CUTE!!

And just because I love him and I can't get enough of his little baby feet!!

Battle with myself...

So this has been a most rewarding week but also a most challenging week. For those mothers out there you will understand. For those of you who know me you know that I am stubborn and beat myself up for almost everything even if I have no control over it. Well this is again one of those times. I was so determined to breastfeed Jackson that I would stop at nothing. So I did what the nurses said and basically let him sit on my breast most of the day. Well, when we went for his 2 day check up and he had lost nearly a pound I was frustrated. So let him eat and eat and eat thinking I was doing some good. The next day we went back for a weight check and he gained back an ounce I was feeling somewhat optimistic. So we kept doing what we were doing. Jackson is not a fussy baby and he sure as heck doesn't cry for long periods of time so when he kept crying and I kept crying from the excruciating pain coming whenever he latched on we realized something was wrong. So we gave him a formula bottle. Lo and behold he was full, and content and happy and stopped crying. So we decided to have me pump for a while to relieve some pain and also give him the food he needs while supplementing formula. That did not go as planned, after pumping for 2 days and only producing a total of 6 ounces of milk, not having the engorgement like I should and not feeling tender or sore like they should, we realized that breastfeeding just wasn't cut out for us. It killed me to think that I couldn't give to my baby what is best for him. I know it's not his fault or my fault or anyones fault for that matter but it is a battle that I have fought with myself for the last 2 days and it sucks. I wonder if anyone has gone through what we went through? The positive side though is we caught it early enough, he is finally getting what he needs, he is happy, and he gets to have bonding time with daddy (cuz daddy can feed him now). I know we are under a lot of stress right now and that may have caused it to happen but I believe we are doing our best and I know Jackson will be okay as long as we keep doing our best.

Our first Christmas!!

Christmas this year was a little different. On monday the moving company came and packed up our house to ship to South Carolina. With nothing but an air mattress to sleep on and the clothes we will be needing to travel our house is completely empty. Christmas was going to be non-existent this year but then a couple of our friends invited us over for dinner and games. Our wonderful friends Lesley and James Bender allowed us to hang out and enjoy the comfort of turkey dinner and games and tv. Sad I know but we have been without a tv or any of our possessions for 4 days and it seems we run out of things to do. It was nice to relax and sit on a couch. :) Jackson was a perfect angel. He is growing into his own personality. We dressed him in some jeans (which he still needs to grow in to) but he was so cute. He slept most of the day but what can we expect from a week old baby.

Today is also Richard's birthday. Any of you keeping track, December is the most busiest month of our lives. Sadly we weren't really able to get away or celebrate his birthday this year so hopefully next year or even in the next months or so we can have a night of our own. I am so grateful for Richard. He is a wonderful man and a great father. He tries to be so involved in Jackson's every moment. Even the times when it is time to feed him, daddy is right there with us lending his support. He is gentle and loving. He is kind and compassionate. He is very calm and collected. He is definitely the mellow one in this relationship. He doesn't let me talk badly about myself and always tells me how much he loves me. He has a way of calming me down during the times when I am at my whits end or ready to cry. He is very involved in his family and does his best to keep in touch. I am so honored to be his wife. He has taught me so much and I look forward to a lifetime of birthdays with him. I love you Richard!!

The two most important men in my life!!

I have never been so in love. I am so in love with my husband. He is a good man. He takes care of us and is so cute when taking care of Jackson. I love our little guy so much, I never thought it would be this bad but I can't take my eyes off him. I can't even let him sleep alone. :) I am so very lucky to have these to guys in my life. It just makes me whole.

Jackson Lee Dalton

Yay he has arrived. I will just take ya back to when it started. Wednesday morning I woke up with this feeling that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Eventually it dawned on me that I was in early labor. I woke up my mom to make sure I wasn't crazy. I called Labor and Delivery and they told me to go through my day doing what I normally do and see where it goes. It turned out I had my 40 week doctors appointment today as well so I went to that and was told I was just about 3 cm 80% effaced at 0 station. I was very optimistic about that. So for the next 5 hours we walked, rested, cleaned house and waited. Whoever said it is easy to sleep when in labor is crazy. I couldn't sleep and around 4:30 pm I went to Labor and Delivery to get checked. They checked me alright and I was still the same so they told me to go walk around and come back at 7. So we did. At 7 we got checked and still nothing so they sent us home. This is when it got really bad. See my plan was the natural way so sending us home was the way to do it. I attempted to rest but the contractions got so bad all I could do was whine and cry and get through each contraction as it came. I lasted until about 4:30 in the morning of thursday and called the hospital and they said come in. We prayed and crossed our fingers that my laboring hadn't been a waste. When they checked me I was at 6cm and 90% effaced. YAY!!!! I was able to stay at the hospital and continue my laboring there. I did it natural and got in the birthing tub and around 8pm I couldn't take it anymore. I was exhausted. I threw up a few times and was basically hysterical because exhaustion had taken over so I got an epidural. The epidural was in and in effect by 9pm and I passed out for the next little while. It was nice to get some sleep. At around 11 am the nurse came in and checked and it was time to push. Let me tell you pushing on an epidural is very strange. Your legs are dead weight and you have no idea what is going on down there. After 48 minutes of pushing Jackson made his debut at 1:03 pm. I was so overwhelmed with joy and happiness I just cried. And so did Jackson. He came out screaming and letting the whole world know he was alive and well. Richard cut the cord and they put him on my belly. He was the most beautiful baby and just keeps getting more and more beautiful.
The next few days were spent at the hospital. Because of his size they had to check his sugar level 6 times the first day. He weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. We were both checked out many many times throughout the two days we were there and never any problems. Jackson is just an amazing baby. He never really cries and is already starting to hold his head up. We are so blessed to have this precious miracle in our family. I am honored that Heavenly Father has given me this opportunity to be a mother and have such an amazing husband who is so anxious and willing to be a good father.
My mom was there with us the whole time and she is such an amazing women. She helped us out so much and is still taking care of us. Without her we would be lost.
I look forward to this new adventure in our lives.

Dr. Appointment

So we went to the doctor today hoping to hear some good news or get things moving, but neither of those things happened. See the hospital has my due date a week later than we do so it ended up being a normal check up. She did check to see if I was dialated and that was negative. She then said that she doesn't strip the membranes until 39 weeks so yes I have one more week to wait. So Richard and I have decided to do everything we could think of. We went to the mall and walked around. Plan on doing that everyday. We don't want to get frustrated but it is sometimes hard not to. WE just keep praying that the Lord will send him with enough time to fly to South Carolina. So cross your fingers that Jackson will make his debut no later than Dec 15. :) More updates later.

We are Blessed!!

Thank you all so much for you comments and prayers. They have all worked, and definitely strengthened my faith and testimony. For the last two days Richard and I have been processing and clearing. He went to work on Wednesday and they gave him the NEWS. He is getting out but it's a good thing. His last official day of having to show up for work is next friday, but he was approved for Terminal Leave (for those not familiar with the military, that means all the leave days that he accrued throughout his military career, he gets to take at the end of his career and still get paid) for thirty days after that, so we will still get paid until Dec 21 and we will be able to stay here in Alaska and have the baby. Because he is getting out honorably we will still have health insurance for 180 days after that (thank goodness) and they are going to pay for us to fly home and ship all of our household goods as well as our car. I could not ask for more than that. WE got everything we asked for. I am so grateful and humbled. It will be so nice to have Richard home for the next month to be around for Jackson. I am very lucky in that aspect, I know that a lot of men don't get paternity leave when their babies are born so I am truly grateful for that. So for now we will still live in Alaska but come Dec 21 (right in time for christmas) we will be in South carolina. YAY!!!! Much love to all of you. And good luck Trina, your family is in our prayers. I can't wait for the day when you get your husband back for good.

A little update!!

So an update to my last blog. Richard went to work on thursday and he was told he needed to go take care of some paperwork. Well little did he know that the paperwork was part of his getting out of the army. The next thing he was told really made me freak out and cry for about 3 hours. Pretty much all of his paperwork is done and we are just waiting for his Sergeant Major to determine when he will sign the orders to let him get out completely. The catch is, as soon as he gets the orders we will have 7 days to finalize everything and get out. If you take a look at the numbers, we could be out of here in two weeks or sooner. I am completely 100% sure the Lord will take care of us and it will all work out but I am still scared. I am due in 30 days and I have to find a place to live in South Carolina, get everything settled, hopefully get the okay to fly out of here, get everything packed and make sure we still have health insurance. I talk to my mom everyday and she has assured me that the Lord only gives us what we can handle, so I am hoping the Lord knows if I can handle this or not. :) I really just hope and pray that all will fall into place quickly so we can be where we need to be and ready when Jackson decides to make his appearance. Thank you so much Kristin and Tenille for your comments and prayers. And to my wonderful mother who has been with me the whole way. I am truly grateful for your concerns and care. I will definitely keep you updated.

Trials and Tribulations!!

Every now and then we are given trials that at first we don't understand. Today is that such day. I won't go into the whole story because it goes back about 6 months but I will sum it up for you. Richard is in the military and according to them he isn't up to par where some of his officers think he should be. Because of these standards they have been toying with him and feeding him different stories about his future with the army. First he is finishing his contract, then they are threatening to kick him out, then they tell him he is deploying and now the latest is he isn't deploying but they don't have a specific date of when he is gonna get out. All the mean while this puts a damper on our plans. We can't plan any further than a week in advance. This is really hard to come by when you are supposed to have a baby in 6 weeks. I am overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. I am finding myself fall into a depression and just want to sleep. I don't have a happy ending and a lesson learned from this experience just yet but I hope someday I will. As for now I just ask for all of your prayers to help me keep my strength and remain calm. I so badly want to go up to his superiors and give them a piece of my mind but as you know civilians don't confront military officers like that. It is very hard for me. Richard needs your prayers as well to keep up his good attitude and strength to do his best no matter what. I need to be strong for him and for our little family. Thank you all so much for listening to my problem. God bless you all.

Husband Tag!!

-Where did you meet your husband? Sadly enough we met a local anchorage bar.

-How long have you been married? 10 months and 18 days

-What does he do that surprises you? he is very tender and when i least expect it play with my hair or rub my back.

-What is your favorite feature of his? his eyes (they light up when he smiles, laughs)

-Does he have any annoying habit? he likes to stick his finger up my nose

-What is your favorite quality of his? his calm demeanor, he is always rational and soft spoken

-Does he have a nickname for you? he calls me babe or baby a lot

-What is his favorite color? blue, red and yellow (he a primary colors kind of guy)

-What is his favorite food? he loves breakfast but can't get enough of my mashed potatoes either

-What is his favorite sport? football (dallas cowboys)

-When and where was your first kiss? the day we met (remember we met a bar, not always a good environment)

-What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? we love shopping, and watching movies

-Do you have any kids? not yet but in 6 weeks we will

-Does he have a hidden talent? he has an incredible memory

-How old is he? 22 (yep he is a lot younger than me)

-Who said I love you first? Him

-What is his favorite type of music? he likes rock, (the kind that you can't understand what they are saying) but he listens to country most of the time

-What do you admire most about him? how responsible he is in wanting to take care of his family and be the best provider he can be

-Will he read this? probably, he checks the blog sometimes

33 week belly shot!!

Of course I had to do the self portrait in the mirror but if I knew how to use Richard's camera and turn off the flash it wouldn't be so bad so Richard to the rescue and he took a normal one later.

I can't believe I am 33 weeks already. Jackson is continually active and loves it when his daddy plays with him. Richard likes to push on my belly and then Jackson will kick back. I know they are gonna have a great relationship. I can't wait for our little bear to finally arrive.

Dalton Family Update

First and foremost here is my first pregnancy picture. This is just for you Mom, I am huge!! We had just come home from a wedding and I looked in the mirror and thought, I should take a picture. I am officially 29 weeks in this picture. I can only imagine what I am going to look like at 39 weeks. AHHHH!!! Sorry my head got cut off, this was the best shot of the bunch.







Next I have apparently started the nesting phase. That is what everyone says anyway. My job just ended last tuesday so now I can focus on getting the house ready. This also includes making our house a home finally. I took this do-it-yourself craft idea from Emily Norton's The Little Window Shoppe website and decided to put it to a test in my own house. It is a start. It was very easy and very cost effective. It is only the beginning of the decorating I want to see happen in my living room. But at least now I have a focal point. Thank you Emily.

This is another project I did. I love flowers and have always believed they really add beauty and a warm feeling in your home. Since fall is upon us these are some of my favorite colors, I decided to arrange some flowers. I bought these all at Michaels for very cheap and arranged them myself. They sit on my dining room table.

As for other events in our life. Richard is still working hard in the Army. They are preparing for deployment in the next coming months so they are busy all day every day. I love witnessing his dedication and responsibility to the military. He tries real hard at everything he does. He is a great husband and is so excited to be a daddy. He is going to be a wonderful father. I on the other hand am just being a wife and homemaker. I love both of those responsibilities and am so ready to add mother to the list. We basically fill our days with work, preparing for Jackson, playing some occasional rock band 2, going to the movies, entertaining friends and sports. :) Maybe that seems boring to others but it's our life and we love it. :)

BABY SHOWER!!!

Yay for surprises!! On wednesday some friends of mine threw me a surprise baby shower. I was under the impression I was meeting two friends for dinner that I haven't seen in a few weeks, so when I showed up at the restaurant and saw 8 friends I got really excited and of course started crying. Fallon, Jenn, Jen, Kara, Anika, Alex, Tammie Jo and Katie made my night. They had the table decorated and even had a tiara for me to wear (of course it was blue though). Richard had known all along and kept it a secret for weeks. I was so proud of him. We had great food, and desserts and they had a table full of gifts for us. I was certainly surprised and extremely grateful. God bless my wonderful friends.

This is a diaper cake made by my friend Aly. Very cute and creative. It was loaded with diapers, socks, onsies, bibs and hats.

This car seat wasn't actually part of the shower, we just bought this today. I wanted to be prepared.

Just some of the clothes we received. I am so excited to dress Jackson up in these outfits.

This is everything we received. From pacifiers to a diaper genie to monitors and a bunch of clothes. They sure helped us out a lot.

My little cowboy!!

Richard came home on Tuesday as a surprise to me. But what a pleasant surprise. One of the things that had been on my list of things to do for him was find some Dallas Cowboys attire for Jackson. So what better time to do it then when he was away, and surprise him when he got back. So that's what I did. He absolutely loved it. I am sure he already has plans for him and his son, which will most likely involve sports. I am so grateful that Richard is so involved with us and such a part of this pregnancy just as much as I am. Jackson is definitely going to be loved.

Alaska beauty!!

Alaska wildlife......not so wild though, you see them most in back yards and on downtown streets.

I just love the country I live in right now. Alaska has some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever layed eyes on.

Our visit to a glacier. It was just a beautiful day, and it was 4 days before my birthday so it was special.

This picture means a lot. Those are trees left over from the 1964 earthquake that hit here. It completely wiped out the area surrounding these trees. These trees are petrified so they will never grow.

This is a view from the train ride through alaskas wilderness. This is Hurricane Gulch. There is a tressle that goes across this water that stands 296 feet in the air. It is one of the most loved attractions by tourists.

Random Pictures!!

I have had some friends tell me that I need to post some more pictures. I realize I have posted the last few times without photos, so here is a catch up.

This is our latest ultrasound. I thought it was adorable that we got such an amazing of his hand. We printed this one especially for daddy because he couldn't be there. Richard just beamed when I sent it to him. He is such a proud daddy already.

This is my first time every making homemade bread. By homemade I mean, by hand in the oven not in a bread maker. I was proud of myself. I am into experimenting in the kitchen lately with all the free time I have. I am also trying to be self reliant so I don't have to spend so much money on groceries.

ITS A BOY!!!!!!

Yay!! Today is one of the greatest days of our lives. After confusion and miscommunication I finally went to our sonogram today. Little Jackson Lee Dalton will be the next addition to our family. The technician was so wonderful. During the hour long appointment, she measured everything from Head to brain to feet to legs and organs. He was so active the whole time she was examining me. It seemed as if he knew what she was doing, because when she went to measure his face he put his hands up there, when she got to the umbilical cord he started playing with it. He did sommersaults and flips like crazy. I love that my baby is active. Another cool thing is she measured me at 22 weeks 3 days which is actually 9 days ahead of what we initially thought. I am so stoked. This is so real. I have always wanted to be a mommy and finally it is coming true. I am truly blessed with this great responsiblity. I am blessed with the most wonderful husband that supports me every step of the way and is just as involved as I am. Jackson has the best daddy. I thank Heavenly Father every day for this lovely gift and hope that I can make him proud.

Ultrasound!!

So as you know, today was supposed to be the day we find out what we are having. Well, we got to our doctor's appointment and apparently my doctor forgot to place an order for me to have the ultrasound. Let me explain, the military facility that I have my appointments at don't have enough technicians so they have to call our insurance company and put out an order for the ultrasound. The insurance comp. then calls me and tells me where to go (an outside source not on base). She forgot to make the call. And with Richard leaving on Friday to go to California for a month we will not be finding out until september. I was/am heartbroken. I cried. Probably made the doctor uncomfortable but I was upset. So needless to say we still don't know. But on the other hand the baby is doing great. He/she is right on schedule, with a heartbeat of 150. I can't wait for movement.

Memories!!!

Okay so being pregnant I have all this time to think, well mostly it's just my mind wandering, and lately one place it wanders the most is my past and all of my friends old and new. I won't go into a huge sob story but about 4 years ago someone who I thought I was dear friends with didn't have the courage to call and ask for help so instead got evicted from his apartment which mean't all my belongings that I had so faithfully stored with him were too evicted. And in the world or evicitions that means thrown away not able to retrieve. In those belongings were my 2 scrapbooks that I had made with every picture I ever owned and a few journals. Yes, I lost a lot of things but out of everything those make my sad the most. So during all my wanderings I began to think, "why not just ask your friends?" So I ask each of you, if you have any memories/pictures of me/us I would be eternally grateful if you shared them with me. I am gonna start to put a time line together so my children have something to read about. I would love any story or stories. I am truly blessed with an abundance of friends in my life. I am grateful for each and every one of you, and look forward to the times when our paths cross again.

Baby Names!

Alright, 8 days and counting. One of my many requests was to have baby names picked out when we go to our next doctor's appointment. So Richard and I sat down yesterday and decided on two. They came so easily. I picked the girls name and he picked the boys name. Also we looked up on the web site howmanyofme.com to check to see how popular the names were. Needless to say they have very good odds. These are the names we love. For a girl MADISON SUSAN (Susan is Richards moms name) and for a boy JACKSON LEE (lee is richards middle name). It finally feels real. I am so super excited to find out what we are having. Tell me what you think.

I've been TAGGED!!!!

A is for Age: 28 (so close to 30)

B is for Burger of choice: one with cheese, lettuce, bacon, ketchup, mustard. Oh as long as its good.

C is for Car I drive: 2008 Toyota Rav4.

D is for Dogs name: we don't have a dog, but when we do get one, Richard will name it.

E is for Essential item you use every day: my lotion, body and face. It is too dry in Alaska to not use it.

F is for your Favorite TV show: I love love love Army Wives

G is for your favorite Game: Scattergories

H is for Home state: Michigan

I is for Instruments you play: none, but I would love to play the piano

J is for favorite Juice: Orange

K is for whose bum would you like to Kick: the people who can't make up there minds about Richard going to Iraq or not

L is for Last restaurant at which you ate: McGinleys

M is for your favorite Muppet: I don't even remember the muppets

N is for the Number of piercings: one in each ear

O is for the Overnight hospital stays: none yet

P is for People you were with today: Richard, Jon, Schneider, Fautch and Hurst

Q is for what do you do with your Quiet time: read, do crosswords/sudoku or sleep

R is for biggest Regret: I don't believe in regrets

S is for status: Married

T is for Time you woke up today: 9:30

U is for what you consider unique about yourself: I don't think there is anything

V is for Vegetable you love: Asparagus

W is for Worst habit: biting my nails

X is for X-rays you've had: Dental, and a ton after my car accident oh and in 6th grade when I broke my leg

Y is for Yummy food you ate today: mozzarella sticks from Arby's (a craving)

Z is for Zodiac: Gemini

I tag Jamie, Tiffany and Melinda. Love you girls.

Just checkin in!!

So I need to apologize, it has been almost a month since I last posted. I don't have any exciting news, or fun stories. Life here in Alaska is pretty dull right now. We are just living day to day because being in the military that is all you are allowed to live. You never know what the next day will have in store.

However, in two weeks (July 28) we go in for our 20 week visit and that my friends is the fun one. We get to find out what we will be having. You better believe we will have a post for that day. So until then, everyone take care and have a freakin fantastic week.

Finally something new to write about.

After almost a whole month without a car and driving a rental we finally went car shopping. We decided to go back to the same dealership where we bought our truck because they were so friendly and helped us out in any way possible. They were the same this time. We told them exactly what we were looking for in a car (something that can hold our family, very safe, gas efficient, can pull a trailer and that won't cost an arm and a leg) the salesman took us right to an SUV. It had everything we wanted and then some. After thinking about it for a day and talking about it we went back on Friday and bought it. It helped that we had already had credit with that dealership so they took us immediately. After less than an hour we drove off the lot in a 2008 Toyota Rav4. I love it, and the more Richard drives it, he loves it too.

Trip to Portage Glacier

A few weeks ago we took Jon on some sightseeing around Alaska. One of the places I have always wanted to go was The Portage Glacier. It was beautiful. It's tucked away way off of the main roads behind the mountains. I love glaciers, they are very fascinating to me. It was a wonderful day. Jon seemed to have fun too. Just another reason to love Alaska.

All things pregnant!

I went to my first real pre-natal visit yesterday. I say that because although I have been to the hospital and doctor's office twice now, those were for emergencies, this one was scheduled and did all the technical stuff. It went really well. I have lucked out with not having any really bad symptoms, except I am extremely tired a lot of the time. All of my vitals checked out wonderfully, the babies heartbeat is 157bpm which is perfect. I am no longer a difficult case. I can go on and have a normal pregnancy. That was music to my ears. I am almost through my first trimester so I hope this next one brings great things. I have made a few friends out here that are wives/girlfriends of my husbands friends and they are also pregnant so I have a wonderful support group. Its a different life being pregnant, in the military and so far away from home. I have a wonderful husband though, he is taking care of me any way he can. Just love him to pieces.

My worst nightmare came true.

While I was away for work over the weekend, nothing good was happening. I realized that I really don't want to work on the train, and I missed my husband immensely. Well I guess what they say is true. We should always listen to our gut. I didn't feel right all day saturday and then sunday morning I got a phone call from Jon saying Richard was in a car accident.

He was T-boned and then hit a light post.

All the tires exploded, air bags deployed, back window was shattered and back lights blown out.

His driver side door was pushed in so far that they couldn't get him out, so they had to rip it off.

Looking at the truck, and all that happened to it, we both think Richard should not have survived or at least been in a bad state, but someone was watching out for him that night. The only injuries he had were a bloody nose, and bruises from the seat belts. We are so grateful for this second chance. Richard is still a little shocked and seeing the truck after the fact made him relive it but he is doing okay. I thank Heavenly Father every day that he is still with us.

I think the Lord is trying to tell us to be prepared.......

So July 2, 2007 I met Richard, 5 months later we got married, and moved into a new apartment. 4 months after that we found out we were pregnant and the very next day moved into another apartment, and then my brother moved in with us. Just two days ago we found out that Richard is getting out of the army earlier than expected which means in 4 months we will be moving again this time to the lower 48. That puts us in august/september and then 4 months from then our little bundle of joy is due. Do you see a pattern? I was talking to my mom the other day on the phone and her being wise says "I think this is the Lords way of teaching us to be flexible and able to change, so if anything comes along, we can handle it." I don't for one second think things happen just because, there is a plan and man I hope we pass the test. It definitely keeps us on our toes and life is never dull. I am grateful for the lessons we are given in life whether great or small.

And then there were three.............

Yep, we are pregnant!!! I know I have told a lot of you already but it's actually real now. We went to the doctor this morning as a follow up of some complications we had two weeks ago and everything checked out wonderfully. We are 8 weeks and 1 day along. The baby's heart beat was perfect and he/she is moving along just great. It is such a different feeling to actually hear and see your baby for the first time. Something that I will never forget.

As for everything else in our lives we are doing well. Richard is working hard and I on the other hand am not working. I did get the okay today so I plan on looking for something to keep me busy. My youngest brother Jonathon moved in with us on the 26th, it's been great thus far. Him and Richard have gotten along very smoothly, that makes me very happy. We are loving our new apartment and all that comes with it. Overall life is wonderful.

So many changes.....

Well first we just moved into a new apartment. It's technically our first place. We were subletting before so this is new and exciting for us. It is a 3 bedroom apartment with a nice size living room and separate space for dining room and a fireplace. Oh yeah it has it's own washer and dryer. (thats a plus) We haven't fully moved in and decorated yet so when that's done we'll put in pictures of it. It's expensive to furnish a home.

Next we bought new cell phones. We just thought it was time. Yes, we splurged, we purchased blackberry's. With me being gone almost all summer this phone was perfect. It's basically a computer so I can still check email, our blog, and pay all the bills. Plus it came with a lot of extra details that are really fun for us. Richard was ecstatic. In fact he hasn't really put it down for more than 5 minutes. haha

Lastly I finally start working on Thursday and then Jon will be here on Saturday. I just love how everyday is a new experience. There is no getting comfortable here, always on my toes.

Snow in April!!

Is it April or January? With all the snow we have outside you can't tell. Richard and I went for a nice walk and took some pictures. The flower looking one is me attempting art...:)

Just an update!!

It's been a while since we posted. Not a whole lot is going on. It does seem like time is moving slow though. It's probably because in 5 days we are moving to our own place. We get to decorate and buy furniture and basically get everything you need for a home. Since we don't have anything, this could be stressful and fun. We get to shop!!!!! Believe it or not Richard likes to shop maybe more than me. I finally start working in 2 weeks. YAY! Lastly my youngest brother Jon is moving to Alaska on the 26th to live with us and help us out. I think Richard is more excited than me. Other than my mom he hasn't met anyone in my family. I really think they will get along very well. Oh and finally CSI: Las Vegas is finally back on. Stupid writers strike. But at least it's back.

Heavy Heart

Oh wow it's a beautiful day. The sun is shining and there is a light breeze, Spring is in the air. I love it. I can't help but have a heavy heart though. We have had some things happen in our family that I will not go into detail about but I do ask all of you for our prayers. The Lord has blessed me with a heart that breaks fairly easy because of all the love I feel for my friends and family. I pray that it will mend soon. Richard again shined magnificantly through it all. He is such a calm wave in this crazy mixed up world. His kind words and loving arms always make me melt. He is my rock and I am so grateful the Lord blessed me with this wonderful man. We will get through anything together. That is all for now. Have a wonderful spring day.

Love Mom

Hello my lovlies,
Today is a beautiful day and it is Friday to boot, that means the weekend is almost here. Gotta watch Michigan State play Memphis tonight. Go Sparty!!!!Who wants to make a prediction for the final two teams?? I say UCLA and Michigan State. Any takers???
Hope you got some rest Miss Holly. Hang in there, rough days are just temporary and the best ones outweigh the yukky ones by far.
Happy Friday everyone,
Love Mommy boy

Can't sleep!

Yep it's 12:45 in the morning. My tummy is upset, my husband is snoring and my roommates won't stop opening and closing their door. So I decide to get up and play on the computer until I am so freaking tired I can't keep my eyes open. It's amazing how quiet it is at night. I swear you can hear everything. Our house is so not sound proof. I hear cars, and people walking by, the wind blowing, neighbors talking, dogs barking, neighbors walking up the stairs, doors opening and closing, you name it I hear it. T.V. shows crap at this time at night. Maybe I am having a pity party for myself right now but I just want to go to sleep......:(

Just some thoughts

Today is a good day already. Woke up from a wonderful nights rest feeling awake and alert. Switched over Richards uniform to a clean one, packed his bad for PT and made his lunch. Kissed him goodbye and got to working on the house. Cleaned the dishes and kitchen and did my pilates workout. Folded some laundry and made the bed. Opened up the blinds and it snowed last night. Not a ton but some flurries. The sun is shining already at 10:45 so it is just looking to be a beautiful day. I can't help but think of all I am grateful for. I am so blessed to have a husband that loves me and treats me like a queen. I have the most wonderful family. We are scattered around the country but we are still strong and linked in love. I have a place to live. I have clothes to wear and food to eat. I have a car that is very reliable. I have the ability to hear, see, smell, touch and feel. I am healthy. I live in a free country because of the men and women who are fighting for us. I have great friends. I am honored to live in this time where I have so many opportunities and choices for my life. I can do whatever I want. I am so blessed to have a Lord who loves me unconditionally. I am thankful for books and education. I love the reminder of beauty outside that makes my anger or sadness just whither away. I am grateful for second chances and forgiveness and repentance, whether it be from Heavenly Father, my husband, or my family. I am so happy to be able to live every day.

Happy Easter!!!!

Well another holiday has come and gone. We didn't really plan anything but it ended up being a great day. Richard and I love breakfast. It is by far our favorite meal, so we ran to the store to pick up a few things and came home and cooked. It was really sweet to be in the kitchen with him. He is so anxious to learn how to cook. He watches me whenever he gets a chance and is always willing to help. He made the pancakes from scratch (mom he is a natural) and just kept me company while I was in the kitchen. I fall in love with him more and more when he does little things like that for me. Our roommates were here too so we made breakfast for them too. It was nice to have another couple around. We all just hung out and played monopoly, scattergories, trouble and yahtzee. It reminded me of all of you. All of the holiday's growing up was all about family time and just having fun. We did make dinner. Again Richard helped with dinner, he made the mashed potatoes and frosting for the cake. He is getting to be pretty good in the kitchen. I am thoroughly impressed. I was joking around with him and said, "so when I get pregnant, or I am sick, you can cook for me", he just laughed and said "i order take-out very well." Oh well, guess we will have to keep working on the training. :) It was overall a wonderful day. Full of laughter, smiles, good food, games and happiness.

Hello from Utah

So I am trying this out an dit seems to work. Nothing fancy going on here except beautiful weather. Sunny, breezy and 55 degrees. I am working a 12 hour shift today so cannot take my daily evening walk :-( Let's see who else responds.
See ya'll later dudes

Scared!

So this morning after Richard left for PT, I of course went back to sleep. I was enjoying my sleep when all of the sudden I heard this crash that scared me so bad that I sat straight up in bed. I called for Lesley's name and my heart was racing so bad. It sounded like a window had been broken. I was so afraid that something had happened in Lesley's bedroom. (we have a bunch of crazy people that live around us and her window faces the road) so we both got up and realized we were fine so where did it come from...........we finally checked the bathroom and the shower rod and curtain had fallen down. OH MY GOODNESS...we laughed for a few minutes but then took a deep breath glad that was the problem and not something else. Stupid shower rod.

Weekend!

We relaxed this weekend. It is always nice for Richard when the weekend comes because he finally gets to relax. Friday we went out to eat and bowling with a bunch of his friends. I just love his friends. They are all different from one another but they mesh together like one big family. Some of the wives and girlfriends were there too so that was nice to meet some of them and make friendships. It's nice to have a support system.
On sunday we did see the movie Horton Hears a Who. It was really cute. I just love animated films. Steve Carell and Jim Carrey are a good pair. I would definitely recommend it especially if you have children. I had the opportunity to sit next to a little girl, she looked about 4 years old. To hear a child laugh during a movie is just precious. I couldn't help but laugh every time she did. It just melts your heart. Children are so wonderful. I find myself being baby hungry. Richard puts up with me a lot when I talk about kids. I think he wants them too, so we are okay. We're working on it...:)
Well that is about it for now. Got a busy day planned today.

One of those days...

"Do you ever have one of those days, where you feel so helpless or like you can't do anything right?" Today is that day. I woke up kind of grumpy and snapped at Richard. I hate doing that. The look on his face just breaks my heart. He left for work and I started to work on our blog, and our internet shut off like 3 times, during it. Urgh!!!! Then nothing good came in the mail. All bills!!!!!! I decided to give up for a while and went to load the dishwasher.....well little did I know that it was flooded. Our roommate did dishes the night before and it ended up flooding. Our sink was full of water too. I had no idea how to clean it out, so instead of calling a plumber or someone I used every towel we own and just soaked it up. I ended up taking a piece of it apart so I could get all the water and now I can't get the piece back on. To make matters worse, I have to do the dishes in the sink now (but not on the side with the disposal cuz it will back up). Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I recieved a comment from a very dear friend on facebook and it made my day all better.
I just need to remember trials happen for a reason and no matter what we are loved, by someone, and if not anyone at least we have our Heavenly Father.

Family Time!

G

Because we are new at this I wanted to make a spot for Family. You are all an important piece of our lives. Without you we would be nothing.