how sad it was that our little family had to be apart for an entire year.
When Kelly came home for R&R, I was finally able to relax a bit and it was so amazing to have him there. It was almost like I had forgotten what it was like to be a complete person. I was sleeping anywhere from 6-9 hours at night when he was back, and became aware of how little sleep I get when he is gone. On a typical night, I can't fall asleep until 2 am at the earliest, and have to get up around 6:30 to get ready for the day, get the kids up and dressed, and to take Julia to school. I just can't seem to shut my mind off at night, I just lay in bed and get more anxious and wound up, and I have to get up for a while.
After Kelly left again I hit a wall of sorts. I just couldn't seem to get back to the place I was before the R&R. I was just completely unmotivated, an impatient mother, and I put back on 6 of the 30 lbs that I had managed to lose last year. I have been having a hard time getting up in the morning.
Even worse, the kids hit their wall at the same time as I did. We had lucked out before that we would go through our tough times at different points. Julia really regressed after Kelly left. She went back to school and did great the 1st week back but after that - I don't want to say too much but let's just say it turned into a nightmare every day trying to get her to go to school. She kept trying to convince me to homeschool her. The kids were constantly at each other's throats, which is unusual for them. I really felt like I was losing control of the situation. The last couple of weeks we have just basically been mucking through our lives.
Well I am happy to report that we are all doing a lot better. Things have gradually been getting back to normal the last few days. Last night I was able to fall asleep around midnight and I woke up before my alarm this morning and felt pretty refreshed. The kids woke up, got dressed without complaint, and played together and shared their toys with each other in a very sweet and loving way. I was able to take Julia to school and she didn't cry and beg me not to leave her.
I feel that spring in my step has returned, our routine is back to normal, I am super organized once again. About a week ago, I decided that even if I was miserable I needed to get control of my eating habits again, and have already lost the 6 lbs I picked up.
Thank you to all the family and friends who have helped us through this tough time. I am so grateful we made the desicion to move back to Fresno while Kelly was away. I am SO glad we didn't remain in Florida.
The month since Kelly left has been a hard one. I felt "strong" and like I could handle everything the 1st 8 months he was gone. I was positive, enthusiastic, maybe even a bit proud of myself for "keeping the fires burning" at home. The children were thriving, and between school, Julia's sports, the gym, our Church, and our family and friends we were always busy and engaged with life. I figured if I just kept going, going, going all the time I wouldn't think about how sad it was that our little family had to be apart for an entire year.
When Kelly came home for R&R, I was finally able to relax a bit and it was so amazing to have him there. It was almost like I had forgotten what it was like to be a complete person. I was sleeping anywhere from 6-9 hours at night when he was back, and became aware of how little sleep I get when he is gone. On a typical night, I can't fall asleep until 2 am at the earliest, and have to get up around 6:30 to get ready for the day, get the kids up and dressed, and to take Julia to school. I just can't seem to shut my mind off at night, I just lay in bed and get more anxious and wound up, and I have to get up for a while.
After Kelly left again I hit a wall of sorts. I just couldn't seem to get back to the place I was before the R&R. I was just completely unmotivated, an impatient mother, and I put back on 6 of the 30 lbs that I had managed to lose last year. I have been having a hard time getting up in the morning.
Even worse, the kids hit their wall at the same time as I did. We had lucked out before that we would go through our tough times at different points. Julia really regressed after Kelly left. She went back to school and did great the 1st week back but after that - I don't want to say too much but let's just say it turned into a nightmare every day trying to get her to go to school. She kept trying to convince me to homeschool her. The kids were constantly at each other's throats, which is unusual for them. I really felt like I was losing control of the situation. The last couple of weeks we have just basically been mucking through our lives.
Well I am happy to report that we are all doing a lot better. Things have gradually been getting back to normal the last few days. Last night I was able to fall asleep around midnight and I woke up before my alarm this morning and felt pretty refreshed. The kids woke up, got dressed without complaint, and played together and shared their toys with each other in a very sweet and loving way. I was able to take Julia to school and she didn't cry and beg me not to leave her.
I feel that spring in my step has returned, our routine is back to normal, I am super organized once again. About a week ago, I decided that even if I was miserable I needed to get control of my eating habits again, and have already lost the 6 lbs I picked up.
Thank you to all the family and friends who have helped us through this tough time. I am so grateful we made the desicion to move back to Fresno while Kelly was away. I am SO glad we didn't remain in Florida.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Oh, how I miss you...
I am having one of those days. Almost 9 months done out of a 12 month deployment and I am so.sick.of.it.
Yes, I do exist!
Since I am always behind the camera I like have ZERO pics of me with...well, anyone. Kelly snapped this one of me and Kenneth at the Cheesecake Factory when he was home for R&R back in mid December.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
How could this be comfy?
Kids sleep in the strangest positions! By back and neck hurt just thinking about sleeping this way! Awww...there is something very sweet and "baby like" about it. I can't believe my "baby" is barrelling towards his 3rd birthday (March 31st). Where did all the time go?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Back to the grind today...
Julia went back to school this morning after having 3 weeks off for the holidays. She did great. We had talked about it quite a bit last week so I think that helped her be prepared to go back. She is a bit of a "homebody" so I was thinking she would have a difficult time going back, but she was a trooper.
Of course she got to wear a new outfit and has a new hairstyle (she has bangs now!) so I'm sure that helped!
Kenneth is having a sad morning, he really loves Julia and enjoys her companionship so much. I am missing her too, it was wonderful to have them both home for 3 weeks.
Of course she got to wear a new outfit and has a new hairstyle (she has bangs now!) so I'm sure that helped!
Kenneth is having a sad morning, he really loves Julia and enjoys her companionship so much. I am missing her too, it was wonderful to have them both home for 3 weeks.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
15 Days of Joy
I'm sitting in the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport at the USO, waiting to start the long arduous process of returning to my deployment location in the Middle East. It took over three days to get to Fresno, with stops in Kuwait, Ireland, Maine and Texas along the way, but it was more than worth it. I'd do it again in a second, but the Air Force won't let me :) .
Words can not express how amazing it was to get to hold Denise, Julia and Kenneth in my arms and to see all my friends and family. I was feeling really down in November, work not going well and each day dragging on and all I could think about was getting home. My tank has been filled, my cup runneth over, and I can't wait to get back to finish my tour - so I can get back home for good (well, hopefully for good, I don't see another deployment on the horizon).
Some highlights (see Denise's posts for pics) were Julia's Christmas Program at school, building a snowman with Kenneth in the snow at Shaver Lake, Christmas Morning with the kids (Santa nailed the presents - Julia LOVES Floppy the puppy and Kenneth LOVES the Thomas the Train set), Christmas get-together at Joyce's, Monterey Bay Aquarium & Cannery Row with the kids, and New Years Eve with friends and family. Special thanks to Joyce for hosting Christmas, Mike & Dianne and Cindy & Dan for New Years, and my Dad for giving me a ride to the airport at 0530 in the morning today.
Biggest thank you of course goes to Denise, for continuing to be supermom while Daddy is away. She continues to be the love of my life, my rock and my reason.
Words can not express how amazing it was to get to hold Denise, Julia and Kenneth in my arms and to see all my friends and family. I was feeling really down in November, work not going well and each day dragging on and all I could think about was getting home. My tank has been filled, my cup runneth over, and I can't wait to get back to finish my tour - so I can get back home for good (well, hopefully for good, I don't see another deployment on the horizon).
Some highlights (see Denise's posts for pics) were Julia's Christmas Program at school, building a snowman with Kenneth in the snow at Shaver Lake, Christmas Morning with the kids (Santa nailed the presents - Julia LOVES Floppy the puppy and Kenneth LOVES the Thomas the Train set), Christmas get-together at Joyce's, Monterey Bay Aquarium & Cannery Row with the kids, and New Years Eve with friends and family. Special thanks to Joyce for hosting Christmas, Mike & Dianne and Cindy & Dan for New Years, and my Dad for giving me a ride to the airport at 0530 in the morning today.
Biggest thank you of course goes to Denise, for continuing to be supermom while Daddy is away. She continues to be the love of my life, my rock and my reason.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Eve/Day
We had a fun, exciting, and exhausting New Years Eve. We started out by visiting with our great friends Mike and Dianne, and their daughter Rebecca. We were treated to some of their gourmet cuisine and the kids had so much fun together. It is always so great to see them.
We left their home shortly before 10 pm, and then drove to Clovis to the home of Kelly's sister Cindy and her husband Dan. They always have a New Year's celebration, and it was so much fun to get to participate. The kids were wound up and insane, but it was New Years, and it just wouldn't be complete without overtired, sugar crazy kids. Thank goodness they slept until 10 am this morning, I didn't have any alcohol but it sure felt like I had a hangover.
December 29-30th - Monterey
We decided to take the kids for an overnight trip to Monterey this week. Some of you probably know that Monterey was where Kelly and I first lived after we were married, so it is a very special place for us and we wanted to share that with the kids.
Highlights included dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp and the Aquarium. It was such beautiful weather while we were there, it was hard to believe it was the end of December since we were enjoying 60 degree sunny weather. Once we got home , it was cold, foggy, and gray just like a Central Valley winter day should be.
Dec. 26th - Snow Day!
The day after all the Christmas festivities, we decided it would be nice to get out of here and take a trip to the snow. We drove up to Shaver Lake. We actually had our snow fun all the way down by the lake! It was so deep we were all falling in. Kelly and Kenneth were much more adventurous than Julia and myself. Eventually we found a nice area where the snow wasn't so deep and we were able to play. The kids had such a blast, it was such a great day.
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