Koopman Kraziness

I was tagged by the lovely miss Holly to do the following fun blog. Here's how it works: You leave a comment on this post, and I'll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter and you post it on your blog. When people comment on your post you assign them a letter and the fun continues. Here we go! 1. Son - as in Kamden. He is the absolute light of my life and joy of my world. We were originally not looking at the best odds of having children at all and after many months of bleeding scares, worries about hydrocephalus, problems with blood pressure, decreased fetal movement, etc...he's here and perfect. I never thought I'd have so much love in my heart for such a little person. He's amazing. 2. Soap - considering that RIGHT after starting this entry we had a MAJOR blow out poopy diaper and needed to soak the clothes and wash the baby...today I am VERY grateful for this invention. 3. Seattle - as in one of my BFF, ...

Just to let you know - for those who are following Kamden's health - he is set to have a sedated MRI on January 23rd to check the ventricles that had had excess fluid during my pregnancy. Now that things have started fusing in the skull, they want to make sure that there is no increased pressure inside the brain. I'll let you know as soon as we have results!

On December 13th, we got together with Jeff's brothers, sisters, their families and their dad. The family was kind enough to have it a lot earlier than normal this year since Jeff, Kamden and I will be leaving for Texas this week and we had a great time! 13 of the 15 grandkids were present and it made for a fun night of wrapping and tissue paper fights, laughing, and memory making. Jeff's oldest sister took on the tradition of reading the stories "The Christmas Shoes" and "Tale of Three Trees". The kiddos loved it and I'm sure that my mother in law was smiling down on the group, happy to see that traditions are carrying on and all are enjoying them still! All ready to go to Christmas and looking handsome! Kamden's Shirt says, "Mom and Dad's best gift ever!" and it is so true!

Kamden has finally started to respond to some of the things we ask him to do...namely dancing. Jeff is helping him in the first video but in the second he's doing it ALL on his own and cracking up!

**DISCLAIMER - This post is not intended to be directed at any one person. In fact, if you are reading this and wondering if it involves you, I can almost promise you that it's not related to you in any way. This is frustration and pent up aggression regarding lots of different conversations and comments from lots of different people stemming back almost a year now. I have to get it out. ** You've hinted at, joked about, and even flat out told me, though not in these specific words, that I am not the "ideal" mom and wife. You sent subtle "suggestions" about my being overweight and needing to get checked out so my husband would know what he was "dealing with". You've looked down on me and made assumptions about me because of my having diabetes. Without even taking the time to TRY to be educated about it, you've told me that it was my fault I was ever diagnosed. You have compared yourself and me where there was no need nor any room for...

Jeff and I took Kamden out to see his first Christmas lights last night. The Rotary Club in our city puts on a Winter Wonderland every year with both a drive through and walk through in the zoo with TONS of lights. Kamden was absolutely captivated! He loved it! We even took him by "Santa's House" and let him sit on his lap. I was a little worried he might freak out but he did really well. Here are just a few pictures of the fun! Before we even got a chance to leave the house, he conked out. And no, we didn't leave him in that position. I promise. With the exception of my double chin, this is a great picture! ;) This one was SO cute. It started out looking like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and ended up huge with lots of presents under it! Our little elf... Waiting with Jeff outside of Santa's House This was the SWEETEST Santa Claus. His first question was, "Uh oh...you're the littlest guy I've talked to yet. Are you going to be okay with me? ...

We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year with Jeff's family. We all got together the Saturday before and had a great time with all his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. I got a few pictures and thought I'd share. Kamden's first time in a high chair. He LOVED it! (At home he usually just uses the Bumbo) Posing with Momma at the end of the day Jeff isn't a proud daddy at ALL....:) Not long after we got home, he was crashed out in the swing... And this...is the official "How to Know You Had a Successful Holiday" picture..

About a week ago, I posted the following list of "need to's" and thought I'd give an update on how it's all going! (I know that at LEAST my bestie reads this because she talked to me about it at church last Sunday!) *Christmas cards are written, but all still need to be addressed, the family Christmas letter must be completed for those it will go out tp with the cards, and I need yet to buy postage and of course, mail them. (Deadline-12/1) With the exception of about 10 cards, this is FINISHED. I have to go and buy the postage tomorrow, but they will be mailed out by Tuesday and I feel great about it. Especially considering that the last TWO YEARS I have written out cards and NEVER sent them. *Finish packing up non essentials in the house and get all boxes moved into a storage facility. (Deadline 12/12) Blah, I wish there were more to report on this one. The kitchen is pretty much packed with the exception of bare bones essentials, but I've definitely not ...

We are t-minus 30 days and counting until we leave to spend a couple of weeks in Texas. I am very excited to leave for our trip, but the reality of it is that we have a LOT to do before we head out. *Christmas cards are written, but all still need to be addressed, the family Christmas letter must be completed for those it will go out tp with the cards, and I need yet to buy postage and of course, mail them. (Deadline-12/1) *Finish packing up non essentials in the house and get all boxes moved into a storage facility. (Deadline 12/12) *Wrap Christmas gifts and finish making gifts. (Deadline 12/7) *Finish planning Jeff's going away party. (Deadline 11/30) *Complete FRG leadership courses. (Deadline 12/12 but can be pushed as far as mid February) *Get signed up for dental hygenist courses. (Deadline 12/12) *Finish packaging and arranging homemade Christmas gifts. (Deadline 12/7) *Videotape Jeff reading bedtime stories and singing songs to Kamden to use while he is in Iraq. (Deadline 1...

With all the craziness that has gone on for our little family of three lately (getting ready for deployment, trying to sell the house, etc.) we have been trying to get out and do some fun things as a family that are 1) cost effective, 2) fun for all three of us, and 3) memory makers. I have to say that this Veteran's Day we got the chance to do all three. We started the day early and finished last minute picking up and spot cleaning for a prospective buyer walk-through and an Open House through our real estate company. After giving Jeff a quick hair cut (which I have to brag about a little because it didn't turn out badly at all!) we went over to Walgreen's. The stores were offering a free photo session with a one pose photo package for any veterans who came in in uniform. Jeff polished up quite nicely, as always, we dressed Kamden in his camo and I got into my FRG and 32nd Brigade Support gear and we got a family picture done as well as one of Jeff with Kamden in their...

Getting the house in order to sell it has taught me a lot of things. First, I really am kind of a neat freak. Not to the point that I'm going to spaz out if there's a little dust or clutter here or there, but to the point that seeing the clutter accumulate does irritate the heck out of me. For another, I really like the idea of being a homemaker. Not just in name but in deed and lifestyle. Here are a few of the things I've been up to... Baking Goodies I decided to have a "frugal" but generous Christmas as far as gifts this year and am baking ALL our gifts for family. As of last night, I have 36 of the 54 loaves I'm baking finished as well as 70 of the 90 muffins. Here are a couple of pictures of the first batch of baking. The deep freezer in the basement is getting full! (To keep on with my "Homemaking skills" and to kind of explain the weird green goo in the ice cube trays pictured above....) Making Baby Food Okay, I can not even begin to tel...

We went to the mobilization briefing for Jeff's brigade last night in Wausau. Four hours and a LOT of information later, we found out that he is scheduled to deploy the middle of February. We still don't have the official date and time, but they did say last night that it was the third week of February. It's somewhat more peaceful having a definite time that we know to plan for, but it's also very scary...and coming up fast. We will be going to Texas to spend Christmas with my parents from the 19th of December to the 3rd of January. Jeff will work his regular 8-4 job that week and then the 10th will have to leave for training in Florida. I think immediately following that, he has two weeks of training with the unit he is deploying with. Thankfully that is in the state but it is two hours away so he won't get to come home except for possibly a weekend. That would put us at about the 15th of February and the big brigade send off is going to be the 17th of Febr...

Kamden had his 6 - month well child check yesterday and did wonderfully! He is still in the 50th percentile for weight and 75th for length being 17lbs 12oz and 27 inches. He was a trooper with the appointment and did a good job with his vaccinations considering that he was not at all expecting them. The nurse had given him his rotavirus vaccine, which is oral and was kind of just talking to him when she gave him the injections and he let out one of those "silent screams". You know the ones... The face turns almost crimson and everything tenses up? Yeah..that kind. Poor little guy. Every person that passed him in the waiting room when we left the "shot room" that gave him a look of sympathy would send him into fits again. Luckily he did wind up taking a good nap after we got him calmed down. We are still working with him on sitting up and strengthening his back muscles and doing his tummy time so that he can strengthen his arms better. He's started maki...

If you'd like to follow my diabetic journey, please check out the following link. It will contain blogs regarding my own journey, as well as information about the disease and ways you can help or show your support. http://fingertipsofsteel.blogspot.com

Okay, brace yourself for some SERIOUS cuteness. Earlier this week, I got a package in the mail from my sister in love, Erin with a costume for Kamden's first Halloween! We were both a little worried it might not fit but it did and he looks absolutely precious. I couldn't wait until Halloween to share the pictures!

I can't believe that six months ago today, this sweet, strong boy came into the world. Look how much he has changed! We go for his 6 month appointment on the 28th and I can't wait to see how much he's grown. He pretty much wears 6-9 month clothes now due to being so long. He's loving all the new foods he gets to try and is learning so much! I'm so proud to be called his momma!

Wow, so...I'm going to let it all out and show you the progression the house has made in the last three weeks. We have been working hard to get the house on the market to sell before Jeff goes to Iraq. We had a Realtor's Open House yesterday and had 22 agents walk through. Our Realtor seems to think it went really well and we have our first client showing tomorrow and another on Friday afternoon! Be praying with us that the right buyer comes along with the right price and that the sale happens quickly and "hitch" free! So here goes...I don't have pictures of the upstairs rooms done quite yet, but I'm REALLY proud of Jeff and I for buckling down and getting done what we should have been doing all along. Pretty crazy stuff huh? I know, we're (formerly) disgusting. I have since found that cleaning is like a drug to me, so things will be QUITE different around here from now on. (As well as wherever we live in the future.)

My friend Lindsey posted a blog about a week about about her 5 most hated household duties I absolutely love this woman and so I'm going to respond and hope you all will do the same for me! I would love to know (for sure) that I'm not the only homemaker who hates certain household chores. 1) PUTTING AWAY CLEAN LAUNDRY - I've NEVER liked this task. When I was still living at home and my mother was sick for several years in a row, I didn't mind to help with doing household tasks, but poor Mom would get home from the hospital to see that Dad and I had lived out of the laundry baskets for the last week. Still to this day, I am notoriously bad about this. There have been times, I'll admit, that I waited to put away laundry until I REALLY needed a laundry basket to start the process of folding clean clothes all over again. 2) SWEEPING THE FLOOR - If we had a mixture of carpeted and non - carpeted rooms, this would be less despised. However, how entire house is hardwo...

This has to be a dream... He's not REALLY gone, right? I mean, he can't be. He's my age. But he is. My friend Mark...Higgy as we affectionately knew him in high school died today, October 13, 2008. I don't know any details yet, only that he is gone and I'm experiencing a pain I didn't expect. Mark and I hadn't kept in close contact since graduation, but we did talk occasionally when he was home on leave or stationed overseas. He'd reassure me that things really weren't "that bad" over there and that Jeff would be safe if the day came that he had to deploy again. Mark said he'd already taken care of the "bad" guys so it would be safe. Anytime that we did get a chance to talk, we picked up as if we'd never stopped talking in the first place. It's funny how it takes something so tragic to show you how amazing and wonderful someone was. You know...when you can't thank them for being who they are anymore.. It ...

Alright...anyone who has talked to me or known me for any length of time knows that I have had many a hair color. This has never been more true than in the last year or so. As soon as I knew I was safe to dye my hair while pregnant, I had a new hair color every month. I started realizing something about it once Kamden arrived though. My hair color changes started only accompanying huge life changes or times of high stress. A few months ago my hair progressed in order of the following pictures in a matter of three days. This was the week we found out my mother in law had passed away. Most recently we have the following scenario. I tell Jeff I'm thinking of dying my hair again and ask him what color he'd like to see. He suggests auburn as I've had it before and he loved the look. It turns the color in the second picture and I freak out and the color in the third picture happens in a matter of about half an hour. This "decision" accompanies finding out a s...

* I physically cannot be around the Halloween decor aisles in a store. I get sick. * I get insanely irritated when I have to repeat myself more than one additional time. If you don't listen and hear me the second time around, you must not have been intended to hear it. * I am completely freaked out by the Teletubbies and hope and pray Kamden either never discovers them or plain just does not like them. * The Wiggles fall into the same catergory as the Teletubbies. * Anytime there is a good snowfall, I crave Dairy Queen Blizzards. * I have a very hard time sleeping in a completely silent room.

Alright, since it is 2 am and I am still wide awake, I thought I might as well take the time to blog a bit. If you are wanting inspiring reading or something deep and meaningful, I would encourage you to stop reading now, because this particular blog is a bit shallow. I promise, I'll have a deep, thought provoking post out in the next couple of days. It has been awhile since I sat and thought about things I really enjoy. I'm not talking about people, but plain old material goodness. (hey, I warned you about the shallow factor!) Tonight I realized that as silly as it may seem to some, and heck, maybe even vain, I LOVE makeup! I can sit for quite literally hours (when I have the time, which isn't often now) and watch makeup tutorials on youtube.com or surf cosmetics websites. I love to experiment with new colors and looks, but I don't allow myself to indulge in that very often. So, here's the deal. 1) I need a new hobby. 2) I need to, once again do something JUST with...

If you follow Kamden's blogspot and noticed that it no longer exists, never fear. I have combined it with our main blogspot space to save myself some time and headache. :)

I wanted to share just a few things I have realized about me as well as noticed about other mommies since becoming one myself. You know you are a mommy when - *you catch yourself absentmindedly humming Veggie Tales, Elmo, The Wiggles, or Baby Einstein songs during everyday tasks. *you usually don't get quite long enough in the shower to shave your legs when you want or need to. *you start noticing stains on the back of and shoulders of your clothing that you know you didn't make. *it doesn't phase you in the least to sit and stare at the contents of a poopy diaper wondering if that color and/or consistency is normal. *you find it is entirely possible to do just about anything with one hand. *you have ever fallen asleep while using your breastpump, or imagined the sounds it makes are actually its way of "talking" to you. *instead of thinking "Oh, if that were MY child..." when a child is throwing a fit in the middle of a store, you suddenly wonder if that...

Kamden had follow up appointments with both his neurologist and an occupational therapist yesterday. For anyone who may read and not know about the reasons behind this, he had excess fluid in the top ventricles in both sides of his brain from 18 weeks gestation up to the day I was induced to deliver him. Since his delivery, the fluid levels have almost normalized, however he is still being watched closely for any signs of developmental delay or any other problems. Overall, both the OT and Neurologist were pleased with how he is doing. In some areas (i.e. being able to hold two separate toys in two hands simultaneously) he is ahead. On the other hand, he is behind in some areas too. So, we start home physical therapy with him today to work on loosening the hamstrings in both legs and strengthening the back muscles from just above his waist down to his hip. The muscles that should be developing to help him learn to balance and sit on his own aren't quite developing as they should bec...

I enjoyed seeing those things on my list yesterday get marked off SO much that I think I may do the "list" daily. However, I'll post it in a different blog so as not to bore you with my daily chores here. LOL If you want to follow that, then check me out here

That's right. My little prince turned 5 months old today. I can hardly believe it. In some ways, it seems like we just brought him home, and in others it seems like he's been in our lives for so much longer. He is SUCH a joy and bright spot in our lives. Today we "celebrated" his birthday with a big serving of rice cereal - which he has now decided might not be as bad as he thought - and with him rolling back to belly 4 times! He had not rolled that direction since the day I posted on here about it, so it was almost like seeing it for the first time again. He still got the same semi-shocked look when he ended up on his belly, but he was fine until he couldn't figure out how to get his arms up from his sides to where he wanted them to be, which was under his chest so he could push up. I helped him get his arms in place and wouldn't you know it??? The stinker got up ON HIS KNEES. Granted it wasn't even long enough for me to even think about grabbing a camera...

Alright, so Mondays are generally the busiest day for me and I can never keep straight in my head what I have going on...so forgive me if you follow my blog and are going to in fact read my "to do" list for the day. Organize office area - About halfway done! Gather, separate and start on laundry for the week Find yummy, CHEAP recipes Make the grocery list - in progress Clean the bathroom Drop off the 3 boxes of clothes for charity - will be done tomorrow. Box up books in the living room and get the bookshelf downstairs to store Post items for sale on craigslist - In progress. Alright, I'll come back at the end of the day and see what I've gotten done. I know, you can't wait right?

In honor of my good friend Holly opening up and revealing her eccentricities in her most recent blog, I thought I'd do the same. Self abandon, even in the form of a blog, can't do anything but help. *When eating a dish that has a combination of meat and other products (i.e. pasta, stew, etc.) I HAVE to eat the non-meat first. I always save up the meat for the end and eat it all at once. I have no idea why, but I've done it since I was little and feel "off" if I don't do it. *I love to draw and do art projects. Anytime that I get a new box of pastels, watercolor pencils, map color pencils, etc., I get them home, dump them all out into a pile on the floor and proceed to put them in order by color of the rainbow (ROYGBV) THEN the browns, grays, blacks, silver and THEN gold. While it's not as bad as it once was, I tend to not be able to sleep unless this is done. *I am CONSTANTLY griping at Jeff for not turning the air conditioner off in the car BEFORE h...

Kamden has co-slept with Jeff and I since our first night home. (I know this can be a bit controversial, so I will leave it after the next comment and if need be we can agree to disagree.) I have no problem whatsoever with Kamden sharing our bed, and neither does Jeff. We have, however, started getting him into his crib, at least a little at a time. Generally, Kam falls asleep by 8:00 PM. Once making sure he is good and asleep, he goes into his crib. Now, most nights, he stays in his crib only until he wakes for his first feeding, usually between 11 PM and 1 AM, then I tend to fall asleep while he is nursing and he stays in the bed with us the rest of the night. Tonight, I made a conscious decision to stay awake until he finished nursing and then put him back into his crib. He stayed asleep. I feel like a giant need for being awake almost an hour later, blogging via my blackberry just in case I MIGHT hear him wake. LOL I guess mom's have just as much to learn as the little humans t...

This has been a week full of realizations for me. Some of those realizations have been quite pleasant and others have been more "thorn in the dr flesh" types. I thought I'd share them with you, and please feel free to comment with a "Well, DUH!!" if need be. 1. I am fantastic at planning and getting things in order. 2. I am not so great at following through with the things I plan out. 3. I am WAY too hard on myself and don't give myself enough credit. 4. I can do and deal with much more than I ever expected. 5. I have some absolutely incredible friends, no matter the large distances between us. 6. I am my worst adversary when it comes to achieving goals. 7. I am self critical mainly because I don't forgive myself for things long in the past, many of which were beyond my control. 8. My parents have once again become the smartest people I know. 9. So long as I keep saying that I will start on something "tomorrow" I will never start on it. 10. I d...

Today was supposed to have been Kamden's five-month neurology follow up. While I was pregnant with him, he had excess fluid on the brain from about five montha' gestation on and he has been followed since birth by way of occupational therapist appointments, neurology appointments, and ultrasounds of his ventricles in his brain. Anyway, I got Kamden all ready and kept him awake through his afternoon nap to go to his appointment, only to find out when we got there for his check in time that it had been rescheduled to next Wednesday. Long story short, I was not called because a letter regarding the appointment change had gone out. Evidently it was mailed out yesterday but our mail ran late today, so the letter was waiting in the mailbox for me when we got back home. Thankfully, Kamden never did get TOO fussy and went down well for his nap once we got back home.

As promised here is the video of Kamden having cereal for the first time. He's done much better since we started putting it into a bottle for him, but the looks on his face the first time around were priceless.

I was tagged by Holly (like TWO WEEKS ago) to list 7 things in the following categories. See you if you got tagged at the bottom. 7 things I want to do before I die 1) Take a tour of the British Isles 2) Memorize 365 verses of scripture 3) Have a little girl 4) Live in the mountains 5) Be completely and totally debt free and feel in charge of our money instead of it being in charge of us. 6) Learn fluent French and Spanish 7) Learn fluent ASL (American Sign Language) 7 things I can do 1) Sing Opera 2) Remember random dates and events YEARS after they occur in exact detail. 3) Sing like Elmo 4) Organize others 5) Say all 50 states in alphabetical order. 6) Make a mean Australian Cheesecake 7) Multitask like no one's business! 7 things I cannot do 1) Look in a full length mirror 2) Do something purely for myself 3) Cannot see a live or take care of disposing of a dead mouse in the house. 4) See Kamden cry inconsolably 5) Organize myself. 6) Forgive neglect or abuse of a child. 7) Out...

First thing's first. We had Kamden's four month appointment on the 28th of August and he is doing fantastic. He was 16 lbs even and 25.5 inches! That put him into the 75% for both his length and weight. He's started doing all kinds of fun things! For one, he started rolling over this last month. He still doesn't quite have the hang of rolling from his back to his belly, but he can roll from his belly to his back faster than I can grab the camera! We started trying cereal this week with him and he doesn't do too badly with it. He's not QUITE sure what to think of the spoon and in the process winds up pushing out most of the cereal trying to get the spoon away from him. We tried doing the cereal in his bottle last night though and he's done well with that. I have a video of that somewhere but I haven't gotten it onto the computer yet. I'll work on getting that posted soon. What I REALLY wanted to blog about and share is that he's started these HUGE...

I know it may seem like I am just incredibly slow, but I figured out part of what it is I need to get out of this depression funk. I need to be out with people more. Like, a LOT more. I met up with Jeff's national guard unit this evening for the FRG (Family Readiness Group) picnic after drill was finished for the day. I'll tell you, I may not have known many of them, but I had SUCH a good time. I really feel like things are going to start turning around for me depression-wise VERY soon if the biggest thing I need is more social interaction. MOPS starts on the 18th so I'll get to spend time with other young moms and our young married couples bible study starts its weekly meetings on Monday of this coming week. I'm going to remain positive. Things ARE going to keep getting better. I just know it!

The last two days have been great! Jeff and I celebrated our two year anniversary yesterday with dinner at Applebees and a quiet night at home watching August Rush (if you haven't seen it, go rent it. SERIOUSLY!) Today, Jeff surprised me with a hour long couple's massage complete with a bouquet of flowers and then we went to get our pictures taken as a family. Kamden , poor little guy, did awesome considering that we had to wake him up mid nap for the pictures. I'll get the pictures posted in the next day or so on here, but for now, they are on both my facebook and myspace accounts. Sorry this post was so anticlimactic...it's been a long day...my emotions/self esteem are next to nil and I've got a full day tomorrow with the diabetic specialist and Kamden's 4 month appointment! Lots to do :D

About a week ago I posted the following list of "to do's" before Jeff got home. I thought I'd provide an update on my progress as well as the things NOT on the list I got done. :) It's been a productive week and a half for me. -To go through and clean out clothes I no longer can or do wear to make more adequate room for those things I DO. I haven't yet gotten this done, however I do have the clothes clean and ready to go through in entirety - or will have by the end of today. -Reorganize the kitchen so that we have most of our counter space back. This is a work in progress... -Clear out the clothes Kamden has outgrown. I did manage to get through his drawers in his room and clean out what I knew for SURE didn't fit, but the last couple of days I've found that my "little boy" has outgrown more than I thought, so this is going on the "In progress" list as well. -Start boxing up things we don't need out to get them ready for t...

Wow, it's only been three weeks since Daddy left for guards training and Kamden has learned and done so many new things! This morning he started rolling over tummy to back. The last time I posted he'd gone back to tummy - however, since that post, he's not done it once! Little toot. I got some video of him rolling around this morning though so check it out if you get a chance. (It's in the list of videos in the sidebar.) He's also gotten a LOT more verbal and will "respond" in conversation with me. I love it. LOL He does the same thing with the dogs. I've been trying to get video of them standing in front of him when he's talking because they do the cutest little head cocked to the side like they are really listening and understanding him. He's found his toes and loves to hang onto them with one hand while playing with toys with his other hand. He hasn't quite yet figured out that he's also got to let GO of his toes, but hey, one thing ...

I am joining one of my very best friends in a "100 Day Challenge". It's been too long since I really challenged and held myself accountable to goals so I'm very excited to start this all with her. My 100 day mark will be November 24th. My goals for this time are- *To get into a daily routine of exercise (at least walking) and lose a minimum of 10 pounds. *Create, set, and stick to a realistic family budget. *Get my home organized and clear out the clutter. *Start being more assertive. *Pay off a minimum of 1/8 our total debt.

I think I would be a Slackerosaurus. Jeff will be home from Annual Training a week from today and I have hardly done a thing I planned on doing while he was away. That being said I've set the following goals for the next week. -To go through and clean out clothes I no longer can or do wear to make more adequate room for those things I DO. -Reorganize the kitchen so that we have most of our counter space back. -Clear out the clothes Kamden has outgrown. -Start boxing up things we don't need out to get them ready for the move next spring. -Finalize debt consolidation plans and get monthly payment dates set. Hopefully I will be able to start marking things off this list by the end of the weekend!

The reality of Jeff's deployment has hit me today in a big way. Granted, right now I have the comfort of knowing that he is a short 2 hour drive away, but the longer he is gone the more deafening the silence in my house becomes. I know that while he is gone I'll have the comfort of being with my parents and I'll have Kamden and school to occupy my mind and my time...but I also know and fear the empty feeling that will be there. Living with, for a minimum of 12 months the reality that my husband is defending and protecting the rights of people who loathe and despise him for what he is doing -and I'm not referring to those in Iraq either. Those who daily refer to he and his fellow soldiers as "baby killers" and God only knows what else, while he fights for their right to continue to be able to say those very things. To know that for at least 365 days, my son will not see his daddy other than in pictures or get to interact with him other than through webcam or b...

WORK LIKE THEY'VE NEVER WORKED BEFORE. LOL That's right. I've got to get in gear and get our little family organized and ready to go on several different fronts. I figure I can post it here so that I daily see it as my reminder, but also so that all you loverly peeps can help keep me on track. Ti's amazing what kind of motivation having your nine year old niece take a look at your house and say, "This place is a MESS!" can be for a person. First and foremost, I need to get myself into a DAILY habit of spending time in the word and in prayer with God. I know from past experience that it will help my days to go so much smoother and in general my life will be better off by seeking God's will and way first instead of as a last resort when I get into a sticky situation. Second, I desperately need to get this house in order. Not just cleaned. Really, my house is not "dirty". Rather, and maybe worse than being dirty, it is full of STUFF. I...

Kamden ROLLED OVER TODAY!!!! I was babysitting my niece and nephew and had Kamden laying in the living room floor playing. I knew that he could get up onto his side already because he almost 95% of the time is laying like then when I wake up and check him in the mornings. I got up and looked away from him for literally like 3 seconds and heard him snorting and grunting like he was going to start crying hard. He'd been really content so I turned quick to see if one of the dogs had stepped on him or something and he was laying flat on his tummy. LOL The poor thing HATES tummy time so he was fussing up a storm. I fought tearing up and rolled him back over onto his back again and he almost immediately flipped. Of course when I got out the video camera, I got nothin' but dirty looks. LOL He gave it a good hearty try one more time and got stuck halfway through before he fell asleep. Poor little guy got all worn out from the morning's activity. What a fantastic day!