Moving

We made it to Southern Cali Tuesday night. Its definitely been an interesting one with having to take care of one thing after another..can't wait for the day when I can just relax on my couch again and knit or even sleep in our own bed. Until then soo much too do. We signed for our house today on base. So we will be checking out of our hotel tomorrow morning. After we got the keys we went and looked at the house...all I can say is GORGEOUS! Even the girls are excited :) They've already got their room picked out. We still have soo much to do. We were hoping to have our house yesterday but my wonderful hunny needed some uniform items that he needed in order to check in. My mom joined us and I got to see my Best Friend/Sister Bekah. Plus I've gotten to see my Best Friend/Sister Ashley just about each day. She has been the biggest help to us. Tomorrow its trying to get started in getting settled. A lot comes with that. Big one is figuring out when we are getting our stuff. Once we get our stuff we can get Internet set up..a long with everything else. So I wanted to come on here before we left the hotel. Well I'm off to bed...here's a picture of the girls I'll leave you with.

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

I thought I was busy before! This move has sped up into our sights! Its been an interesting journey! Mitchell hasn't been able to get a whole lot of time off which has been frustrating all in its own. He's still doing the boss' job or fixing things for him. However I've grown used to it.

Our counselor before we left Okinawa told us that Recruiting Duty will either tear your relationship apart or break it up. That its a make it or break it situation! I can't even tell you how close to the truth she is!!! If your not careful with your relationship it can tear you apart! They work such long hours and so much stupid drama that you have to be able to understand both sides! We've come to learn that to help us make it lol!

In the past three years I have honestly felt like a single mother with the benefits of being at home with the exception of last summer. Mitchell had an awesome boss and they were rolling along with their misson so well that he had most weekends off. We spent almost every weekend out on a lake with our boat. Outside last summer though I have to admit it, its extremely hard! Your life is literally spent taking care of the kids by yourself! Husbands are gone before you wake up in the morning and get home if your lucky in enough time to kiss the kids good night. If your misson isn't met they are working through the weekends. A lot of people around here ask.."Well if he's working this weekend he should get time off during the week right?" The answer is No. When we first got here Mitchell would be at work by 8 and home around 11pm and worked through all the weekends. For him to see the girls we'd try to meet him for lunch once a week. Its hard...but when it boils down to it Is there really any aspect of life that's easy? I've found the answer to be No. Especially in the Military lifestyle. Recruiting Duty your facing long hours...long days...the obstacles that you read about above...in the fleet/division your facing training months or deployments...basically months of them not being home and worried about them. We are now looking at being off of Recruiting Duty!!! Now here's the "However" lol he might be deployed in the Fall. So like I said there's always those obstacles in life!

Our move is happening next week. This update might be the last till April! Hannah and Alayna have their routine check ups next Tuesday. If I have the time I will come on and give the update on how all that went. Otherwise we have the Movers coming to pack our stuff up on Wednesday and then pick it all up on Thursday. I am working my tushy off these days trying to get the house in order. I've started packing things that we are taking with us. I'm hoping to have the house to the point that all we have to do is the basic clean up when they leave with our stuff. If that happens then we'll be hitting the road on the 25Th. I still have a lot to do before then I feel like my head is spinning every time I think about what stills needs to be done. I've made a lot of progress but its only a dent in what all has to be finished. So here's to hoping and praying!! Otherwise worst case scenario we'll be out of here on the 26Th. Here are some beautiful pictures of our wonderful little stinkers...

KalieAnn is soo excited about this move! She is such a Girly Girl!!! She wants to move so she can wear her dresses and flip flops! She keeps telling me "Mom it needs to get hot so the snow can melt and I can wear my dresses and sandals. No jackets, tights or boots!" We went and got her some dresses. I let her help me pack them in her suit case. She ran out of the room and came back with all her dress up stuff, toys, and sandals dangling from her fingers. I had to figure out how to explain to her that we still had some time before we needed to pack everything. It was soo funny!

Now heres our trouble maker! If she quiet it usually means she is up to no Good! I've come to the point I've tossed their crayons! I'm soo tired of finding crayons all over our walls! I went to Home Depot and they had those magic Erasers on sale for a box of four for two dollars. I bought 12!! I turned and asked Mitchell "You think this is enough?" He was laughing at me!!! I'd buy a box of four and it would only got two walls if I was lucky! I still have half a room to do and a hallway. So out of the 12 which translate into three boxes I have one and a half left. So I'm hoping that it'll get those rooms done.

Alayna is our Mommy's Girl. Right now she's not getting into a whole lot. She's happy as long as she's in the room where everyone is playing. She doesn't need a whole lot of attention but when she wants it she's pretty good about letting us know. She can't get herself into sitting position by herself but if you sit her up she'll stay sitting by herself for about five minutes before she throws herself into crawling position and rocks.

Now for the blankets I have been trying to get finished in this process of Moving and Cleaning

This blanket I made for a family friend that is pregnant with a boy. Its currently sitting in Mitchell's truck waiting to be delivered. He's hoping to get it to the husband or Dad to be tonight.

Now these two blankets are Hannah's and Alayna's. The pretty pink one I made two of and the second of it has been given to its new owners. I only have one more to make and its KalieAnn's. Trust me she doesn't let me forget its not done yet! Well off to get some more cleaning done!

Facebook and Moving

I have been having serious issues with my milk supply again. I went on my Circle of Moms applications on Face book. In that application their is a Nursing Mothers Group. I went in there asked for some help because I've done everything that I can think of. This lady recommended Momma's Milk Tea; here's the web page www.bulkherbstore.com. This weekend I am going to order some and give it a try! It sounds interesting but I am going to try it! I'm really hoping it helps. :)
Now for Moving! I am getting so excited! Mitchell has everything all set up! The Movers inspection is on the 3rd of February. TMO( The Moving people) are set to pack everything up on the 24Th of February and then pick it up on the 25Th! We'll spend a day cleaning the house and then hoping to be on the road to Colorado the 27Th. We're hoping to be in California the last week of March.
We also have Doctors appointments scheduled for the 23rd. Alayna will be having her 6 months check up and Hannah her 2 year check up. Well that's really all there is to update on for the moment! God Bless!

Growing Up

Have you ever had one of those moments where you look at your kids and you want to cry because there isn't anymore baby left in them at all?I love that my kids are growing up healthy and happy...but for some reason I get sad when I realize how fast she is growing up. KalieAnn is growing up soo fast!! Saturday we got a package from my friend Jenn for KalieAnns birthday. She got her a Really cute outfit...childrens size 5. Mitchell pulled the pants out of the bag and we looked at each other "Those are huge!! They probablywont fither till next but extremely cute!" KalieAnn grabs them puts them on and THEY FIT! Before I forget Jenn thank you bunches for it! Back on subject...It was just one of those moments where I was looking at our daughter and realized how tall she really has gotten...thenthe next thought..Hannah has been following KalieAnn pretty steady...a good four to six inches shorter than her. Hannah is now starting to wear some of KalieAnns old 3T clothes!! Thats when the realization that not only is KalieAnn getting big..but so is my baby Hannah. Then on top of ALL that I noticed Alayna's 3 month pajamas are getting small on her too. All that wasleft that was clean in her drawer was a 6month pajama outift. I put it on her expecting it to be huge on her..of course not...It Fit!!!!! Its a little big for width wise but length it fit perfectly....well now that I have that out of the way...I have a couple things regarding KalieAnn to update on.

First thing First. I went to drop her off at school this morning and I was handed her proofs for her school picture. They turned out so cute but why soo expensive? Can anyone please tell me that? Its ten dollar a sheet and they consider an 8X10 one sheet! Or its 26 an image to get put on CD and theres two images! If they weren't cute pictures we'd be set...I wouldn't even worry about it but they are absolutely adorable!!! I scanned them and put them on here so you could see how adorable they really are.

Just so everyone knows My Mom made that dress!!

Second update. Mitchell...whats theword...it was just on the tip of my tongue...dis something...disconnects? from this unit on the 15th of March. So I was talking to my friend Brooke about our girls and schools. She gave me the information line on Camp Pendleton to call about getting KalieAnn in schools. She also informed me that I need to do it now because they have wait lists. So I called and they got me connected to the School Liazon. She told me that ifI got KalieAnn on the waitlist now that by the time we move out there she should be able to slide right in and finish the school year. Heres the REALLY great news!! The cut off datethey haveout there for kids to start kindergarden is December 2nd which means KalieAnn WILL..theres no MAYBE IFS OR BUTTS..she said WILL be starting Kindergarden next year!! For those ofyou wondering why it was such a big IF..out here in Minnesota the cut off date is September 1. With her birthday on the 1st of October if wewere tostay out here she wouldn't be starting kindergarden till she is almost 6. All because of a silly birthday! So I'm thrilled!!!

Orders

Our order have finally come!!! Mitchell hasn't received them yet but the Sgt. Major called and told Mitchell we're heading to Cali! Its nice to finally know where we are going!! I've been having mixed feelings about it...just because I know he will be deployed again. When he went to Iraq in 04' it wasn't easy and I didn't have any kids then! I hear it goes faster though when you have kids. I'm just VERY thankful to be getting out of here and close to family again! My Mom and Dad are already finding parks close by that they can take the girls to. I keep thinking to myself "Yay we'll get to feel like a couple again!" The last time we were able to go out on a date was back in March when my Mom came out to visit for Hannah's Birthday. Usually we get to always have one in November for the ball but this year I won't be attending. Why you ask? It's way too expensive. It would cost us over $400 to go to this thing. They want $60 a ticket...so there would $120...then you add $36 a kid for child care since we don't have the luxury of having family or very many friends in the area...plus its two and a half hours away so it would have to be an over night stay...which also adds the cost of a hotel...$99 a night. you add all that up and you get $327. Not including the gas and food it would take or a dress! Its expensive and right next to Christmas and then moving two months after that! Its almost like the higher ups forget that we aren't made of money!!! Unfortunately its mandatory for Mitchell to go and they get paid back for the gas..food and hotel later on. So what we are thinking about doing is joining him at the hotel since we will eventually get reimbursed for that but I won't be attending the ball. Who knows I still might just stay home. So we will see that's still all up in the air. Right now we're getting ready for Halloween!

We went to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday at Berry Hill farm and got all our Pumpkins. Mitchell got a ginormous one that weighs more than KalieAnn and Hannah combined. KalieAnn and Hannah hada blast picking their pumpkins! However it really showed that KalieAnn can be quite the Girly Girl. Mitchell asked her if a pumpkin was a "KalieAnn Pumpkin?" and she responded at first "No, thats Mommys." He told hershe should pick it up and she responds "But its Dirty!" It was also funny to think about the difference in weather from last year when we went to this year. Last year the girls are in tank tops and shorts..this year we were in pants and a sweater. Well I must go make lunch my stinkers are telling me they havea rumbly in their tummy's!

Getting Settled

I've been busy trying to get us settled into our new home. forgot how much stuff we have lol. There's one thing I do not like about moving and its Unpacking. When I think about all the work that goes into moving it makes me stress but the over all picture of getting to see different places and meet new people is nice. I think there are...now remember I said think...three things in life that can really send me on a stress panic.

The first is money. I dunno what it is about it but it makes it hard for me to enjoy things. One of the first thing that pops into my head is okay do we really need this. I think it only stresses me out when its on something that isn't a necessity. I'll stand there staring at it thinking what if I get this and we need something more important later on and won't have the money for it.

The second is the new. I almost wanted to say the moving. All the work but I don't think its the actually work that goes into moving. Its the going somewhere new and having to do all the work because you know your hunny's going to have to work. Wondering how the new place is going to be, how far from family is it, and how our lives are going to be there.

The third is the Tornado's out here in MN. I used to love sit and watch the thunderstorms. But watching the skies turn pitch black around new, the flickering of the lights and wondering if the house and my stuff are going to be ruined, with all our memories gone is another. I think a huge part of that fear is loosing my girls. What if I don't get them down into the room fast enough, if something happens to us, whose going to take care of them. I think this probably a little personal for this and probably a bit silly but there they are. The three things that tend to stress me out the most. Well tomorrow is Halloween and our pumpkins have yet to be carved. So i need to go work on the house some more. God Bless!