Dads of this family

Joe and I have been blessed with wonderful fathers. I just wanted to talk a little bit about my Dad and Big Joe as a father.

My Dad is an unbelievable man. He grew up in Central Texas as the oldest of three children. He entered the Army as a young man and severed our wonderful country during the Vietnam War. He was married to my mother for over 40 years before she passed. And in her last months he brought all the home health care needed to their beautiful home and put her bed in from of huge windows so she could see the river and horses from her bed even though the docotrs were suggesting a nursing home. He is a great man. Stern, rugged, cowboy like nature. Yet I was a Daddy's girl for sure. Some of my best memories as a child with my Dad are doing donuts in an elementary school parking lot on snowy days, Daddy daughter nights at Sonic where he would take me to get half price burgers, riding on his motorcycle when I was very young, spending weekends at our lake cabin fishing, tubing behind his boat...you catch my drift. He still loves to chop wood for his fireplace, still loves his horses, wears cowboy boots to work (and my wedding ;)). I will never forget him walking me down the aisle telling me to picture Gunner running though fields as I looked at him through my tears. When it came time for the question "Who gives this woman to this man?" He replied very bluntly, "I'm not giving her away to anyone. She's on loan." I LOVE him. When I hemorrhaged after Katie's birth he was there...even though he doesn't like blood. When I hit a tree on my bike when I was five he was there to patch me up. I couldn't have picked a better father for me. And they say a girl tends to marry someone like her Dad...didn't think that was really true until I met Joe.

Joe is an awesome Dad. The rough and tumble type. A big kid at heart behind that rough, muscular, officer exterior. I love to watch him with the boys and I CANNOT wait to see the relationship that develops between him and Katie. Again when I need him he is there...even if he is half way around the world. Many times he has talked me through situations at home when he has much more to worry about at work. He was on the phone for Katie's birth, cut the cord for Garrett's, and was ecstatic to receive a Red Cross message that his first born arrived with Joe. He loves to take the boys to Tractor Supply and look at "man stuff". He has coached a soccer team amazingly when he has been home. And he has made the statement that we will wear three shirts and peel them off for different sporting events saying "Joe's Dad" next shirt "Garrett's Dad" last shirt "Katie's Dad".

So guys this is for you. I hope you have an awesome and wonderful Father's Day. And to our Greatest Father, God, thank you for giving me such wonderful men. May we honor You as well.

Summer fun! and p90x update

Well three weeks in and we are going strong :) We had a week of VBS and the kids loved it! I had a good time too but I think it wore me out more than them lol. By the way I taught 2yr olds. Garrett was in my class along with 10 -15 other lil ones. It was nice to spend time loving on him without Joe and Katie. I worry sometimes about the whole middle child thing. Kid will probably be extra spoiled because of it.

All three suited up for VBS.
Hannah and Garrett looking at giraffes :)
Joe and Hannah playing in the sprinklers.
Katie hung out in the sling with me :)

On the last day of VBS we went to the Nashville Zoo with some good friends. They have two little girls. Their youngest being just ten days younger than Katie. We had an awesome time...kids and adults. Joe's favorites are still the elephants...too bad they were kinda far away. But he loved the lil sprinkler area. Hannah (4) was cracking me up scooting near the water but if she got a drop on her she would scream and run for the hills!!!

Baseball season is officially over. I survived!! Overall it was quite as stressful as I thought. And Joe has really progressed. He makes an awesome catcher. And made several base hits thoughout the season. We've also hit the pool a couple of times...I went for a 2+ hour ride on Dad's girlfriend's farm, and have even ventured to Chuck E Cheese....can you tell I am trying to keep them busy lol??
Random cute pic of Bug. Trying to show how little she still is. If you know me well I have very little feet (those are a 5 and a lil big). She is still in 0-3 month clothes...but packs a lotta punch from that lil body :)

So now for the p90x update. Today I began phase II which is the start of a new workout routine for the next three weeks. I could tell I was starting to plateau at the end of week three so I am excited for the change. This is definately INTENSE though. But hey if you want the result you gotta work hard. Here are the latest results....drum roll please.....tatatata waist 30 inches hips 37 inches. Yahoooooo!! If I remember that's 4.5 inches off the waist and an inch off the hips in 4 weeks people!! Still no weight loss but I hear that's normal....and I need to quit thinking numbers and just be happy with size. So woohooo! BRING IT!

8 years and 8 months

On June 2 Joe and I celebrated yet another anniversary apart. Bleh. I remember a friend of mine posting what they had done over 8 years...so this year I wanted to do the same...

June 2,2001- Joe graduates from USMA at 10am and we are married at 3:00pm

June 3- Disney World!!!

June/July 2001 Joe and Liz go to be camp councelors at an all girls camp in SC

Fall 2001- Liz attends senior year at school while Joe goes to Knox and then Ft Riley KS

Sept 11, 2001...need I say more

December 2001 Joe and Liz take a road trip from Tennesse to Texas to Oregon to Kansas (to move Joe to Fort Riley Kansas) over the the span of 2 weeks in Joe's itty bitty Honda Civic

May 2002- Liz graduates from Sewanee with BS Liz moves to Kansas REALLY living with Joe for the first time. Liz gets a great job working for KS Wildlife and Parks

Fall 2002- Liz and Joe lose their first baby to miscarriage at 13 weeks..thankfully we get pregnant soon after with Little Joe

Spring 2003- Joe to Iraq OIF I

July 2003 Little Joe is born!!!

(the saga of Lil Joe's health begins....if you really wanna know email me)

November of 2003- Joe comes home on emergency leave for Little Joe. Meets his son in the hospital...was on every major news station and in the Kansas City Star. Little Joe has his first surgery.

January 2004 Little Joe stops breathing in the hospital and is revived...his 2nd and 3rd surgery soon follow

April 2004 Joe returns from Iraq

CRUISE TO CARRIBEAN!!!

6 weeks later Joe will find out he will return to Iraq in 9 months for OIF III

January 2005 Joe goes back to Iraq for OIF III

Febuary 2006 Joe returns from Iraq

May 2006 Joe and Liz lose another baby due to miscarriage..again thankful to get pregnant easily eafterwards.

May 2006 Joe and Liz move back to Liz's hometown where Joe will recieve his Master's degree in Military History Liz gets a job at a vet clinic as a surgery tech

May 2007 Garrett is born!!!!

December 2007 Joe grad from Austin Peay....the first to recieve Master's in Military History

January 2008 Joe leaves for 6 months to Ft Knox

June 2008 we recieve word that our latest pregnancy is a GIRL!!!

July 2008 Joe leaves for Korea...15-18 month tour

August 2008 My first baby goes to Kindergarten

October 2008 Katie is born!!!

December 2008 Joe comes home on R&R meets his daughter and spends 4 weeks with family

June 2009 HERE WE ARE

Sooo....needless to say I've been alone a lot in the last 8 years. Joe has lost classmates, friends, babies, and his platoon sgt was severely injured and is still in a coma today. But we have never been so happy...so in love..so grateful for what we have. We have a wonderful family, friends, church, home, shoes on our feet, clothes on our back, and food on the table...can't get much better if you ask me.

Part II 8 months

So if you did the math above Bug is now 8 months old. I just cannot believe it! She is a total Mama's girl. She loves to snuggle and be tickled. She'll sit on her own for a little while. She thinks her brothers are hilarious!!!! She has some teeth coming. I can see them but they haven't broken through. Thus she is putting everything in her mouth, including her adorable feet. Still tiny..still precious.

Summer Splash and p90x update

Well I am nearly through with my first week of summer. And I am surviving! I've been trying to keep them busy but it also wears me out. I bought a new kiddie pool for the boys and a little "wading" pool for Bug. They' ve been spending quite a bit of time out there. Joe has ball games 2x a week until late June. And VBS is next week. So things will be busy here. Katie wasn't too happy about her furst dip in the pool so I actually had to sit in with her and then she loved it. She has a bit more confidence now :).

Katie wants the Mama...

Just the boys being silly...

Isn't this SWEEEEET????

Garrett had to add some more artwork to his body yesterday...with the help pf his brother I later found out. Serves me right for fixing my hair before we went to the grocery store...rolling eyes lol. So of course I fussed and them...snapped a picture ;)...then scrubbed the Garretto down.

As for p90x. Today is day 13. The workouts are intense to say the least. Somedays I feel like I won't be able to walk across the floor when I'm done, but it's been so worth it. Most days I have more energy than I have had in months...maybe a year or more. I've been sleeping like a rock which is also a huge improvement...not to mention I have results before 2 weeks is out :). No weight loss but get this.....chest 36' waist 32.5' hips 37.5' . Check out the waist...that's 2 INCHES OFF in less than 2 weeks. I couldn't be more pleased :):):).

Food for thought...

So I do a lot of thinking at the bus stop (aka end of the driveway lol). Since school is over now usually I head to the barn for a few minutes to think if I need to. Sometimes I pray..sometimes I listen to the birds...sometimes I just look around. I got to thinking..as I watched a line of ants go across the driveway. I am the only person in the world who is looking at these ants...at this very moment. And I wondered...I wonder how many other humans will see these particular ants. Maybe not any. Have you ever wondered as you saw a fox dart across the road, or a flower bloom on a walk in the woods how many others would see that? This is when I feel close to God. Like he made them just for me at that moment. I feel so small but such a big part of this world. And then just think about your family...your kids. You out of the billions on the planet are their parent/grandmother/godmother/friend. Out of all the poeple in the world you were one of the first to hold them..smell them..bathe them..feed them. You were chosen to be there....just like my little ant line. Next time you see an insect, wildlife, or even a blossom of a flower ask yourselves how many others will see it...or more importantly pay attention to it.

Trying a new workout

I'm sure you have seen it on TV....it's called P90X. It is a series of dvds with different workouts. I decided to do this because I have been moderately working out since Katie was 6 weeks old. I have lost all but 5 pounds of my baby weight (currently at 125 and I am 5'2) and I am stuck. And although I lost this weight I feel soft. Granted I know I have some body issues (you will never see me in shorts outside my home) but I want to feel better about how I look. Plus having a little more energy to keep up with these kidlets would be nice too. I have done 2 days worth and my gosh I haven't worked this hard in years...it's no picnic, but that is part of my problem, On my own I don't work myself THAT hard...and definately not for an hour. Ok so I am being brave...here on my stats on Day 2. chest 36', waist 34.5', hips 38'. Of course like most mothers...and probably women in general my mid section is what I dislike the most. Three babies will do that to you. So my goal is not really to lose a whole lot of weight but to tone and define. This is a 90 day program (which obviously you would have to continue with workouts to stay in shape). I will retake measurements every week or two. I have a friend who has lost 3 inches from her waist in 2 weeks! So here we go. Tony Horton....you are hired!!

Happy Birthday Garretto Burrito!!

My goodness didn't I just bring this sweet lil boy home from the hospital? How on EARTH can he be two????!! Well he is :). And what a precious child to have. Yes he has found the temper tantrums and what I like to call being a floppy fish in puplic places. Yes he and his brother roll around like dogs on the floor. Yes he has taken many a marker to my cabinets, the floor and himself. But he is soooo incredibly sweet, snuggly, gives me hugs on the back of my legs when I am doing dishes, and loves any kind of food I put in front of him :). We invited a few people over for a party and the kids had a ball. They played outside (yes it stopped raining for a dew hours!!!!), we did a pinata, opened presents, and enjoyed some cake. What a priceless moment for a dear little boy. Garrett, we love you so much. You will always be our Garretto Burrito. I have always make the boys' cakes but this was my first attempt at real decoration. Sorry Connie lolOpening the presents!! Cleaning up the loot from the pinata. Garrett grabbed a sucker and was happy :)

After seeing this video I had to share it. I crack myself up :) I am NOT a videographer and it so shows. This is what happens when you have to be Mom and Dad and party planner :) Next check out Garetto's pucker. He kisses the same too...soooooo cute!!!