I am still ashamed of my lack of blog posts lately, but things have been so busy!  Between being sick, visiting with family and getting ready for Christmas, we have all been staying busy.  Addison loves being in Georgia and getting to see her cousins all the time!  She started a gymnastics class here this week.  I am so glad we found one that she can go to while we are here. Onto the reason for this post.  Many of you have been asking how Chad is doing.  He is doing well, just staying very busy.  Busy is good in that it keeps his mind busy and makes the time go by faster, but busy also means he is out and about a lot.  I know that is what he is there to do though and we trust the Lord for his protection. Many of you also ask about what you can send Chad.  With his schedule right now he is in need of more food than before because he is not always able to go to the mess hall to eat.  He does not have a microwave in his room, but he doe...

Seriously, where have I been for the past month??  My poor blog has been neglected!  Between FRG responsibilities, fundraisers, packing to be gone for 3 months, traveling over 1000 miles, Thanksgiving, a recent bout with the flu and taking care of 2 little girls, I guess my days have been full!  Not only have I neglected the blog, I haven't taken as many pictures since Chad left.  Even over Thanksgiving, I only took a few pictures!  I promise to do better over Christmas!   I do have a few pictures to share... Our FRG put together stockings for the guys in our unit.  I had this great idea that all the kids could decorate the cookies while we  stuffed stockings...yeah 4 kids under 5 didn't lend themselves to much unsupervised decorating!  So...I took most of them home to decorate.  Addison was a big helper though!  She only licked a few. ;)  I got pretty corny with the decor by the last batch - red and white for CAV! :)  ...

I was geared up to write this post tonight, but bedtime took the wind out of my sails!  Addison has been quite a handful the past week and needless to say she had an emotional moment tonight.  Poor kid.  She was pretty tired from not taking a nap today and had a hard time going to sleep.  I went in to check on her and she was clutching her new Build a Bear and playing Chad's voice over and and over.  She was bawling.  What do you say to a 3 year old when, through tears she asks if Daddy is going to be gone a long, long, long time or why he had to go?  I know it will help when Chad is in a more predictable schedule and she can see him on the computer.  Blackberry messenger right now just doesn't do much for little ones.  Moving on... I might as well sign my friend Regan's name to this post because it is what she did to give ideas of what to send to her husband.  Some of the pictures are even hers! :)  I wish I could give you a lon...

The only thing to say about the beginning of a deployment if you've never been through one is that it flat out stinks.  The anticipation leading up to it wasn't as bad for us this time because we were so busy and traveled a lot.  The first few weeks into it though are tough because a year seems so daunting, you have yet to reach any milestones and for me, my kids are completely unsettled.  Anytime there are changes in our schedule or people come to visit, Addison gets on the wild and crazier side of life.  I am praying that things settled down in her world this week!   It is amazing how little he takes to be gone a year! We (ok ME) wanted to get a couple pictures the day Chad left.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day! Since Chad had to be at the hanger in the middle of the night, I took him by myself.  We put the girls to bed like normal and Chad's mom stayed with them while I took Chad.  We have found things to be much easier if we stay in a routine, ...

Mya has decided that now is the time to move!!  For the first 9 months of her life, she was the most content, laid back kid EVER!  She was content sitting, playing with one toy, and watching Addison.  A few weeks ago, she decide it was time to explore the world.  In just a few days she went from occasionally rolling to rolling all over, scooting, crawling and pulling up!  Now that she knows she can move, she has little desire to sit and relax.   Here are a few things about Mya right now: - she weighs 16 lbs and is wearing mostly 6-12 or 9 month clothes.  She can still wear 3-6 month clothes, but I had to move her up to get the winter clothes out.   Words - mama, dada, uh oh - Favorite food right now - yo baby yogurt and she still LOVES water - still no teeth - sits in a big girl carset -has very expressive hands and feet -goes crazy when Daddy comes home from work -will put ANYTHING in her mouth. I have to vacuum and sweep ALL the time! ...

Addison has been her busy self lately!  We recently started home schooling and we are both really enjoying it.  Most people are surprised when they find out Addison doesn't go to pre-school, but right now we feel like it is better to have her at home.  For one thing, a deployment year involves lots of travel and I didn't want to worry about her missing school to spend time with family.  She does go to hourly care on post at least a couple hours a week to run off energy and play with other kids.  Some weeks, she might be there everyday...we'll just have to see how patient Mommy can be! :)    We spend about 20 minutes on school the days we do it (normally about 3x a week). During school time she is learning her letter names, sounds and practicing writing each one.   She learns to recognize her numbers, count and do simple math problems. She is learning the Pledge of Allegiance and once a week we talk about what freedom means and read a history s...

Not a long post tonight, just few quick words to say thanks to all those who have been praying for us this week.  Too often the words "praying for you" are taken for granted or used lightly.  We don't take prayers lightly... especially during weeks like this.  There is nothing natural or enjoyable about deployments, but we find so much comfort in those around us offer unending support and prayers.  Army friends, family, friends and strangers. I am most humbled by the prayers and support offered by our friend who recently lost her husband. To think that she is praying for us as we step out on a journey that ended so tragically for her is so humbling.  I am so sad to see Chad leave, but so proud of what he does.  So proud that he can fight to defend our freedoms and honor the sacrifices of men and women, like our friend a few weeks ago. I am thankful for this aspect of deployments - that is clears my focus, forces me to cherish every moment and draws me clo...

Over Columbus Day, we decided to take advantage of the time for one more family trip before the deployment. Lake Placid has been on our list of places we wanted to go and we chose to wait until the fall to enjoy seeing all the leaves changing in the Adirondacks. The leaves were a little past peak, but it was still beautiful.  To understand how much we enjoyed this trip, you have to understand how much we enjoy the Olympics.  Let's just say we are Olympic fanatics...the Atwells would understand. :)  On our way in to town, we stopped had lunch at a recommended BBQ place. That afternoon, we only had time to go to one venue before they closed for the day.  If you don't know the history, Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980 and is still a site for Olympic training.  First stop - Bobsled, Combination Track   You can pay to ride down the 1932 bobsled course.  It looked fun! After the Bobsled track, we headed back to the hotel and ...