Fort Leonardwood/Lost-In-The-Woods Missouri

Well, we got into Missouri and drove into Mom and Dad's driveway about 6am on Tuesday morning! We left Clarksville at midnight to drive through the night so the kids would sleep the whole way... so obviously the first adventurous thing we did when we got there was crash for hours upon hours on the blow up mattress downstairs... which regardless of its air-head type manner could not have been more comfortable!
The next few days we stayed home for the most part visiting until the day after Christmas when we went out and about seeing the sights of Fort Leonardwood! Now don't worry, no children were harmed during the taking of these photos no matter how much it looks like they are about to get ran over by these monstrous military tactical vehicles!














Now how many kids get to ride on the side of a tank like this? hahaha! There were signs everywhere forbidding the climbing on of the stationary vehicles for show only.... but we just had to get this picture!


It was wonderful seeing Mom and Dad, and one thing wondering around this heavily populated training base did was bring back to reality how much effort goes into preparing our soldiers to risk their lives for this country so we can remain safe at home. It just made me feel so blessed to know that so many dedicated and honorable people have my life, and that of my children, in their best interest....even though they don't know me personally.I am so proud and appreciative of them... and of my Dad who has always taught us to take pride in our country and never feel ashamed of who we are... As the new year approaches I think about all that we, as a country have been through this year alone and I pray that we can come out just as united and strong through this next year. I support our troops, and I pray for them everyday and I just want to say thank you to them all. Wherever they are, deployed or finally home with their loved ones... it may be another year ahead of us filled with more deployments and less time at home, but you are appreciated and loved.
Till they all come home...

Family Time and the End of 2008

So we had a FANTASTIC Christmas and vacation in Missouri!
The girls really made out considering the limited financial budget that "Santa" had this year! lol Cecilia got the coolest rollerskates from her Aunt Jacky with Hannah Montana on them... needless to say she was super thrilled and the Lord blessed us with weather fair enough to do some outdoor learning sessions!
Ciara and Cadince just had a blast tearing as much of the wrapping paper up as possible to discover their many baby dolls and Dora the Explorer activities/toys!
It was so nice to have Jared home. For those who don't know the whole story, a friend of Jared's gave me the ultimate Christmas gift, he paid for Jared's round-trip ticket to come home for the holidays! He leaves out on the 2nd of January so he gets to be here for Christmas and New Years!





We haven't really gotten around to getting decent family shots done so Mom and Dad did us the favor of taking some nice Christmas photos of us! Wow! I never realized how slimming gray is! lol I look ten pounds lighter! hehehehe



Apparently Jared felt that he did not get enough for Christmas so I was instructed to wrap myself up... Well we didn't have enough wrapping paper for such a feat so I ended up looking like this! lol














Another year has come and passed... seems like we just got here... Well, I have one more post before 2008 is over... just to show the really cool things we did at Fort Leonardwood!!! Then, it's off to 2009... God Bless us all as we enter into another year with our savior and out families... who we wouldn't be anything without!

Soon

Three days!
Jared comes home in three days. It is only for a week and a half but he will be home!
He flies in at around nine in the evening Saturday (20th) and leaves at six o'clock in the evening on the 2nd! We are heading out to Mom and Dad's on the 23rd for Christmas and we are sooooo excited for the road trip and to see them. We won't be heading back until the 28th or 29th, depending on what is going on and the weather. Spending Christmas with family is well worth the six to seven hour drive through the rain and hail there and back! Of course, doing so with three crabby kids will be an adventure all in itself. Andrea, I honestly don't know how you do it driving here every year! But Dad made a special trip out to see Jared graduate and there is nothing that's going to stop us from doing the same (the special trip part anyway!)

The girls are very very excited. They have already planned out all the cool pictures they want to make for Daddy and what to put on the banners! They are quite adorable!
As for me, I am stressed as usual. Such excitement also bring extra responsibilities for me so I am trying to catch up on everything and budget for the trip the best I can... Santa is going to Grammy and Pappy's this year and trying to figure out how to tote all those wrapped gifts from "santa" is proving to be a task!

Well, I hope everyone's holiday is safe and fun... we will do out best to see everyone we can while Jared is in town, but we are really going to want as much us time as possible. He comes home for good in FEBRUARY so there can be plenty of visiting then! lol

Merry Christmas everyone and have a great New Year. God Bless you all!

Take this all you Mommies!

Finally one that is different! Here you go mommies - a different kind of tag for a change - it's all about you and your first baby!

1. Were you married at the time? Of birth? Yes... of conception... No

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? too many emotions to really name!
3. How old were you? 17

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? Fell out of drill (which didn't happen to me!) and was sent to Smyrna Hospital
5. Who did you tell first? Jared

6. Did you want to find out the sex? Yes!
7. Due date? April 18, 2005
8. Did you deliver early or late? 1 week early
9. Did you have morning sickness? I was sick the whole time! lol

10. What did you crave? Beef jerky and pepsi... always around one o'clock in the morning!

11. Who irritated you the most? who didn't? I was moody! lol

12. What was your first child's sex? girl

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 18 lbs

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? I was on bedrest pretty much the entire time... It was a rough one!
15. Where did you give birth? Gateway
16. How many hours were you in labor? Which time?!!! lol about three and a half hours total... but the pushing only took about 15 min

17. Who drove you to the hospital? My husband
18. Who watched? Jared, my mom, my little sister, and too many nurses to count... and my doctor of course (I hope!)
19. Was it natural or c-section? natural

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Nope! I was determined to go all the way by myself

21. How much did your child weigh? 7 lbs 1/2 oz
22. What did you name him/her? Ciara Jade
23. How old is your first born today? 3

Okay all you mommies, re-post this as 'My first baby'

Amateur... just saying before you judge! lol

Hmmmmm... twice in one week huh?

Ok
So i took some photos the other day of the girls and I at Dunbar Cave just having a blast... but Jared insist on continuous photo-taking now and I am dabbling a bit in the fine art of picture taking with those complicated devices known as cameras so I thought I would try some simple things to see if I have any suppressed talent beneath the many layers of extra weight, droopy hair that desperately needs some fixing up, and sunken shoulders from the loads of homework I carry around!!! LOL Just in case you are wondering, as awful as it all sounds somehow I still manage to see the glass as half-full in life...quirky, I know... just a gift I suppose. Keep in mind I am just using a cheap and simple camera so lighting and all that technical jargon crap aren't my fault... I blame inflated prices on bigger chunks of photography toys that I just can't afford... Really steps on the little man... or woman in this instance I suppose!
Anyway on with the pictures
Oh, and here I am again sitting at the computer NOT doing homework
Honestly... you blogging people are a horrible example to me!




So here are some shots of the kids with their bread for the geese and with their suckers Aunt Dani gave them... I unfortunately did not get a picture of little miss Cadince trying to feed a goose her sucker, but she did and it was quite entertaining!
I love these little wild children... they never cease to amaze/amuse me! hahahaha!










This one was our favorite... that is until it tried to attack Cecilia! What a spectacle we were... Cecilia frightened and running away from the goose... The goose wings half spread attempting to snatch the remainder of the hotdog bun from Cecilia's hand... and me, the paranoid mom totally freaked out arms flailing around everywhere chasing the killer bird shouting at it and doing my best to knock it out with the few pieces of hotdog bun I had left... anything to save my child's life you know!!! Oh, and dodging all the nasty green and white poop that lined the sidewalk and water edge was not a simple task... that right there, that takes talent I don't care who you are... so, I may not be great with the picture taking but....let's just say I came home with poop-less boots!


We also went up to the little information building they have there and took some shots of the girls for the heck of it... You know, I see them everyday and I still can't believe how big they are getting... and when I look at them through the pictures I take, it sinks in all to fast...

I LOVE Cadie's face in these pictures... she was ALL about that sucker!

























Just so ya'll know... I believe I have both met and exceeded my quota for this month... picture posting wise... so I better see plenty of comments on the beauty of my fine little creatures and my obvious skill in the art of camera usage... just a friendly FYI that's all... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ok, so not really.... but kinda really lol

A True Art...

Greetings,

Alright, for those of you who have spent many years (Mom I know you have spent many many years but I am trying to keep from exploiting your vast age on the internet) (oh, don't slap me for that one...lol) anyway! for the rest of us younger people who have spent a great deal of time trying to perfect the art of true procrastination and avoidance of the inevitable (i.e. currently my HUGE exam tomorrow I should be studying for...) here is the secret... I have found the hidden puzzle piece...


Eh... what am I saying, I know for a fact Andrea has the procrastinating thing down way better then me! lol but really.... here is my true art of not-doing-what-i-need-to-be-doing at its finest!






We went to Jared's Basic Training graduation last week and so I thought I would post some pictures of him and the girls... We went to one of the parks in the housing area and just let Jared play with the girls for a few hours! They loved it. This close up here of PVT Jared Golson is to show off his wonderful black eye some punk PVT gave him... long story, but ultimately, Jared was the victor because he refused to fight and lose his family day... and he didn't snitch on the other guy either for fear of getting in trouble himself! He did hold him in a headlock, however, until the other guys broke the fight up! Boys will be boys as they say! Oh, and please join me in protesting Jared's desire to ever again go bald! I think my husband is a very attractive man... but he is not "too sexy for his hair!" LOL





And... since I have yet to post pictures of our Halloween and I am once again practicing the secret art of avoidance of major obstacles, here are the pictures we took before we went out. Cecilia is Wonder Woman... Ciara is a pirate again because she is just sooo cute and she refused to be anything else... and Cadince is a scarecrow... and way too adorable for her own good! I forewent the dressing up this year... waiting until next year when Jared is home so we can go as a themed couple... little does he know! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!














And that concludes our update, though I have another set of pictures I will probably post in a day or two of the wild goose chase... literally!!!! that took place while feed the geese at Dunbar Cave the past weekend... and my amateur shot at photography...
Plus I will be posting a video of Jared's platoon too. Tried to do it tonight but it is taking too long and I am getting tired!
See that, not even getting off to study but getting off because I need sleep and have to get up in about 5 hours!!!! That is talent right there! Until then....

Jared's Address

PVT Golson, Jared
Hotel Troop, 5th Squadron 15th Calvary
2nd Platoon
194th Armor Training Brigade
3576 Wilson Road
Fort Knox, Kentucky 40121-5272


He wants mail if you have time! Pictures and letters or whatever but no contraband of course!
He is doing really well, says he actually likes the training, even the physical exertion he has to put into it... but he is still getting use to the army... duh!
His graduation date is the 7th of November from 8am-10am, though I know no one will probably be able to make it...

I get to talk to him once a week for about 2 minutes... that is unless some ding dong in his platoon doesn't mess things up for everyone like last weekend!
That's about it1

Oh, I start back at work on the 1st of October... I am excited and worried about the stress.
Wish me luck!

Well...

Jared has been gone nearly two weeks now... and it's just one big party after the other here! NOT!
I never had any idea what being a single mother was like and I give my full respect to any woman who manages a household alone... whether it be because she has no husband, or because he just isn't there... It is far from easy and I have much more respect for my mother too!
The girls are holding up pretty well. Things. of course, aren't apple pie, but we are getting through and have a pretty good routine (which includes mommy forgetting to sleep 90% of the time!). We often have "girls" night where we enjoy fingernail polish fumes and whale fat on our faces in order to beautify ourselves and feel "dressy". We have a movie night at least once a week where we eat hoards of popcorn to add cushion to our figures and sit mindlessly in front of the television for hours.
On the active side of things we do regularly go to the park and walking around the mall. Church on Sundays is set in stone of course, but other then that we rotate what days we have special times and what days mommy kindly says, "get your butts in bed, I don't care if it's only 6:00...and no you can't eat dinner because I have too much homework to cook!" (we try to space those out as much as possible for legal purposes of course!)
Jared gets to call my on Sundays for about 2 minutes...literally. Just enough to say how awful the people are and how much fun he isn't having and that he misses us and loves us....and to ask about the guys on xbox?!?!?! It's really s shocker because for once he does all the talking and I can't get a word out edge-wise!
That's about it for now I suppose. Things are otherwise on the normal side. Cadince turns two in 6 days...geez. I am not ready for that! They do grow up fast!
Leave me some feedback and let me know how everyone is doing. I will be posting Jared's address in a few days so you can all bombard him with mail that he will have to do push ups for! lol
I mean it! It's just helping him build muscle strength and endurance!
till then
au revoir

Adjustments

First things first, for those who don't know Cecilia recently had her front four teeth removed and two silver caps put two of her lower teeth. Here is the picture of the mass amounts of cotton they stuffed her with afterward.

She looked so pitiful after it all and then she said she was tired and crashed...poor thing refused to let go of her teeth in the envelope too! lol






Also, Jared left on the 27th. Wow was that difficult. Yes, I know that everyone else has had to do the saying goodbye to the husband/dad thing at least once...but we hadn't before and frankly it sucks!
We miss him like totally crazy and the girls are taking it really hard, Cecilia doesn't even want to get out of bed for school...a REALLY weird occurrence...
Before he left we took pictures of him for him to take in his wallet and for us to keep while he is gone to look at... her are some of them.











Getting the girls to smile proved no small task as they knew it was time to say goodbye...These were taken about 3 hours till bingo.










As far as other life happenings, school has started and I am back in full force. I absolutely love most of my classes though they are all sure to give me a run for my money this semester, especially with three needy girls to handle all day long! But, the way I see it, millions of people do this everyday, and they are no better then me...so i can get through this just fine...

Besides, it is semi-hysterical to think of Jared getting his butt kicked at Basic and doing mass amounts of push ups...lol I love that guy!

School is on the horizon...eeck!

ok.
i changed my major!
Before you say anything like "again?!" hear me out.
I just had to.
There, that's my argument!
My new major is pre-dental hygiene and I am actually thinking this one is going last! lol

When taking Cecilia to the dentist today, I had this sudden urge to trade places with the hygienist. Since such a move would have proved extremely detrimental to Cecilia's mouth and found me lying on the floor taser-ed and seizing like a giant beetle recently sprayed with Windex (did that today!), I buried this urge and instead began to ponder the lifestyle that would come attached to such a career move.

Ok, it may seem rash to you... but let's face it it's not your career! lol
Seriously though, I feel that this is going to be one heck of a ride and I would really enjoy doing this for time and all eternity..besides, hygienist make killer money and the prospect of dentistry on the doctor level will still be there for upgrades!

So, this now means that instead of simple and passive english papers this semester and every one after that, my new schedule is full of Chemistry, Biology, and Physiology to boot!
What a headache!
As far as Jared's career move to the military, we are still in the waiting game. He has signed a contract to ship on the 28th of August, but he never swore in so he will be returning to MEPS tomorrow morning to try and change some things on his contract and swear in so it is official.
This just means I will be alone and senile during my upcoming school semester and will be found, upon my husbands arrival, to be bald, scabby faced (from scratching my own eyes out), and insane beyond medical help.

I am so excited!

There is another post in the same month.
I think this deserves massive amounts of oooh-s and ahhhh-s!
So leave your comments and I will return the favor!

Fourth of July and other stuff!

Well... I don't have much to say because it all sounds too depressing anyway! lol
So here is the good stuff!

I love my new job (Toys R Us!)
I can't wait to ship my husband off.... if that day ever comes (we are looking at two weeks tops! yea!)
And we had a great Fourth of July with family and friends.

Here are some pictures.







We went on the third to the park and got there WAY TOO EARLY...we waited for the fireworks for 3 hours!
Here is the family waiting for the fireworks show at the river....
Jared was behind the camera this time!











Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for fireworks on the fourth.. we got to visit with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sarah. Here are some more pictures, these include our cool fireworks pics from that night.