I realize yesterday's post title included "snow" and I neglected to get around to those thoughts!  So for what its worth, here's my thoughts.  Realize this is meant to be humorous, but also very true... Snow is an important word here.  Its basically a way of life November-April.  Fort Drum was in the top of my list of places I never wanted to go in the Army (#1 on that list is Alaska) for one main reason - SNOW and COLD. I hate being cold.  I really do.  I also hate snow.  I am also sick of people tell me how much I should love it.  Just because you like snow, does not mean I have to like it.  Being hot is so much easier and CHEAPER than being cold.  I have had so many people tell me how much I am going to love the snow here, especially with my girls.   I lived in Ohio for four years, and while we didn't get 13 feet a year, we got enough for me to deal with.  I've had my car plowed in, I've driven in the snow where I couldn't...

As a friend said on her blog, I might as well stop apologizing for being behind on the blog.  Tis the story of my life these days.   I'll start with the most important and exciting update in our family - welcoming our hero home!   On October 28 last year we began our 2nd deployment. On October 13th it was finally our turn to welcome him home.  As an FRG leader, I tried to be at every welcome home ceremony to celebrate with families and welcome soldiers home. It was fun and exciting to go to all the ceremonies, but it was bittersweet leaving alone each time.  At Ft. Campbell we were able to see the plane land and the soldiers marched in basically right off the plane.  They had to take care of a few things after the welcome home ceremony and then we were free to take them home.  Ft. Drum does it differently.  The soldiers take care of everything before the ceremony, so that when you see your soldier, you don't have to watch them leave again, even...

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the end of the deployment for me.  My mother-in-law will be a sweet sight at the airport tomorrow!  No more nights alone, no more going it alone with my kids, someone who will actually eat what I cook...help is on the way! :)  Not only is she a great mother-in-law and a fantastic gran'ma - she is an amazingly thorough and fast cleaner and an excellent seamstress!  When she told me to leave some of my to do list for her, I'm not sure if she quite understood what that would entail! My to-do list is 4 pages long and I feel like I'm not even making a dent most days.  Today I moved all the furniture in the living room to vacuum.  I get it - he doesn't care if there is a lingering Cherrio under the couch or that all the girls clothes are neatly organized in the bin where they belong.  I was up at 6:30 this morning organizing bathroom cabinets.  Again, he doesn't care that all the stray bobby pins and q-tips are in their...

Here are some updated pictures of Mya Mya... I really know nothing about photography, but taking pictures like this one make me so glad I have a nice camera!   When she looks at this picture she screams "PAPI!" Look at those curls!!  I will have to come back and update this later...because I don't even have a recent picture of Miss Mya for this post! **Now I do! My camera has been gathering dust lately and I need to get it back out!! I know I said this in the last Mya post, but she is getting to be more like a little girl and less like a baby every day. She is talking more, copying her sister more, wanting to do things on her own and at times has definitely taken a turn toward the terrible twos! Still sweet Mya, but certainly knows how to throw a fit when she doesn't get her way! - She is running and climbing up and down stairs on her own.  - She thinks she can jump. If you ask her to jump, she bends down, pauses and then stands up quickly. SO cute! - S...

I know I've left the blog very lonely these days.  I sat down the other night and wrote a lengthy update on all that we have been doing lately.  Blogger is not cooperating with me lately and the whole post was erased when I tried to upload it.  So here's another attempt.  Definitely won't be as lengthy though! The question everyone is asking is - when is Chad is coming home??  While I won't be sharing any specifics on here for security reasons, I can say that it is getting close!  We are all getting anxious.  The end is tough b/c you are so close and yet it feels like time is crawling.  There is no one more ready than Chad.  We would appreciate your continued prayers as his unit wraps up their mission and that they can stay focused in this time. The girls and I have been very busy.  Our FRG is keeping me very busy.  Between meetings, reintegration trainings, at least 1 social each week, supper club, and making preparations for t...

Is anyone else watching documentaries about September 11?  I just happened to turn one on called "Voices Inside the Towers."  Wow.  Its amazing how something that happened 10 years can still stir such emotions and can be so unbelievable. Haunting. In the last few days I've been reflecting on where I was that day.  I was riding in a van with other RA's from Cedarville University.  We had come back early to campus for RA training.  We were on our way to a high ropes course for team training.  We had the radio on and someone said something about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. We, like everyone else, thought of a small, misguided plane clipped the tower.  Its hard to imagine it, but we didn't have cell phones, iPad, etc... so we were completely unaware of what was going on.  We went about our normal day. Our window to the outside world was from the Dean of Students.  His wife was calling him on his cell phone and giving him updat...

Our first day of Preschool -  Addison was enjoying the pictures... Mya didn't want to miss out on the fun! Hard at work! We are only one week into this and I'm already changing curriculums!  Last spring I bought the  Letter of the Week .  Since I never got around to using it, I just assumed it would be fine for us this year.  I was wrong.  A lot of the activities are too young for Addison and since a lot of them repeat throughout the year, just focusing on different letters, I decided to make a change.  (Don't get me wrong, last year the activities would have been great!) I enjoy having a curriculum at this point just for the ease and organization.  Since her curriculums are only $10, upgrading to the  K4 Curriculum  wasn't a big deal.  I am excited that we will have a little reader soon! :)  Addison absolutely loves school time and asks everyday when its time to start!