I spent countless hours wrapping, organizing and shopping this December. Well, every December. I am the Christmas CEO around here, and as much fun as I have with the holiday, it's a ton of work! My mom has lists for every kid, and I have to make sure every item is written down and calculated correctly so each kid is even. It's harder than it sounds!
This year, the favorite gifts were electronics. I even got the Clarisonic from Jonathon. LOVE IT. Google it if you haven't heard of it. It's a new obsession. For. Real. He in return got the I Pod Touch. Jackson also got us gifts, like the Cabelas Dangerous Hunts 2011. FUN.
We also got a very unexpected and amazing Christmas gift. Jackson and I were able to spend time with Jonathon over Christmas. Jonathon was able to help put together Jackson's "cozy coupe" from Grammie and Papa, and help me wrap all the gifts I was in charge of. After making VERY last minute flight arrangements, and a million dollars later, we were able to include him in our Christmas festivities. Praise God because I was getting really down about him missing Christmas this year AND next year.
Jackson loved all of his gifts. He really banked a ton this Christmas. He LOVES his Coupe and will even sit in it and just watch tv or eat a snack. It's hilarious.
We spent Christmas evening at my Aunt Laurie and Uncle Dave's house. Their house was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and their basement served as the general gathering place for dinner. Jackson was pretty dang grumpy. His poor teeth were killing him, and he ended up staying up 2 hours past bedtime. Luckily, it's not something that has to happen again for quite some time!
I'll be flying to Maryland Januray 6 to visit Jonathon for a couple of days. We'll drive back together to my house in Colorado. Jackson will be staying home and I'm already dreading leaving him.
In other news, my Grandpa Otto, the only grandpa I've ever known, passed away on the 18th of this month. He was a very giving man and always helped anyone he could. Heaven is very lucky to have him. He'll be missed greatly. My Aunt Laurie put together a slide show of his life and she played it on Christmas. I think everyone was tearing up looking back at the wonderful memories.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
We're here!!
Christmas decorations are up in the family room. The living room and dining room look super amazing as well. I need to take better pictures.Ahhh! We made it!
My mom and dad came to my rescue on the 22nd of November. My mother had the wonderful opportunity to fly in that morning, and then pick up my baby boy, and then fly out around dinner time. Hahaha, ok, maybe it was a lot of work, but she didn't complain one bit! My dad was totally punished and came to help me move.
Actually, on the 23rd, he taught Jonathon how to fix his breaks. They also tackled that stupid window. By the end of the night, he and Jonathon had my entire car packed and ready for the road. It was so amazing to relax the night my dad got in. He treated my sister, Jonathon and I to a steak dinner in Bowie. Ok - - I had a brownie sundae which is SO much better than the guys' steak. It was really the only break we got!
My mom told me that Jackson Lane was the best baby on the plane! He talked to everyone and did really well for not having enough room to lay down completely. However, the booger slept perfect for her, which I'm kind of disappointed about. He NEVER slept at our house. 25 minute naps...horrible! She got him to take a 2 hour nap each day. What the heck is that? Jon and I were totally disgusted with his little act. :) He's wonderfully unpredictable.
My dad, Melanie, my cat and I left Wednesday morning. My dad drove for about 1450 miles of the trip, I took over for only 350 miles of the whole ride! He's such a trooper! My cat slept the whole way, thank goodness.
I was so excited to see my boy. He gave me a big hug right away. He LOVES my parents house. He walks around like he owns the place. He shows me all the "pretty" things in each room. (He points to all of the Christmas decorations and says, "pretty!") He also calls the cats by saying "kitty kitty". J also really loves that there are so many people here. He took to his Uncle Matthew when he was a little baby, so now that Jackson can actually play, they have so much fun! Emilie is a little, er, big helper! It's so nice to have an extra set of hands. And my parents couldn't be more amazing with him. He loves them so much. I can run errands and he is 100% fine at home with them. After 14 months, I have more help than I could ever imagine! It's such a blessing.
In slightly less exciting news, Jackson really loves brushing his teeth. After I do them, he gets to brush them himself which he thinks is so cool. He graduated to a different toothbrush today. I've been looking for the perfect toddler one, but just couldn't find it. Today, I was looking for a cd for Jonathon's sister and came across the cutest Sesame Street toddler toothbrush. He got his eye teeth this week so we have just about a mouthful to brush.
Jonathon probably won't make it home for Christmas. He's been asking for orders for weeks and they still haven't given him hard copy orders. They "working on it" every time he asks. So, his outprocessing may not be done in time to get here. We'll keep our fingers crossed for a last minute change of plans. We'd hate for him to miss two Christmas' in a row. Especially since this Christmas is so cool! My mom, dad and I all went Black Friday shopping and we got some super cool items. Oh I LOVE Christmas!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Daylight savings time
Ok, I'll just admit it. I hate daylight savings time. Last night, Jonathon had to work an extra hour and Jackson woke up way early according to the time on the clock.
I also didn't know how to adjust Jackson's schedule. He already gets a night time bottle at 5:45 p.m. He can't possibly go to bed an hour earlier for the night if we were to adjust everything by an hour. He already hates naps, so today when he WANTED to go to bed, he didn't. I just took him to the store where we bought him some super cool new shoes. When we got home, it was almost 2 hours (time adjusted) later than normal for his nap. But I took the risk and put him down anyway. He cried until I wrapped him up in his blankie. All is well upstairs so far. However, he has a horrible habit of only sleeping for a half hour when his schedule is messed up.
My house is super chaotic. There isn't a place for anything anymore. My sister told me she's excited to see my house for the first time...great, after it's completely torn apart. The upstairs was already torn apart by the time Jonathon's mom came. It will be SO nice to be settled in our next home.
It's becoming real that I won't have a December cable bill for this house, because I won't be here in December. Then it hits me that it's already November 7th and I only have 2 weeks until my parents get here. OMGosh! I just realized two weeks. Ahhhh....
I also didn't know how to adjust Jackson's schedule. He already gets a night time bottle at 5:45 p.m. He can't possibly go to bed an hour earlier for the night if we were to adjust everything by an hour. He already hates naps, so today when he WANTED to go to bed, he didn't. I just took him to the store where we bought him some super cool new shoes. When we got home, it was almost 2 hours (time adjusted) later than normal for his nap. But I took the risk and put him down anyway. He cried until I wrapped him up in his blankie. All is well upstairs so far. However, he has a horrible habit of only sleeping for a half hour when his schedule is messed up.
My house is super chaotic. There isn't a place for anything anymore. My sister told me she's excited to see my house for the first time...great, after it's completely torn apart. The upstairs was already torn apart by the time Jonathon's mom came. It will be SO nice to be settled in our next home.
It's becoming real that I won't have a December cable bill for this house, because I won't be here in December. Then it hits me that it's already November 7th and I only have 2 weeks until my parents get here. OMGosh! I just realized two weeks. Ahhhh....
Friday, November 5, 2010
My poor baby!
Here's a little story for you.
We are Pampers users. We mostly use Pampers Baby Dry, but we also use the Cruisers. We happened to have a box of Luvs sitting upstairs and I thought we'd just use them up before moving. We started using them Sunday or Monday night.
He's been having several messy diapers a day, and I chalked it up to the teething and the occasional pain medicine. He has super sensitive skin, and we have to stay on top of putting a cream or powder on him for most diaper changes. Well, he was getting a bad rash that wasn't being cooperative with the Butt Paste. He was also waking up several times a night and getting up for the day around 5:30 a.m. He'd cry all day long and we could not for the life of us figure out his problem. We gave him Advil for his teeth (gosh, they are RIGHT under the gums. Come through already!!), Orajel, took him outside, nothing worked.
Yesterday was Thursday. It was really rainy all day so it was pretty dark in our house. Usually when J wakes up for the day, or from a nap, we leave the lights off for a few minutes and let him wake up a bit. I had the light from the tv and started to change his messy diaper. One stroke of the wipe and the kid is screaming. I quickly finish up and he calms down. The next diaper change, I'm showing Jon that Jackson's bottom isn't just a rash. It is on his thighs, his little biscuits and everywhere in between. It honestly looks like a sunburn. Jackson screams bloody murder if you touch it with a wipe, wash cloth or water.
I thought about the things that have changed in the last week. His diapers. I packed Jackson up in the car and took him to Target. In the entire hour we were gone, Jackson hardly moved. He didn't say one word. He just laid there. I bought our beloved Pampers, all 300 of them. After getting him home, we changed him right away and lathered him up with Butt Paste. I asked a friend if she had used Luvs before. She said, "Yeah, they were great until I found out my daughter was allergic to them". She described the exact same, and some worse, symptoms that Jackson also experienced.
After this long story, my poor baby was walking stiffly all night. He cuddled with me mostly. Jonathon woke him up every 2 hours and changed his diaper and re-applied the Butt Paste. This morning, I got up to a boy who slept until 6:45, has been smiling since and his rash is half way gone. The part that is still there was the really bad areas and I'm sure that will take a couple days to heal.
We just felt so bad for our little guy! I was SO thankful that it even occured to me to switch back to the Pampers. Who would have thought a diaper could cause such a burn? I remember all of the news that Pampers Cruisers caused burns on children because of the Dry Max, but they didn't give Jackson a problem whatsoever. I emailed Luvs, we'll see what they have to say. I remember using Luvs when Jackson was about 3 months old or so, and we did not have this problem. Maybe they changed?
In other big news, I took our bed apart. The head board and footboard are pretty heavy, so they will stay against the wall until Jonathon can help me bring them down. Our mattress is on the floor. It sounds so funny, even Jonathon laughed at me, but I love having the mattress on the floor. It feels like we're camping out or something. There is SO much to do, I'm really hoping my sister, Melanie, can come down from New York to help me. With Jackson being sick at the beginning of the week, and losing all day yesterday to his rash/pain, I'd love the help. Plus, truth be told, Melanie is WAY better at the little maticulous jobs.
We are Pampers users. We mostly use Pampers Baby Dry, but we also use the Cruisers. We happened to have a box of Luvs sitting upstairs and I thought we'd just use them up before moving. We started using them Sunday or Monday night.
He's been having several messy diapers a day, and I chalked it up to the teething and the occasional pain medicine. He has super sensitive skin, and we have to stay on top of putting a cream or powder on him for most diaper changes. Well, he was getting a bad rash that wasn't being cooperative with the Butt Paste. He was also waking up several times a night and getting up for the day around 5:30 a.m. He'd cry all day long and we could not for the life of us figure out his problem. We gave him Advil for his teeth (gosh, they are RIGHT under the gums. Come through already!!), Orajel, took him outside, nothing worked.
Yesterday was Thursday. It was really rainy all day so it was pretty dark in our house. Usually when J wakes up for the day, or from a nap, we leave the lights off for a few minutes and let him wake up a bit. I had the light from the tv and started to change his messy diaper. One stroke of the wipe and the kid is screaming. I quickly finish up and he calms down. The next diaper change, I'm showing Jon that Jackson's bottom isn't just a rash. It is on his thighs, his little biscuits and everywhere in between. It honestly looks like a sunburn. Jackson screams bloody murder if you touch it with a wipe, wash cloth or water.
I thought about the things that have changed in the last week. His diapers. I packed Jackson up in the car and took him to Target. In the entire hour we were gone, Jackson hardly moved. He didn't say one word. He just laid there. I bought our beloved Pampers, all 300 of them. After getting him home, we changed him right away and lathered him up with Butt Paste. I asked a friend if she had used Luvs before. She said, "Yeah, they were great until I found out my daughter was allergic to them". She described the exact same, and some worse, symptoms that Jackson also experienced.
After this long story, my poor baby was walking stiffly all night. He cuddled with me mostly. Jonathon woke him up every 2 hours and changed his diaper and re-applied the Butt Paste. This morning, I got up to a boy who slept until 6:45, has been smiling since and his rash is half way gone. The part that is still there was the really bad areas and I'm sure that will take a couple days to heal.
We just felt so bad for our little guy! I was SO thankful that it even occured to me to switch back to the Pampers. Who would have thought a diaper could cause such a burn? I remember all of the news that Pampers Cruisers caused burns on children because of the Dry Max, but they didn't give Jackson a problem whatsoever. I emailed Luvs, we'll see what they have to say. I remember using Luvs when Jackson was about 3 months old or so, and we did not have this problem. Maybe they changed?
In other big news, I took our bed apart. The head board and footboard are pretty heavy, so they will stay against the wall until Jonathon can help me bring them down. Our mattress is on the floor. It sounds so funny, even Jonathon laughed at me, but I love having the mattress on the floor. It feels like we're camping out or something. There is SO much to do, I'm really hoping my sister, Melanie, can come down from New York to help me. With Jackson being sick at the beginning of the week, and losing all day yesterday to his rash/pain, I'd love the help. Plus, truth be told, Melanie is WAY better at the little maticulous jobs.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Moving forward
Baby Jackson is 13 months old! Holy cow, I don't even like saying, er, typing it!! Where did all of that time go?
Jackson has turned into a walking machine. He can walk the length of a room - or for those of you who have seen our house, he can walk from the stairs, into the kitchen, round the corner into the dining room. That's usually where he stops because he finds something he's interested in and needs to play with it for a minute.
Yes, I said a minute because right now you can't stop this boy. He's on the go and is quite the explorer. "No" has become a commonly used word around here lately. Luckily, most of the time he listens and it doesn't go any further than that.
If anyone has nap time solutions, send them my way. Jackson has NEVER been a napper. He sleeps 12 hours a night, which is AMAZING. But, he will only take a couple of 30 minute naps during the day and it's honestly killing the both of us. He gets so crabby, but he's also pretty stubborn when it comes to those darn naps.
My poor husband is realizing he's leaving. Yesterday, Jackson sat in our recliner with Jonathon and just rocked for a good 15 minutes. We were watching "Survivor" and it was so rainy out which is the perfect recipe for cuddling. As I previously stated, Jackson never sits still, so him laying on Jonathon for that long was super sweet. Jon just looked up at me and said, "I'm going to really miss this". It breaks my heart he'll be gone so long, so we won't dedicate too much time to writing about this. :)
I have roughly 5 weeks until I'm moving back to Colorado. Yikes! There is SO much to do and I feel like I'm not getting enough done. Even though I love new experiences, new places, etc, moving is gross and I can't wait to get movers for our next move. Jackson's room has been packed up for quite some time. Our spare room is filled with boxes, and all the odds and ends that don't have a home anymore.
If anyone hasn't heard, Jonathon got orders to Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado. We've gotten the question why we're moving there - and simply put, it's just a stop in our journey. We love Colorado and look forward to what it has to offer. It's a 4 year tour, so once our time is up, we'll no doubt be onto a new adventure. I prayed so hard that God would just send us to a place where we'd be the happiest, so I'm trusting his decision. It doesn't hurt that Jonathon and I already have friends and family in the area. As it turns out, he has a few military and high school buddies residing in that area. Cool!
Jackson has turned into a walking machine. He can walk the length of a room - or for those of you who have seen our house, he can walk from the stairs, into the kitchen, round the corner into the dining room. That's usually where he stops because he finds something he's interested in and needs to play with it for a minute.
Yes, I said a minute because right now you can't stop this boy. He's on the go and is quite the explorer. "No" has become a commonly used word around here lately. Luckily, most of the time he listens and it doesn't go any further than that.
If anyone has nap time solutions, send them my way. Jackson has NEVER been a napper. He sleeps 12 hours a night, which is AMAZING. But, he will only take a couple of 30 minute naps during the day and it's honestly killing the both of us. He gets so crabby, but he's also pretty stubborn when it comes to those darn naps.
My poor husband is realizing he's leaving. Yesterday, Jackson sat in our recliner with Jonathon and just rocked for a good 15 minutes. We were watching "Survivor" and it was so rainy out which is the perfect recipe for cuddling. As I previously stated, Jackson never sits still, so him laying on Jonathon for that long was super sweet. Jon just looked up at me and said, "I'm going to really miss this". It breaks my heart he'll be gone so long, so we won't dedicate too much time to writing about this. :)
I have roughly 5 weeks until I'm moving back to Colorado. Yikes! There is SO much to do and I feel like I'm not getting enough done. Even though I love new experiences, new places, etc, moving is gross and I can't wait to get movers for our next move. Jackson's room has been packed up for quite some time. Our spare room is filled with boxes, and all the odds and ends that don't have a home anymore.
If anyone hasn't heard, Jonathon got orders to Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado. We've gotten the question why we're moving there - and simply put, it's just a stop in our journey. We love Colorado and look forward to what it has to offer. It's a 4 year tour, so once our time is up, we'll no doubt be onto a new adventure. I prayed so hard that God would just send us to a place where we'd be the happiest, so I'm trusting his decision. It doesn't hurt that Jonathon and I already have friends and family in the area. As it turns out, he has a few military and high school buddies residing in that area. Cool!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Our lives
The military wife can handle...
-- Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
-- Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.
Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!
They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.
She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.
Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.
Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...
Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ABU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.
A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.
Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her
Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.
--Author Unknown
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.
Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!
They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
.....all with ONE Power of Attorney.
She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.
Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.
Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...
Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ABU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.
A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.
Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her
Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.
--Author Unknown
Monday, September 20, 2010
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