Retirement

Ever since we came to this Island it seems all I can focus on is leaving. Not that there is anything wrong with Hawaii... Everybody tells me I am living in paradise, after all. And let's face it, after Japan this IS paradise. I have been here a year now and I all I can think of is how we only have 2 more left until we leave and we are finally finished with the Marine Corps. I am done with the "lifestyle"... I want my own house to raise my children in, I want to be with my family and friends, and have our own land. It will be so nice to have a house to make our own and not have to worry about packing up and moving in a couple of years. We are two years from our final move and I am already making preparations in my head... When should we sell the house in Texas, when should we ship the dogs back, should be start Emily's second grade class in NY or here, when should I go back with the kids... It's allot to figure out. Next year this time though we will be figuring out everything on a month to month basis I know. This "final move" with being so far away is going to take allot of planning on all accounts.

Speaking of Hawaii... I might be getting the fever, the Island fever. I have seen and done pretty much everything I would want to do aside from seeing another Island. I guess Keith and I going to take a trip to another Island during the Christmas break with the kids. Our gift to each other... It might be nice to play the role of a tourist and enjoy what a resort has to offer. After all when you live here you still have kids, husband, laundy, and a house to take care of. It's not like I can lounge on the beach all day with a little umbrella drink. People don't seem to get that. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it here... I just don't love it either. It's good for now and I am trying to enjoy everything it has to offer (Except the local "aloha" spirit, that is an entirely different story) and not wish it away. However with being so far from family and retirement right around the corner it is hard at times not to.

The kids are good. Em started school. I am still trying to wrap my head around her being old enough to go. She is having issues with writing but then again Em has always taken her time doing things and with practice she always does well. At first I was very stressed about it but after giving myself some time I know she will do fine. Nothing in life has come very easily for Em but she has always tried her hardest and never gives up. Her problems at school are more mine, not hers. Her teacher says she is doing fine, we just need to work at her pace. I have had to take step back and let her be Emily...

Oli is good. She is talking more and climbing anything she can. She is a stinker but overall a good stinker. I can't complain about her not eating or sleeping. She does both well. She still has the blue eyes and the white hair that stops people where ever we go. Now with Em at school she is enjoying her Mommy time. She loves to snuggle and loves all the attention to herself. I thought she might be upset with Em being gone but she hasn't had any issues because she enjoys having me to herself. Once it's time to get Em she is happy to have her back.

Em has become more and more my little helper. The other day I had went grocery shopping for a few things. I had about 5-6 bags that I had unloaded and had to attend to Oli for something. When I got done Emily had taken everything out of the bags and put it all away without me asking. I was surprised!! She will also empty the dishwasher, set the table, help with the laundry, and do odd things to help with her sister. She amazes with me... Not that she can help, that she wants to! LOL

So Keith and I have planned to go home in June. Keith for about 3 weeks and me 6 with the girls. I figure if we are going to spend the money then we will make it worth it! Not to mention that Em has been asking repeatedly to go there. She misses everyone so much. She talks about NY and our family everyday... she needs to go there and be with them all and Oli needs to bond with them as well.

Nothing else is going on. Just going the normal day to day thing... Laundry, helping Em with school, cooking meals, taking care of the house, and running errands. The normal Mom/wife thing. I am on FB pretty often. I can stay in touch with everyone, I feel more like apart of everyone's life through there. Keith and I play games against each other... If I didn't have facebook I would probably feel so more disconnected here. So if you don't have an account you need to get one... you're like one of the only people left on the planet who doesn't have one!!

That's all for now... Bored so I thought I would write a small update... Until later....

Happy First Birthday - March 11, 09

Happy Birthday Olivia Rose!! Your are Mommy's little treasure, a true gift, and a blessing every day.

You can say Mama, Dada, Daddy, bye-bye (and wave), give kisses, and point to everything you want, and say love to say AhhhhOhhhhh....

You eat all table food (since 9 months), drink milk, have two bottles a day now. You started taking steps at 11 months and can now walk up to around 20 feet on your own. You love to snuggle, you adore your sister, love sharing snacks with your doggies, and looking at pictures in books. You love to dance, hate being in the car for too long, love going for walks, and you love your baths.

You are a true joy to raise, a reminder to me every day that wishes can come true. You are beautiful inside and out. When you came into our lives you completed our family truly and completely.

I love you so much my little blue eyed turkey....

My favorite pic

Our house from the park

Em today climbing a tree

Pics of Oli from today

I am not impressed

I take back what I said a couple of posts down. Obama is making some major mistakes. President or not, I am not so sure I can back this guy up anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still want him to do well for this Country but so far he seems to be making some critical mistakes. I have a feeling I am going to end up saying "I told you so"...

Just Because

Emmy in her "Princess" dress from Nanny and one of my favorite Oli smiles

Bye Bye George

Okay, so let's just get this over with shall we? I am going to miss George. I LOVED GW. I have made no secrets about that. I truly believed he did what was in the best interest for our Country and did what he had to do to keep us all safe. He was our President... and I supported him. Sure he wasn't perfect but the last time I checked I haven't met a politician who was. He had some very difficult issues to deal with and he handled them. You may not have agreed with how he did it but you are in your home safe and this Country did not see another terrorist attack after 911.

The media tore him apart dividing this Country when we should have been standing together. Celebrities who are overpaid entertainers felt the need to voice their opinion, telling us, the common folk how to think. Hatred grew and spread like wild fire...The media mocked every little thing he did and said almost relishing in the hatred they grew for him. It sickens me as an American, as a military wife that the American people acted in such a way to one of our Presidents. Our nation's leader that OUR OWN people voted into office. There is many Americans who should be ashamed of themselves...

Which leads me to the obvious... Obama. I did not want him to be the next President. I am very Conservative and he is not. That is what it boils down to.

However...He IS our President now. I REFUSE to be one of "those" people. I will not bring myself to that level of the GW's haters, the media, the celebrities. The American people voted him in to office. I can accept that as that is one of the rights my husband defends...

I hope he does well for this Country. I hope his little girls stay safe and sound. I hope our Country can unite once again and stand strong as we have in the past. I can now honestly say to my daughters... There are no barriers in America. White, Black, Man, Woman... you can be President of the United States. That is an accomplishment we should all be proud of.

So, Good Luck Mr. President, you are going to need it. God Bless you, God Bless America.

Yes, I am still here

I have no idea where to start, I have fallen so far behind with this blog. I used to be so good at keeping it updated but it seems I have very little time on my hands for much of anything this past year or so.

Speaking of this past year... where the hell did it go? I was in NY preggo, had the baby, went on a road trip with Kari and Sami to get Keith in NC after him being deployed for 7 months in Iraq, drove back to NY, back to NC, back to NY for Keith's mother, and back to NC. We had our house packed, lived in temporary housing in NC, flew to Hawaii... lived in temporary housing here. Got the house, the cars, moved in. Got settled, finally got the dogs flown here from NY, bought a van for when family/friends come to visit... Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and BAM the year is gone!!! It's just insane to me how fast this past year flew by.

All that time the kiddos have grown... Emily looks different to me. Her facial features have changed a bit. She looks more mature and I can't help but look at her and think she is just stunning. She is just a natural beauty. She starts school in July here. I am on the fence about that when it comes to my emotions. I know she needs it to help her mature more but the idea of her starting "real" school makes me so sad. She won't be home with me every day and that saddens me greatly. It seems to me as well that once children start school it's a milestone where they grow and mature way too quickly... Emily is very innocent and I know once school starts that it will slowly disappear and her eyes will be more open to allot more ugly things about the world. You want to shelter your children, keep them safe, and blinded towards allot of nastiness in the world... I know I can't keep her in a bubble all her life but it would sure be nice if I could.
On the other hand, there is no way I could home school. It has been a slow process teaching Emily her ABC's and numbers. Emily does not pick things up quickly nor do things come easily to her. She has a hard time focusing but once she gets something she's got it and she does well with it. She has been like that since she was a baby. You could never make her do anything, she was always a bit behind in all her milestones but once she got them she excelled at them. For example, her speech. I think she was in speech therapy for a year and half and now I can't get her to shut up....EVER! LOL She needs a classroom setting to do well at school. It will help her focus and she will want to keep up with her peers. One thing that she is really interested in and knows allot about for a person her age is the computer. She knows how to do ALLOT on a computer... not just games but using picture programs, how to turn things on and off... get into programs, uses the mouse, gets on the Internet... I wouldn't be surprised if she does something computer oriented as far as jobs go in the future... that or modeling...LOL Or both!

Now Olivia, things come easily for her and way too quickly. She isn't walking yet but it won't be long. She "speaks" well for her age. She says Mama and Dada and uses them correctly for Keith and I... she says Bye Bye and can't say Emmy but knows who she is. She knows most of what we are saying... and does well with listening as far as a 10 month old baby goes. She is probably over 20 pounds now and can fit into 12 month and some 18 month old clothing already. Her blue eyes are stunning and are the color of a clear sky day. Her hair is a very light blond and being here in Hawaii she gets allot of attention for that by the locals. We get stopped allot while shopping just so people can look at her. She is a true beauty and has a smile that will break hearts. She is a pretty easy baby to care for so far. She goes to bed easily (knock on wood), eats well, is not picky, listens, is easily entertained, likes to snuggle (except when falling asleep), and is every patient. I guess second children have to be! LOL She crawls all over the place, plays well by herself or with her sister, loves her bath, hates kisses from the dogs and let's them know it. She has been sleeping through the nights since she was 5 months old... talks allot and laughs, gives kisses, likes Elmo, and loves her blankey and her pink dolly whom she hugs. She has been eating table foods since she was around 8 months old. She has 8 teeth and is a little chunk. I am sure people look at my girls and wonder if they are true blooded sisters as they look nothing alike. Both are going to cause allot of headaches for Keith once they get older. Emily now attracts boys from the neighborhood... they stop by to talk with her when we are outside and Keith literally chases them away and is truly enraged with the idea of her just talking to any boy. Keith also has gotten allot more gray hairs these past couple of years...I have to keep reminding him that they are kids her age and just want to play, not ask for her hand in marriage.

So, that about sums it up with the girls.

As far as us goes... Hawaii is still really awesome. There is just an incredible amount of things to do here. And of course the weather doesn't hurt either. My parents are coming out in February and are staying for a long time. Keith and I both can't wait. We are all going to have allot of fun, they are getting out of the cold, snow, and ice, and we get live in baby sitters!! LOL

We have another little niece entering our lives this year. Although her parents can't seem to come up with a name for her yet! LOL We can't wait to meet her... Of course we miss all our family and our friends. That is the hardest part being here. I didn't care much for North Carolina but at least we were in a place that was drivable to go home and see everyone. With the time difference it's harder to keep in touch and I feel very left out of everyone life and the "loop". It sucks not seeing our nieces and nephews grow and having our kiddos grow up along with them. At least though when everyone comes to see us we all will have some really nice things to do together. And it is also good to know that we are on the countdown to Keith military career retirement. This is our last duty station.

And speaking of my husband... I am very proud to say that he was selected for Master Sergeant. If you don't know anything about the military/Marine Corps that means on the Enlisted side of the house he can only pick up one more rank and that's all that's left. It only goes up to E-9 and Keith will be an E-8 come February first. I am extremely proud of him as getting this promotion in his MOS (his job within the Marine Corps) was very competitive this year. So for him to get it makes it that more meaningful to me and to him as well. This is the first time in his career that I was emotional about him picking up a rank. Our tour in North Carolina was difficult and he was gone for half of the time we were there... if not more with all the field exercises. He missed a third of Emily's life, he missed Olivia's birth, and it at times put a strain on our marriage. He was hand picked by his previous CO to work a job in his unit that involved a multitude of challenges, extremely long hours in NC and in Iraq. He worked 7 months straight for 14 hours a day or more without one single day off. He met those challenges above and beyond for that is the type of Marine he is. I am so proud of him and maybe just maybe all that he endured and what we endured as a family these past few years might have been worth it for him to pin MSgt on at a time when it was a bit more challenging to get it. So, on February 1st I will glady and proudly take his new chevrons and slam the shit out of them in his collar bone. Because I know, he wouldn't have it any other way... (It's a Marine thing, as they say... you have to know one to understand)

So, that is my update. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm. I will bask in the sun for you and try to send a bit a warmth your way... ;)

Later

Too All of you...

Merry Christmas

Sisters

I was just farting around with a different program for the videos that I make. I think I am just going to invest in a different one. This program was easy to use but it's kind of boring. Anyway, here it is...

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It's get'in hot in here

It seems like all of the sudden I have a totally different child. Why does it have to happen so fast? Why can't it be a slow process of development? What makes a baby suddenly want to sit up and learn to crawl? She was fine with laying down just a couple of days ago. Now she is sitting up, playing with her toys, and just seconds shy of crawling around the room. What the hell? I wish she wouldn't be in such a rush. Oli has several teeth now and two more making their way down as well. No more gummy smiles, no more baby bath tub, and shortly no more baby food. She has about had it with the baby food. All she wants now is what we are eating. She does really well with table food (no meats yet), and does great picking it up and feeding herself as well. Macaroni and cheese is pretty much her favorite at the moment. She yells at you if you don't get food in her mouth as fast as she would like!!

I am having such a hard time believing that she is 8 months already. That just doesn't seem possible to me. Besides that it doesn't seem at all possible that Thanksgiving is coming up already, never mind Christmas. This last year FLOWN by!! I guess I had allot going on this past year and that is what you get when you are busy. It feels like I just blinked and it's all but over with.

I know I have been sucking big time at keeping this thing updated. I never really have a moment of peace to think, that is pretty much why. Once the kids are up and about they are both usually pulling me in different directions for their attention and needs. Then there is the dogs, keeping this huge ass house clean, the husband when he gets home from work, and by the end of the day all I want to do is go to sleep. There is not much room for downtime, quiet time, or time to myself. I am not complaining, it just is what it is. After living in that small house in NC I forgot what it is like to live in a bigger home. God forbid I should be lazy one day and not want to do much cleaning, the place looks and is f*cked up. There is always something to clean and pick up. ALWAYS.

Can I tell you how strange it is to think that it's winter back in NY? It is so easy to forget the holidays are approaching here. Nothing feels like winter, nothing feels like it's the holidays. It's still 85 here everyday, sunny, the grass is green, we still have flowers, and we are still going to the beach. I know "Poor me" right? :) I am just saying, it is strange to see pictures of family and they are all dressed head to toe in big bulky clothing, jackets and hats. It is also strange to be shaking from the "cold" weather at night when it plunges down to 75!! Brrrrrr......

So, Em is playing soccer. She is pretty good at it when she decides to let go of her self consciousness and play. She is so worried that her "friends" there will laugh at her if she screws up. I don't know where she got that from. Maybe pre-school??? But anyway, it's annoys me because I don't want her to worry about what others think of her. I just want her to be herself and say "screw you" to the world. For Halloween I got one of those canned hair colors. I sprayed her hair this crazy pink color. Keith and I were telling her how great it looked and to look in the mirror... She looked and within two seconds flat she was crying. Sobbing big tears... saying "my friends are going to laugh at me" After much talking and convincing she finally went out with her pink hair and had a good time. Why she thinks like that though is beyond me. Keith and I have never said to her she had to be perfect or else... So, I am hoping it's just one of those weird stages.

Aside from that Emily is doing fine. Stubborn as always but good. She has such a strong personality and she has tried my patience with it! She has such a hard time focusing on what I from her or what I am saying to her because all she can think about is what she wants to say and what she wants. Our communication has been clashing because of it. That and my patience is wearing thin from it. It it mentally exhausting to repeat myself so much, and having to be on top of her with every little thing I ask. I literally have to make her look at me and force her to listen in order to have a conversation that I know she is acknowledging. I feel bad for her because I know allot of my attention has been and still is on Olivia. It is not something I can help though... It's not like I can leave Oli on the floor to fend for herself. It's not like she takes anything out on Oli, she is really good to Oli and helps out allot with her. I just think she does things towards me that demands more of my attention on purpose. Since the dogs have gotten here though she has been gearing more of her attention and playtime toward them. She really plays with them both allot and keeps them on their toes. Literally, on their toes, running, chasing them, dressing them up, ... never really any time for those doggy naps that they love oh so much!!

Olivia like I said is growing too quickly. She is so big and chunky!! I am enjoying her baby time as short as it is... I know what awaits me down the road... At least that is one good thing about having another child, you know what to expect! Which can be both good and bad!! Other than growing too quickly she is doing great. She loves to "talk" and loves to do anything with her big sister. She eats great, sleeps great (Thank you Jesus!!), and is up to par with her peers. She likes to give kisses, is wanting to stand more, loves to jump in her jumper, play with her toys, and in general just wants to be with us and involved with what we are doing. Right now she is easy to please and an over all good baby. The two things that everyone tells me daily is what a good baby she is and what beautiful eyes she has. Both are true...

So, that about wraps things up at the moment. I have a couple more pictures I took this weekend in my failed attempts of Christmas card pictures of the girls. That was fun... (insert my eyes rolling) I think my next attempt is going to have to be during the morning when the sun is not at it's peak and find a beach that has softer sand. Fun times...

So, until next time...

Oh yeah, and thanks to my sister I now have become a Lost addict. I am on Season 2. Anyone know of how I can be an Extra on the show? :)

Pics

I guess I have failed to post any pictures of Hawaii. My sister in law's sister in law (did you get that?), said she wanted some... so here ya go Mary. That is about all I have!! Sorry!!

You will also find some pictures of the girls as I can't help myself. Everything is fine, just very busy these days. Friday is the Marine Corps Ball so I might post a couple of pics from there.

Later people...