Well, we are officially at West Point!  We arrived back from GA last Wednesday and our stuff came on Friday.  We have been in major move-in mode ever since.  I'm not sure what the average move in time is for most people, but I feel like ours is long.  I know its only been a week, but I'm just ready to be settled.  We are headed to IKEA today and hopefully we will get the pieces we need to finish up and be completely settled this weekend.  Right now everything is done except hanging curtains/pictures downstairs and the last bit of organizing and cleaning. One of the downsides to moving all the time is having to constantly change the layout of our house.  We're always going from double windows (here and Clarksville) to single windows (Drum) or lots of drawer space in the kitchen (Drum & Clarksville) to lots of cabinets and very little drawer space (here).  Not a big deal, but certainly requires some reorganization and planning.  This is t...

My girls are growing like weeds!  They have gone from 2 kids existing in a house together to being each other's closest playmates.  I love watching them grow closer and start playing together more and more.  Mya will do anything and everything Addison does...good or bad.  Great teaching tool for Addison! Addison had her 5 year old check up a few weeks ago and the conversation went like this... "How is Addison's appetite?"   "Amazing, better than it has ever been." "Well, just because she's a little low on the growth chart." "What is it?" "She's around 10%" "Oh no, that's good.  That's the highest she's ever been!"  Still my string bean, but has definitely opened up to the world of food, more specifically meat.  Most days she would rather just eat veggies and fruit still, but we are growing!  Addison favorite thing right now is anything with art, drawing and coloring.  She carries paper an...

Let's be clear...I tend to get emotionally attached.  I doubted my ability to drive away from my Honda CRV sitting on the dealer's lot when we bought our van.  I cry when we leave houses behind.  I make blankets with old t-shirts rather than throwing them out. I also tend to get reflective. So its no surprise that today I am both.  Today Chad will hand over the reigns of command with words "Stetson 6 out."  If you aren't in the Army, all of this probably seems crazy.  Its a job. Its a position.  What's the big deal?  All I can say is that in the Army, its not just a job.  It really becomes a part of life.  I'm not a commander, I'm not in the Army, but today is a huge transition for both of us.  Leaving an FRG is a little like handing a child over to someone else to take care of! When you pour your heart and soul into something, its always a little painful to walk away...even when you know the time is right and they will be well ...

Hello!  I apologize for the lack of blogging.  Does anyone else pay for blogging space?  I tried to post a few weeks ago and it said that I was out of space and couldn't upload any more pictures.  Since then I just haven't had the time to sit down and figure what to do. In the meantime, here is a quick update on us... We are in our last few weeks here at Ft. Drum.  Our move is setup for mid-April when we will head down to West Point.  While we are very excited about our move and have been anticipating it for so long, it is going to be a very bittersweet move.  We have made dear friends here, more than we have ever had in one place before. We were able to go down to West Point a few weeks ago and spend some time with our friends the Perrin's.  Chad had to go speak to a group of cadets so the girls and I tagged along for the trip.  Kris was the best man in our wedding and we haven't seen them since Kris and Jayane's wedding 5 years ago! ...

This is a long post and mostly for me.  Feel free to read it if you want! :) This is the first week in a long time I feel like we have some normal rhythm in our family.  I started thinking about how long it has been since I've had this feeling!  Between block leave (and the catchup after being out of town for 3 weeks), half-day schedule, deployment, moving, being "homeless" for 3 months, a broken elbow, unexpected c-section and adjusting to a new baby...goodness! Not that the past 2 years has been a complete mess, but it feels good to be in a regular schedule, knowing that I can get used to Chad being around for a little while!  I won't hold onto this "normal" feeling for long though, as we have another move in about 2 months! A few things that have helped this new rhythm is a few "resolutions" for me.  I'm not a big new years resolutions person, but I have had a few areas of my life that I've felt the need to get in order for a while. ...

While we were in Georgia we had a joint birthday party for Addison and Mya.  Since their birthdays are a week apart, they might be sharing parties more in the future!  I was geared up for a Barbie birthday that Addison had been asking for, but once she saw a Tinkerbell cake pan at the store, she changed her mind.   Mya was pretty agreeable. :)  My mom and I have made a lot of cakes, but this one proved to be a little difficult! Addison, Lilly, Veronica and Gabi had a little pre-party - dressed up as princesses, painting nails, and putting on temporary tatoos.  Tinkerbell ready for the party! When Mya got up from her nap, she had no interest in being Tinkerbell! Tayler opening one of Mya's favorite gifts - gum! With our girls' birthdays so close to Christmas, presents get a little overwhelming.  Chad and I really had no idea what to get Mya.  We came up with the idea to get her a recordable story book and have everyone at the party...

On our way down to Georgia, we made 3 stops, to keep the drive from being too long. We spent one day in Washington D.C.  Our drive into Arlington was quite eventful.  Most parents have heard those faithful words "Mommy, I don't feel so..."  We were literally pulling into the parking lot when Addison apparently got car sick.  With the car loaded down with stuff and not much warning, things got pretty messy...including Chad's new Northface Jacket and iPad.  All we had were wet wipes to clean it all up.  Within a few minutes, she was bouncing around, so we decided to stay, since visiting Arlington was a main reason we wanted to stop in the city.  Unfortunately, we know too many people who have died during our military career.  Two of Chad's friends are buried at Arlington and it was our privilege to visit and pay our respects.  The weather was pretty gross - drizzly rain and humid. We caught a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Un...