Whirlwind of kids and weather!

So out of the blue last week Garrett starts showing interest in potty training. He acted like he wanted to sit on the big boy potty and wham bam....he went!!!! So I have done the redneck training with him like I did with Joe. I just let him run around naked. He hates to pee on the floor and I have hardwood so it's not too bad to clean up when he does. The first day he had several accidents....but as of today he has had one accident!! This kid is a genius! heheheh I just think it's great especially because he's only 20 months old. Maybe I won't have to buy stock in Luvs after all ;).
The man of the hour!! :)

All three kids have been pretty ill and just when I thought everyone was better Garrett got it again (nasty head cold/congestion). He ended up with a fever Sunday evening so I took him in Monday. Poor kiddo has two ear infections now. The doc thought it was probably due to the fact he had been sick with congestion for three weeks prior. Ugh. Poor kid.

Katie has also hit a couple of milestones. She has figured out how to roll from her front to her back. I always love seeing the state of shock on a baby's face the first time they do that :). And I think I may have gotten a lil giggle out of her last night and today. Doesn't last more than two seconds but it is so precious to hear.

My gosh can she get any cuter?!!?

On top of all of this an ice storm has hit TN/KY. We got about half an inch last night and it has continued today and we are supposed to get more tomorrow! Craziness. It's beautiful to look at but makes me nervous since I need to drive to Nashville tomorrow.

3 month pictures

So I took Katie to have her three month pics yesterday. She did so well! Poor girl I changed her clothes so many times and she didn't even bat an eye. I just love having a little girl right now. Garrett sat out in the lobby in a stroller playing with toys and my cell phone. And he was soo good too. We walked around the mall a bit and did a little shopping it was a lot of fun :)

I have made a decision.

Joe has been gone nearly two weeks now after R&R. And I am not sure why but I was more nervous about this deployment than the 2 to Iraq. Not about his safety, but the length of time he would be gone and how I would handle it. With the Iraqi deployments I was working and only had Little Joe. I focused a lot on my job and Little Joe's health (which was pretty poor at the time). With the Iraqi deployments the longest we were apart was 7 months. Now I am now faced with at least a year of not seeing my husband and staying at home with three children full time. The first 5 months of this tour I have basically locked myself in the house with the kids (granted I was very pregnant some of that time) and I only ventured out to grocery stores and some Mom's Club activities. The fact that we live in the country on some beautiful property made this even easier. After a lot of prayer and a particular sermon that has struck me I have decided this is MY year. I was praying for God to show me what to do. I was praying for for strength and purpose. Then I heard God say, "This IS your purpose. Think of the role model you could be. Think of the MOTHER you could be." And that was it...I decided...I will not let the fact that Joe is gone keep me from living. I will go out with friends. I will go see movies. And I will be the best Mom AND Dad until my husband returns. I want to amaze him at what we have done and how we have grown. And I want to show other spouses of deployed soldiers that 12-18 months can be done. I will not put life on hold until 2010. 2009 is my year :).

Bumboed Out!!

Katie is not a really good sleeper. The only time I can really get her down is if I hold her or the swing (hence the 5 sets of batteries we have used since her birth ;)). But today as I was getting ready to go out with a friend. I found her nodding off in her bumbo seat. It was toooo cute. And she actually slept there for about 30 minutes. Maybe Mr Sandman will come my way again tonight ;)

2008 is over and so is R&R

Well we dropped off Big Joe this morning at the airport. Again I felt like I was kicked in the chest. I prayed most of the way home for strength and comfort and peace. And by the time I pulled in the drive R&R felt like a dream. We had a wonderful 4 weeks together. And I feel like my heart is on a plane now.

The last couple of days together we spent doing family outings. One day we drove to Nashville to see ICE. This is a walk through exhibit made entirely of ice near the Opryland hotel. They keep the building at 9 degrees so it is very chilly. So we dressed in several layers even though it was 60 outside and ICE gives you a long blue parka to wear as well. The kids loved it! Joe's favorite part is the ice slide which they have every year. And Garrett "oooo"ed at nearly everything. The last room you walk into is a nativity scene made of ice. It is beautiful.

Then we went to the Adventure Science Museum. I was really impressed. I have been to several children's museums but I think this one takes the cake. It had so many neat things. We were there nearly two hours and still didn't see everything. The kids just got too tired.

The last few days have been so wonderful. It was truly a blessing to have Joe home. And now we will wait....and pray for the day Joe is home for good.

The boys bundled up for ICE :)

As usual it was an amazing site!

The Ice slide.... Fun and COLD!!!!

Some last few smiles from Katie for her Daddy.