My Two Army Brats

The 19th is A Big Day Around Here

2011-08-16T12:05:00.004-05:00

Archie, our new Labradoodle.

Mackinley 16 months old.

Tayton and Korbin having fun in the hay loft.

Three out of five members of our family birthdays that fall on the 19th of a month. And now so does the new dog. This month, on the 19th Archie will be 4 months and weighs in at a whopping 29 lbs. Mackinley will be 17 months and weighs 26lbs. Korbin will be 8 years 5 months old and weighs in at 55lbs. Oh and lets not forget Kirke, he'll be 32 years 9 months old and weighs in around 180 haha.

There's a lot going on around here. Tayton will be 10 years old next week on the 23rd. He's very excited. Our moving truck comes to take our household goods back to NY where we belong on the 24th. We'll be heading back up there ourselves later in September and hopefully have our soldier home in October. The welcome home signs will be the last thing on the moving truck!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Fake Meteor Showers

2011-08-15T20:52:00.004-05:00

We went camping this weekend. We had heard there was supposed to be a meteor shower. A storm blew through fast on Saturday, went to town for dinner and when we got back the campsite was flooded. After we dried it all up and got settled in around the fire pit for some s'mores we saw something glowing in the sky. We got all excited and I'm certain we shouted out to the whole campground to come and see the meteor shower. Idiots. It was far to cloudy to see meteors AND "the meteor" was way too bright. Idiots. They were those stupid floating lantern things that people make in order to make people like us think there are real UFO's overhead. I'm sure glad everyone else at the campground seemed to know they weren't meteors.

Image Credit

~Till They All Come Home~

I don't have a title.

2011-08-15T20:40:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in a long time. I do read all of the blog posts that show up in my blog reader though. So this is going to be a boring catch up post....or I'll just throw out a funny story and pretend you haven't missed a year of my life. Yeah, that's gonna work for me too!

I'm constantly making up random stories or jumping into someones story because they paused ~~to breathe~~ for way too long and I toss out some random statement finishing their sentence in some awkward way that might only make me laugh but I do it anyway.

The boys have picked up on this ~~finally!!!~~ and no longer believe every single thing I say. Even better than that is that they are now doing it as well! I'm so proud.

Whenever we go through a big change in our lives or things are stressful Tayton goes through phases of needing to know my every move or he goes into a panic! So I was in the bathroom a couple days ago and I overhear this conversation:

Tayton: (slightly panicked as he noticed I'm not in the living room) Where's Mom?

Korbin: She left.

Tayton: What do you mean she left?

Korbin: (in his evil little up to no good voice) I don't know, I was sitting here and she just ran right out the door.

Tayton: (in his very panicked, high pitch, I'm gonna freak out voice) What? Where did she go?

Korbin: I don't know, she just ran out the door. Maybe she went to Grandma and Grandpas.

Then I walked out of the bathroom.

Korbin: (totally nonchalant) Oh look mom's back.

UPDATE: The kids are old, Kirke's still in Afghanistan and we have a puppy. The End.

~Till They All Come Home~

We Were Whole For 2 Weeks And It Was GREAT

2011-04-05T21:55:00.003-05:00

Kirke came home on R&R for two weeks in March. He was home for Korbin and Mackinley's birthday which was fantastic. We went to the Great Wolf Lodge for one of those weekend and had a great time. Here's a few pictures of our time together.

~Till They All Come Home~

We Built A Sign and Then We Built Some More

2011-03-17T19:51:00.005-05:00

Recently Megan from BuildASign contacted me and offered me a chance to design and customize some products for my family. In the past we have made FREE Banners for our soldier from BuildASign. I love that they support the troops/families and give away these HUGE banners for us to welcome home our heroes with! I was going to post a picture but they are in my old computer, sorry. This banner we designed for this deployments homecoming next fall. We would have put it up for R&R but he got home the day before the sign came. Which by the way was way sooner than I had expected our items to arrive.

For Mackinley we choose to customize a simple name sign using fun shaped letters. Basically she could care less about it but once we move it will hang on her bedroom door and she'll love it! Customing the signs to make what we wanted was fairly easy. The only problem I had was finding letters in the same font to make her full name but I mixed and matched a couple types to come up with this sign.

For each of the boys we decided to go with a customized parking sign which we changed around to make signs for their bedroom doors.
These signs were so simple to customize and I had them done in a flash. The boys chose their colors and helped me decided on the text for their signs. They can't wait till I get off my butt and hang them up!

The boys were so excited and so was I! Thanks BuildASign!

~Till They All Come Home~

**We did receive free products from BuildASign.com in exchange for my honest opinions about the products. All opinions are my own.**

The Wonderful World of Tayton

2011-01-27T12:12:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I tricked my amazing aunt into taking Tayton grocery shopping with her. I convinced he'd be super helpful. However I did not warn her how he would obsessively talk her ear off about things that ONLY he finds to be of utmost importance.

He's recently decided that RedBox is the most ridiculous invention of all time. He can't seem to understand why anyone would invent something that people could just steal a movie from for a buck. He refuses to understand that you pay with a card and they continue charging you until it's returned or you reach a capped amount of payment. He says someone could just use someone else card. I explained that the RedBox people would still be getting paid. He argued his point about this with my brother and I for about a half hour the other day. I thought he had given it up. Apparently not because Aunt Sandy said she heard about it too.

He's also big on finding the most cost effective deals on items. He was sure to point out to her why she should or should not get certain items because of price/quantity. His reasoning skills are awesome. His off button however, seems to be broken.

He had a great time though, and he hugged her when we left! That's a BIG deal!

~Till They All Come Home~

I am a bad blogger

2011-01-04T13:08:00.003-06:00

Korbin, Tayton, Cadie and Cassidy

Cassidy, Korbin, Tayton and Cadie

This Wendys has a little kid seating area it was cute!

Tayton made Cadie a bracelet and was helping her put it on. She never took it back off while we were there. I love these two together, they are such great friends!

Mackinley and her Daddy Doll she got for Christmas.

Things have stayed busy around here. I'm glad the holidays are over and hopefully we'll find something resembling a routine and normal around here.

The kids are doing well. Tayton and Korbin actually LIKE going to school and don't complain. However Korbin informed his teacher that he would not be at school on March 19 because he plans on staying home and having way more fun because it's his birthday. She laughed.

Taytons teacher is amazingly sweet and so understanding of his needs. I recently read a book called Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome? by Jude Welton. It was an awesome breakdown of aspergers for friends and family and was so right on track with describing Taytons uniqueness. He's such a cool kid. He got to spend some time with his one and only best friend ever last week. It made me miss our whole group in Missouri even more especially being that we are mostly all already on another deployment.

Korbin is missing his wife a lot more now that Tayton got to see Cadie. We're going to have to work that out soon so he can see her again. It's been almost a year for them. It had been 14 months for Tayton and Cadie. We really all become family when we go through deployments and live together at one duty station for years without biological families around. We don't need a blood relation to make us family. Military families are amazing that way!!

Mackinley is doing well. Cruising the furinute, blowing kisses and waving bye bye, copying sounds and faces. She's amazing. She's having surgery on Thursday to repair her blocked tear duct which has become a very gross little situation. She wakes up with her eye matted shut and constantly has goo oozing out. Its bad enough that people notice all the time and that bothers me.

Kirke is doing well, just getting through one day at a time. That's about all we can do.

~Till They All Come Home~

Random Pictures

2010-11-21T13:16:00.000-06:00

Korbin driving Uncle Davids Mower!

Korbins old loft bed that we've turned into a fort at my brothers house!

The note on the counter at the doctors office. I figure I'll be saying OMG when I get the bills so this should be appropriate!

~Till They All Come Home~

Settling In Michigan

2010-11-14T18:16:00.005-06:00

We're getting settled into our new home fairly well now. The boys are getting adjusted. I've loved having family around and have had so much help with the kids lately and hope that it doesn't die off in the next couple weeks when everyone decides having us here isn't so fun anymore!

Mackinley is going to be 8 months old on Friday and is amazing. She is 16lb 12 oz, finally growing at a great pace! And she's 27 inches long. She can crawl like a champ now and is eating really well too. She's now onto bite sized baby puffs and crackers as well as jars of all sorts of baby food and seems to be okay with eating any flavor though she prefers some over others.

Before Kirke left it was so obnoxiously funny that as soon as he got home and she heard his voice or caught sight of him she'd start whining and crying until he picked her up. Now she's doing it to me and it's not so funny anymore!

Korbin is very happy with his move to first grade and enjoys going to school now. Tayton likes school too and they are both where they need to be! Their teachers seem to enjoy them and that makes me incredibly happy and at ease.

Kirke is getting settled as well. He's working very very long days and eats lunch while he works most days (which is really gross because he's a mechanic but whatever). He has been getting online or calling us nearly everyday but only has been catching the boys on weekends of course. This deployment is especially hard on him because he's never had to leave behind a baby before. The boys were 3 and almost 2 the first time he went, the second time they were 5 and 7 I think.

My only problem is that I'm living just a few houses from where I always considered "home" but I feel out of place. I felt out of place in NY too but that was a lack of friends and a social life. Here it should feel like home. I have my own house and all of my things are here. I think the real reason is that Kirke has never lived here. He's never seen our house. Our bedroom feels like "my room" not "ours". There is a hole in our lives right now. There usually is during a deployment but this time it feels different. I feel like we don't have all the pieces.

But don't get me wrong. I am so glad that I am here in Michigan surrounded by family and friends. It just doesn't feel right. I miss my soldier.

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin's Idea of Exercise

2010-11-07T08:26:00.002-06:00

I went with a couple friends to water aerobics last Thursday night. Then we went to my brothers house for dinner and hung out a while. On the way home Korbin says to me "Mom you don't look any skinnier". I questioned his statement and he said "you know like aunt Diane, you went to water aerobics and exercised but you don't look any skinnier, I don't think it works".

~Till They All Come Home~

It's been a while.

2010-11-07T08:09:00.002-06:00

This will be a long post. You've been warned.

I haven't blogged since the beginning of September. Life got a bit crazy. On Sept. 24 our moving truck was delivered and we packed it up and sent it off to Michigan on the 29th. We bought a camper (huge mistake) hoping to save money while we were still in NY but out of our rental house and needing temporary housing. October 1 we packed up and moved our camper and the three kids, two dogs and two cats on post to their campground. Found out the water didn't work in the camper so we were having to go to friends houses to shower. Pain.In.The.Butt!! Then we found out it was only 18 bucks more a week to move into one of the bigger, better, running water having campers that are set up at the campground. Live and learn to research better before making rash decisions during very stressful times. We lived in the camper from the 1st until the 23rd. On the 23rd we moved into a cabin on post because Kirke's parents were coming to stay with us until Kirke left for Afghanistan.

On the 28th Kirke was on his way to Afghanistan and we were on our way to Michigan. I drove our van with the three kids, two dogs, two cats and boat load of luggage and random things. Kirkes parents drove his truck towing behind the pop up camper. 12 hours later we arrived in our new home and began the unpacking process the next day.

I've been in Michigan for a week and a half now and my house is unpacked and we're settling in fairly well. The kids are doing good. Mackinley is crawling now and she's standing up. She's having some separation anxiety but she'll get over it in time. She was really attached to Daddy. The boys are now in a Charter school and doing okay. I have been having some issues with Korbin and I plan to talk to the principal about moving him back into first grade. He's struggling with the work and always has struggled so I'd rather he take a bonus year and master the skills he needs to be successful in future grades than to always be struggling.

On Friday I asked how his day went and just as she had the previous two days his teacher went on to tell me the negatives. I was walking out of the building and I said to the kids "whoa wait hold on we're going back to your class". I walked in and said to the teacher "does Korbin do anything good?" Because all I was getting was negative feedback and I know my kids are tough but not all bad. She looked shocked and took a minute to come up with his positive traits because all she could focus on was him not being able to keep up and refusing to do his work.

Kirke is settling in as well and is sad to be gone again so soon but he's tough and mission minded and will get through this just as we will.

Ok now that you're thoroughly bored I'll end this. I"m still waiting to get internet hooked up at my house and for now I'm working with just AT&T internet and its too slow to load pictures but I will post some soon.

~Till They All Come Home~

Tayton

2010-09-04T08:20:00.004-05:00

I haven't blogged much lately so it goes without saying that I haven't clued anyone in on how Tayton's been doing. When we left Missouri we had a diagnosis of Sensory Integration Disorder and Anxiety Disorder.

Since moving here we've been screwed out of him receiving his occupational therapy which was a life saver while we were in Missouri. But he's been seeing a child psychologist and child psychiatrist which we struggled and never succeeded in getting into in there.

They are now officially willing to say he has "asperger traits", severe anxiety, OCD and of course the Sensory Integration Disorder. All of which are the asperger traits. He also has some signs of ADHD but not a true diagnosis. I actually agree with all of this.

He's an amazing kid! He just needs things done a little differently. He needs constant reassurance and refuses to let himself make mistakes which hinders his school work. Teachers don't love to have to tell Tayton three times that he has permission do something. And he's a rules kid. There's never a gray area with him. He got sent to the office last year because he knows we don't talk to strangers and no one introduced him to the gym teacher so therefore he was a stranger. The gym teacher tried to talk to him and he ran and hid behind behind the mats! Ha ha!

We went to a local pool yesterday and the rule was that the lifeguard had to tell you when it was clear before you get on the diving board. (yes that's right, he was jumping off the diving board into 12.5 ft deep water!! He's amazing!). So every time before he got on the diving board even though he could see it was clear he would yell "excuse me ma'am, all clear?" with his hand in the air thumbs up. They laughed every time because even if she said go ahead before he asked he still had to ask and they still had to say it again. That's my boy!

So now that we're moving to MI for the deployment I'm hoping we have great resources available for him. If not I will seek them out and we'll have a year of fabulous progress!

In a short time we went from him being scared but really wanting to jump off ..........

To throwing caution to the wind and running and jumping like a champ!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Writers Workshop With Kat: My Childhood Neighborhood

2010-08-26T09:01:00.005-05:00

When I saw what Mama Kat from Mama's Losin' It was up to over on her weekly Writers Workshop I figured I'd jump in and play this week since it fit in with what's going on in our lives right now.

The prompt: My Childhood Neighborhood

My family moved every couple years when I was a kid. We stuck around the same area except the three years we decided to try out city living because my step dad got a great job in Grand Rapids. We weren't cut out for big city life.

My grandparents were a major part of our lives growing up and always seemed to be our "home base". No matter where we lived my brother and I always considered their house and their neighborhood home. They had big square house on a corner lot on a gigantic city block. In the center of this block was a gigantic empty "field".

When I was 7 we lived with my grandparents for a few months before our move to the horrific big city. It was then that I met what would become two of my lifelong best friends. They lived on the other side of the block in the center which made the field the perfect meeting place. Over the years we would gather neighborhood kids to play various games in the field or roll down the hill. The field was surrounded by back yards so we often ventured into other peoples yards to hide and play.

About 10 years ago whoever owned the field decided to sell the land and two houses were constructed. I was devastated. My kids were supposed to be able to play in the field someday and it was the place of so many memories growing up and I just couldn't imagine not being able to run through the field to my best friends house!

Well now here I am making a decision I swore I'd never make. Kirke's deploying soon and I've decided to move back to Michigan for the duration. I never thought I'd go home during a deployment but everything has fallen together so well.

My best friends parents bought one of the houses in the field a few years ago. They're going to rent that house to us for the deployment. My kids may not have gotten to run and play in the empty field but now they get to live in it!

Your turn! Go check out the prompts at and join the fun Mama's Losin' It's Writers Workshop!

This is our new home for the next year in just a few weeks.

This is the Google Earth view of our block with my things tagged. I'm so ready to get back "home" and enjoy living near family and childhood friends for the first in over 10 years!

~Till They All Come Home~

Still Around

2010-08-17T18:16:00.005-05:00

Well I haven't blogged in a while because ~~facebook~~ life has taken over. Mackinley will be 5 months old this week and I'm ashamed to say I haven't taken a whole lot of pictures in the past month. She got her first tooth yesterday. She's rolling all over the place and shows signs of sitting up in the near future as well. She laughs a little but isn't cooing too much. Last week she weighed in at 13lb 6oz and is 25 1/8 in long.

Mackinley at 4 months old!

Mackinley in her new BB Bib made by my beautiful sister in law and her fabulous sister! You can get your own here.

Korbin is doing great. We haven't been giving him his ADHD meds cause we like a lively little boy running around the house all day!! He's much more fun off the meds. His kidney check up was scary because it's swollen and retaining urine but when they compared it to last years scans there weren't any significant changes so we're gonna wait it out.

Korbin on our zipline out back.

Korbin at work on family day with Kirke.

Tayton is doing okay. They are now calling his issues "Asperger's traits" as a combination of severe anxiety disorder, OCD and Sensory Integration Disorders are kicking his butt these days! He's going to be 9 soon. He's gone back and forth with some things lately. For one he's getting himself so worked up he cries and within minutes gets a killer headache. But they're going away within a reasonable time frame with Motrin. He's also gone back to biting himself a few times recently. He's seeing a pediatric psychologist and psychiatrist right now and testing out some medication.

Tayton on the zipline out back!

Mackinley with a silly nose. I came out of the bathroom and found her this way...thanks Tate!!

Lots of funny, crazy, insane things go on inside these walls everyday unfortunately facebook gets all the funny stuff and blogspot is just getting the updates. I'll work on that!

~Till They All Come Home~

Adoption Day!! The Best Family is Complete!

2010-06-30T18:52:00.004-05:00

The finalization of the adoption was simple. The judge stood, we sat, she flipped through the paperwork asking us to swear that it was true and that was pretty much it. She made us promise to love and care for Mackinley forever and ever. At one point she asked the boys a couple questions about if they liked having a sister but that was all. Some friends of ours came along to share the excitement and take some pictures for us! (thanks Stacy!!)

After that part was finished she showed the kids the courtroom and they got sit in her chair and ask lots of questions.

We are thrilled that the adoption process is a thing of the past and are so happy that from now on every piece of paper regarding our daughter will now say Mackinley Alaine Best! We couldn't be happier!! Our family is complete!

~Till They All Come Home~

Two Quick Things

2010-06-27T20:04:00.004-05:00

On Thursday last week we were called by Taytons doctors and told that we needed to take him to the Watertown Hospital to have an IVP done on his kidneys and urinary tract. Apparently the specialist he's going to in Rochester didn't like what he saw on the kidney ultrasound and needs more tests so that our first visit will him will be more productive or something. I don't know but I do know that I don't like urgent serious tests. Poor Korbin will have an IV with contrast while they do a serious of imaging for about an hour. No food or drink means no ADHD meds which means off the wall frustrated, impulsive little boy. Fun.

On the upside Tuesday is the day that our family will be complete! I'm certain when I say that this time although we thougth it once before after my hysterectomy and all, this time seems much more permanent as we won't be looking to adopt again. I have enough friends who need kids so I'll point the next family emergency in that direction!

My next post will be full of pictures from the adoption!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Hammocks Are Not Safe

2010-06-15T18:28:00.005-05:00

This is our hammock.

Today I was on the phone and decided to sit in the hammock while I talked to Wendy in Norway.

I unzipped the net and slid my upper body inside the bug net and planted my big old tail into the hammock.

As I slid into the hammock something went terribly wrong.

The bottom didn't open up to embrace my giant tail and I fell back against the netting.

The netting is not meant to support more than the weight of a few bugs.

I weigh more than a few gazillion bugs.

The hammock flipped.

At this point I was dangling above the ground (still on the phone mind you) in a tangle of mosquito netting.

It was like a giant cocoon was trying to swallow me.

Cars were passing on the highway just and they could clearly see me trapped.

I kicked and flailed and tried to figure out what was happening.

Then I heard the rip.

Slowly the net gave way and I was thrown from the comfort of my cocoon to the hard ground below.

I was still tangled and had to crawl out.

I was not a beautiful butterfly.

I know people were watching me from the road and I know they were laughing.

I would have been.

I probably would have stopped to take pictures too.

Wendy got to listen to the madness but luckily Kirke and the kids were unaware of my dilemma.

~Till They All Come Home~

Four Weeks And Some Boys Love

2010-04-16T08:41:00.003-05:00

I am now a mother of three! We're a family of five! I love it! The boys love their little sister. Korbin will sing to her and give her her pacifiers but isn't a huge fan of holding her yet.

Tayton on the other hand is amazing with her. He adores his baby sister more than I ever would have imagined. He holds her and sings to her and puts her to sleep at times when I'm not having any luck! She's going to love him!!

Yesterday I was in the shower and when I came out Mackinley was crying. I came around the corner and Tate had gotten her out of her bed and was holding her and singing softly to her. She was screaming. He looked at me smiled and said "I've almost got her calmed down now Mom". It was so sweet. So I fixed her a bottle that he fed to her while I dried my hair.

Later on yesterday I was washing dishes and Mackinley was laying under a mobile on the floor and fussing so Tayton came out and laid with her and sung her to sleep right there on the floor!

We had our homestudy yesterday. The lady was very nice and very positive about everything. I guess I felt like she was coming out to "grade" us but it was more of just an interview to make sure we're sincere about our motives and that we can and will care for Mackinley. She seemed to be impressed enough that we have no worries.

After the home study Tayton came over to Kirke and I and he said "do we get to keep Mackinley now? Is she ours?" I laughed and said "yes baby we get to keep her and she's always been ours and always will be." He got the biggest smile on his face and pumped his fist in the air and shouted "yay!!!" as loud as he could. It was pure happiness! Perfect!

I had to explain to him that the adoption isn't final yet but that everything is going to be just fine and she will be ours to keep. We all love her so much but his love for her is amazing me everyday!!

Mackinley is 4 weeks old today and here are some pictures from this week!

Brandy made these hats for Mackinley and I took the pictures today. You can tell which one she likes the best!!

I love this one with the braids!

She loves this one!!

When I opened the box I was so excited to see all the handmade goodies from Brandy but I could only find one of these adorable flip flops. So I instant messaged her to let her know that perhaps I had forgotten to tell her but Mackinley was born with two feet. She laughed and explained she didn't mean to send it until the other one was finished. Ooops! But isn't it cute!!

The box also had Korbins birthday presents as well as a big brother gift for Tate. Thanks Brandy we miss you guys so much!!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Mackinley's First Easter

2010-04-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

~Till They All Come Home~

Comment On A Lost Soldier From His Mom

2010-03-23T21:14:00.002-05:00

I recieved this in my inbox tonight when I got home from showing off my little girl to one of her great grandma's tonight. I'm reminded again how precious life is and to be grateful and make the most of everyday we have with the ones we love. I can't wait to return home to NY with my baby girl and introduce her daddy to the newest love of his life.

My family prays for the soldiers deployed everyday and I hope that all of you remember that although it's not in the news so much and at the front of our minds we are still losing soldiers and their families and friends are still mourning loses like this one.

Here is the comment I found in my inbox today written by this soldiers mother. I only wish she had left an email address so that I could email her back.

"I'm the mother of Charles Dustin Parrish and I would like to tell you a little about him. He had such a big heart and quick to find humor in everything. He only had three weeks left in his tour but had re-enlisted in April. He was planning on continuing his medical training at Ft Benning, AL. He was too young to die. He had just decided what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and was putting his plan into action. He planned on making up for lost time with his son when he returned home. He had been separated for three years and rarely got to spend time with Caden. This too was a tragedy because Caden could have had more memories of his father. I will make sure Caden knows his dad through us. Dusty left behind two sisters, two brothers, and parents that all miss him dearly. I have to tell you about his other family though. His army family. Dusty was killed June 4th and his birthday was August 21, we we're all dreading that day. Everyday was a living hell for us as it was and we did not know how we were going to get through his birthday. Thirteen of his army family drove from Missouri to Alabama to celebrate Dusty's birthday. They spent the whole weekend with us and I can not tell you how much that helped us. We made it through his birthday with the help of his other family. I will never forget those soldiers and what they did for our family. I got to meet the medic that held my son the last hours of his life. I am grateful for her for being there when I couldn't. He had someone holding him as he slipped away. As Christmas approached another feeling of dread hung over our heads. We are a close family and spent holidays together. Dusty's younger brother is only six so we had to try to celebrate Christmas for him. If not for that fact we would have let the holidays slide by and pretend they did not exist. Two days before Christmas Dusty's sgt offered to come spend the holidays with us. On christmas eve Sgt Brittion, his wife and their infant daughter drove from Missouri to Alabama and spent Christmas with us. I'm not sure if they know exactly how much that meant to us but they saved us. While the void in our hearts still existed they made it a tiny bit smaller by being able to add them in our hearts. I am forever grateful to all of Dusty's Army family. There is not a day that goes by that my son is not in my thoughts. I love and miss him dearly. "

Please hug your children and your spouses tight and remember how precious each day is and say a little prayer for our troops because they are still out fighting and risking their lives everyday.

~Till They All Come Home~

Mackinley's Story

2010-03-22T11:37:00.006-05:00

After a few false alarms and trips to the hospital Thursday night came and "Jane" called to tell me she was in labor. It was 3am. I got up and got around and went to pick her up. She and I headed for the hospital. She was in a lot of pain and I just knew it had to be the real deal this time.

We got to the hospital around 330am and got signed in and were taken upstairs to the OB floor. They hooked her all up and checked to see if she'd dilated and she was at 5cm. My mom came up and was in the delivery room the whole time. At that time I sent a message to facebook saying it was real and we'd be having a baby. I then took a phone call from one of my best friends who lives in Norway. We were on the phone for 10 minutes and then I went back in the room and she was dilated to 8cm and a few minutes later 9cm.

Mackinley was born at 4:47am. All was well with the birthmom and we got put into a recovery room together (the three of us). That choice was made by Jane and her decision alone to make. It was all just fine. Jane was discharged from the hospital Saturday morning and Mackinley and I were able to leave that evening.

She's healthy, and happy and perfect and we are all completely in love with our new little girl!! I was amazed at my bond with her so quickly! I can't wait for her to meet her daddy!

Tayton loves his baby sister!!

Korbin and Mackinley! She was born on his 7th Birthday!!

So darn sweet!

Heading home from the hospital!

In the elevator on the way home from the hospital.

Mackinley Alaine!!

Korbin teaching Mackinley about video games!

I love my baby girl!

~Till They All Come Home~

Mackinley has Arrived!

2010-03-19T13:31:00.001-05:00

Our beautiful little girl was born at 4:47am today. The birthmom and I arrived at the hospital at 3:30 and she delivered in just over an hour.

Mackinley Alaine
7lb 14oz
20 inches long

Me and my little girl!! She was so sweet when she cried I couldn't help but giggle a little.

~Till They All Come Home~

Update and Appology

2010-03-12T10:12:00.003-06:00

I suppose I've been missing from the blog world lately. It's been quite an interesting two months around here. We moved from MO to NY. The boys and I spent 9 whole days in NY before deciding to head to MI to await the arrival of our little girl because the birth mom (Jane) was having lots of issues.

We've been here in Michigan for 3 weeks today. Jane is dilated to 2-3 cm right now and hopefully we'll be having a baby soon. My family had a baby shower for us on the 6th and we had a wonderful time catching up since I haven't seen many of the guests in years! I had a great time and got lots of great things for Mackinley.

Her name will be Mackinley Alaine. We will call her Kinley for short. The name Alaine is after our mom's middle names Alice (Kirke's mom) and Jane (my mom and grandma's). I just squished them together and came out with Alaine.

Mackinley is due on March 23 and we're hoping she arrives soon so the boys and I can get back to NY with Kirke. We have two lawyers hired and waiting for the birth to get the ball rolling. One is here in Michigan where we will get a power of attorney so that we can take her to NY with us. She will also handle the birth parents termination of parental rights. Then we have another lawyer in NY that will handle the petition for adoption and representing us there. I'm relieved to have all of the legal stuff in the hands of lawyers and we just need to wait for her arrival.

Please pray for a healthy baby. I know that this pregnancy has been rough and Mackinley may have a rough start. Please keep her and the birth mom in your prayers. We know that if she's born with problems we'll handle them as they come and that we can handle whatever we're given but we pray she's alright!!

Thank you for every one's support and hopefully I'll be posting pictures very very soon!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Adoption Update

2010-02-20T09:02:00.002-06:00

Everything is going fine, we've been super busy. We moved from MO to NY over the past two weeks. It's been crazy. We cleared our house on post Jan 29 and stayed with friends till the 3rd of Feb. Then we drove to Michigan till the 9th to visit my family and then we headed up to NY. Since arriving in NY it's been madness. We unpaced all 9000 pounds of our stuff and painted a ton! We've been working on getting things ready for the arrival our little one in March.

Jane (birthmom) has been having a rough pregnancy. I was scheduled to come home March 1 but after she spent more time in the hospital Friday night being monitored having contractions we decided I'd come home a week early. So here we are in Michigan waiting on the arrival our daughter. She's not due until March 23 but the doctor says she will probably come before then and that she's far enough along now for it be okay. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for a safe delivery in the near future. The sooner she's born the sooner we can get back to NY for her to meet her Daddy!

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin Again

2010-01-22T10:06:00.002-06:00

Lately Korbin has been calling his bike helmet a "gelmet". I thought he was just being his normal silly self.

Well a few minutes ago he asked for his gelmet. I said "you mean helmet?" He said "well I call it a gelmet so that I don't have to say that bad word!"

Apparently the "hel" in helmet is a bit more than he can handle!

~Till They All Come Home~

Poor Scrappy

2010-01-21T14:54:00.003-06:00

I have had Scrappy longer than I've had Kirke. The poor dog is soon to be 12 and I were him I'd run away because he puts up with an awful lot!

The kids love him a little too much sometimes. They take "mans best friend" to a whole new level when they stick him in the wagon, put a blanket on him and he just sits there and takes it!

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin's Full Of It!

2010-01-18T19:12:00.002-06:00

I'm making taco's for dinner and Korbin is just starving to death! I asked him to take the lettuce out of the fridge for me.

I heard him muttering "why do I always have to do the disgusting things"! The kid hates lettuce!

I reply, "it's just leaves there's nothing gross about it".

He then says to me, "I'll just hold it by the very corner, this is very disturbing to me!"

I then say "I'll give you $5 bucks if you'll taste the lettuce."

Korbins looks at me seriously interested and replies, "make it ten!"

Deals off!

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin's Intuition

2010-01-15T13:24:00.001-06:00

We're in the car and just passed a group of basic training soldiers carrying their weapons.

Korbin asked Kirke if they were M16's. Then he asked "when you were in practice for the Army did you have an M16 that shot nerf darts?"

Its an interesting theory really. Can't the troops just play laser tag instead of killing one another? There's enough natural disasters killing people that we really should start thinking like a 6 year old!

Show Us Your Privates

2010-01-14T23:52:00.005-06:00

I'm pretty sure I don't have any lurkers but just in case I thought I'd join the fun and call you out to say hello! But I think that to have lurkers you'd have to have readers and I'm not sure I have more than the three of you who comment regularly. But hey let's have a go at this and see if anyone new comes out. I do have 54 followers so maybe a few of you could say hello. Perhaps I might get more than 5 comments on post? Check out my older posts cause this one is lame.

Our quote of the day here today was:

Today Korbin said "Tayton acts as if the whole world Avolves around him". Yep that's a new word and I love it!

~Till They All Come Home~

In Case Anyone Was Wondering

2010-01-12T17:10:00.002-06:00

I haven't talked much about the adoption lately because frankly there's not much going on. We're just in that waiting phase. The birthmom is doing fine and keeps in contact with me. We talk at least by text most days. The legal stuff is also in the waiting phase so there's not much going on.

The birthmom is 30 weeks today and we have 10 weeks left! We move to NY in just a few short weeks and we've stayed busy with purging lots of things we don't need or don't use. We're stopping to visit my family in MI for a couple days on our drive to Fort Drum and then I'll be back to MI closer to the baby's due date.

Everything should go smoothly. Pray that it goes quickly so that we can get back to NY and get the baby home.

~Till They All Come Home~

Meet The Neighbors! Let's Fight!

2010-01-07T22:44:00.000-06:00

We've had a few of our neighbors move away recently which means new ones moving in. In the two and a half years we've lived in this house we haven't had any neighbors with kids my boys age.

Until now! Today I met the neighbors that moved in across the street. I was outside playing in the snow with the naughty little blond boys when it happened. The neighbors across the street were playing outside too. They were shoveling snow into a giant heap just like we were. There was a man, a boy and little girl.

The man says "are you making a snow fort too?" I say "yep and then we're gonna attack yours!" Cause I'm brave like that and assume everyone appreciates my bold sense of humor. Luckily he laughed.

Eventually we went over and introduce ourselves. They have a 10 year old son, an 8 year old girl and a 3 year old girl. PERFECT! Except we move in a few weeks!

The icing on the cake was when I asked what school they go to and they said they home school! Go figure!

The boys decided we needed a flag for our fort. Tayton took a towel and wrote "Best" and we planted it on top of our fort facing across the street toward their fort.

Then we decided that a great science lesson would be to build a catapult to launch snow balls at our targets. We built it and then decided to go out and test the thing. It was pathetic. But while we were out there the neighbors came out and planted a flag on top of their fort.

It read: "Bigger and Better Fort"

I guess not everyone knows our last name is Best and we're not just conceited!

~Till They All Come Home~

The Girls are Screaming Out for Help!

2010-01-05T21:21:00.004-06:00

With all this new technology, inventions and the accomplishments that have been made over the past hundred or so years, we still have a MAJOR problem.

How is it that they can make underwear that makes you look two sizes smaller, shoes that tone your butt when you walk, pants that have built in butt lifters but my bra's are still attacking me by the middle of the day?

Is it so hard to spend a little time figuring out a way to make that damn piece of shrapnel stay inside the material of my underwires? I'm tried of standing in a crowded room and trying to conceal the fact that I'm being stabbed by my undergarments. There are probably permanent scars on the sides of "the girls" from these damn torture devices.

For the love of God and the sake and my "girls" please someone poke some damn holes in the metal wire and sew it in or figure out another way to save me from an accidental breast reduction!!

~Till They All Come Home~

The Coolest Gift

2009-12-30T19:23:00.003-06:00

We just received three Christmas cards from one of Kirke's family members. Each card described a special gift given to a family in Asia in our names.

A pair of Chickens given in Tayton's name: "EGGcellent Protein. Each of these eggs are packed with nutrients. Imagine a little, malnourished child becoming smarter and stronger every day as he gobbles up his delicious eggs! And when his family’s chickens reproduce, they can sell the chicks for additional income. You can bless a South Asian family with chickens."

A pair of bunnies was given in Korbin's: "The Gift that Keeps on Giving…Quickly. A pair of Christmas bunnies will help provide a steady, nutritious diet of lean meat for a growing family. A mommy rabbit can produce several litters a year, each with up to 12 bunnies. So raising rabbits is a wonderful way for a poor family to provide food for their children and generate income as well."

And in mine and Kirke's name a family was given a took kit: "A Farmer’s Best Friends. Planting a garden may not be the first thing on your mind at Christmas—but in India, planting season is vital for a poor, rural family. You can provide a set of tools for a family to grow their own nutritious crops and maintain their home throughout the year. A tool kit includes an axe, shovel, saw, plow, sickle and crowbar."

This is an awesome gift and I'm thrilled to know that families will be benefit from these gifts!

~Till They All Come Home~

He said What?

2009-12-22T09:44:00.002-06:00

Korbin loves Kirke's mom. He and Mimi are inseparable while she's here or we're visiting down there. Yesterday was the end of her visit and we kept warning him that she was going back home. We didn't want a big dramatic goodbye scene with him saying "why didn't you tell me she was leaving"!

We got to the airport and Korbin got out to hug Mimi and say goodbye and he says:

"Bye Mimi, I hope you make it alive!"

Wow, where does he get this stuff from!

~Till They All Come Home~

Ten Years Together

2009-12-18T19:30:00.004-06:00

Ten years ago I was 20 years and 23 days old. He was a much older at 21 years and 29 days old. We had been out of high school for only 2 1/2 years. We were kids. I was working as a home health aide and still making pizza at the local Little Caesars where I had worked since I was 15. He had spent 2 1/2 years in the Army and was stationed at Ft Drum NY. I lived with my wonderful Aunt and he lived in the barracks 600 miles away.

The engagement lasted 6 months. We planned the wedding and ten years ago today was the day we pulled it off. We had about a 125 guests. Ten of those were his family from Texas and the rest were our friends and family in Michigan.

I hadn't met any of his family other than his mother. I was scared they would hate me. Afterall he was marrying a "northern girl". I was okay with that because we were in love.

Our friends knew us as Micky and Opie. We had lived 9 hours apart for the duration of our engagement and were anxious to begin our lives together. Two kids from different worlds but love was all we needed.

Our pastor was a man I had known since I was 8 years old. He lived next door to my grandparents (now parents) house. My Maid of Honor was one of my best friends I'd known since I was 7 years old. My bridesmaid was my exboyfriend's youngest sister. I had a 10 year old Jr Bridesmaid who I had babysat since I was 12 and her two sisters were my flower girls.

Kirke's Best Man was his best buddy at Ft Drum. His groomsman was a childhood friend from Texas who was living in Michigan only a half hour from my hometown. The Jr Groomsman was my 12 year old cousin. We had two ushers. Our buddy Mark who was like a brother to me and my 14 year old cousin.

Ten years ago we were married. We still kinda like each other now. Two and half kids later we're still in love. I love you Kirke and I'd do it all over again if I had the chance!

~Till They All Come Home~

Adoptive Breastfeeding

2009-12-12T10:20:00.003-06:00

Well I've been taking Reglan for a couple weeks now and I'm pumping a few times a day trying to induce lactation without pregnancy. It's tough. It's uncomfortable. It's time consuming. But most importantly it's totally worth it to get this to work.

Today was a breakthrough. I feel like I've been drilling for oil and finally struck! Today there was milk! Thank God because I've been getting discouraged and ready to throw in the towel. This is much harder than I expected it to be emotionally.

I was also told that the pediatricians at the hospital that Baby Best will be born in have the right to deny me breastfeeding the baby. They have to approve it. No one is familiar with adoptive breastfeeding and it's aggravating. There's no denying the benefits of breast milk versus formula. You can buy breast milk from milk banks and they even have groups that provide milk to medically fragile children. So I'm not sure why ME breastfeeding my adopted daughter would be a problem. But I do know it's not going to be because I won't let it. The birth mom is supportive of it and that's all that should matter while we're in the hospital.

It's controversial to breastfeed your own birth children so breastfeeding an adoptive baby is going to raise some eyebrows.

I'm not going to let it get to me.

~Till They All Come Home~

Adoption Is On Track

2009-12-06T10:58:00.002-06:00

We talked to our lawyer on Friday about some concerns we've been having that I can't mention here because I want to protect the privacy of Jane as well as our own. But the good news is that the lawyer certain that there is nothing that's going to stand in the way of this adoption taking place as easily as we had hoped aside from of course Jane changing her mind. But we're certain that she's not going to do that. She and I talk nearly every day and she's anxious to be the one who's able to make our family complete by adding a little girl to our world!

We are ready for the baby other than clothes. We have two boys who are super environmental and we're going to use either cloth diapers or gDiapers with our daughter. We like the idea of saving money and doing our share for the environment.

The pumping is still going the same. I've added the herb fenugreek twice a day. It could take weeks to start actually producing milk and not just small drops of whatever. I've ordered a book about adoptive breastfeeding and plan to attend the next local meeting of the La Leche League International.

So everything is going perfect and a huge weight was lifted from our shoulders as well as Jane's and the rest of our families. It's the greatest feeling ever to have the confirmation that our daughter will be ours in about 3 short months!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Did I Mention I Turned 30?

2009-12-03T23:21:00.003-06:00

I have been spending entirely too much time being a dork and playing Farmville on Facebook and playing over there catching up with old friends I never thought I'd wonder about and ones I wonder about frequently.

So I apologize for forgetting to mention that I had a birthday last week! I turned 30 and had myself a great party with great friends and good food and lots to drink. It was great. Here are a few pictures.

This is my fake I'm sad to turn to 30 face. Actually it's sort of refreshing to join the rest of my friends in the over 30 club!!

This is a more real me.......

Notice the very big, very sharp knife in my hand and the closest bystander:

This is the cake my very good, very talented friend Breanna made for me.

And golly gee I only have pictures of the guys playing Rockband and none of our girl band....weird.

We missed you Suds family!!

~Till They All Come Home~

2009-12-03T20:44:00.002-06:00

This video is from the 19th when we told the boys that we having a girl. Enjoy!

~Till They All Come Home~

Breastfeeding without Pregnancy: Adoptive Mom's Can Breastfeed

2009-12-02T13:51:00.005-06:00

Everyone knows we're adopting a baby girl in March. When I had both boys I didn't hesitate with my decision to breastfeed them. Tayton nursed for 10 1/2 months and Korbin for only 6 weeks when a kickass case of mastitis along with him being hospitalized for 3 days on top of still having an 18 month old at home made it too much to handle and he went on formula.

If we were having this child ourselves we'd definitely chose breast milk as her source of nutrition. I wasn't aware that adoptive mom's do have the option to breastfeed also. I know that a lot of adoptions don't have a long period for planning like we happen to be blessed with so it might not work as well for some. For us having 7 months to plan for our new arrival we've have time and have done our research.

It wasn't an easy decision to make but we've decided to make the commitment and see if I can produce milk and nurse this baby. I visited my family doctor who made sure I was aware of the commitment it's going to take in order to trick my body into thinking it should be produce milk and he did a little research into the medicines I had read about and in the end decided to prescribe Reglan and I bought a pump.

I've started the pills and pumping. I want to give my body plenty of time and not feel rushed as we get too near the end of the pregnancy and not have results. I'm happy to report that it is going well so far. I'll be thrilled when the first real drops appear but for now I'm happy with a little moisture as a sign that this is meant to be and we'll be able to provide this great source of nutrition and bonding for our new baby girl!

~Till They All Come Home~

We're Going to have a Daughter

2009-11-19T14:09:00.004-06:00

And here she is making her first blog appearance!

We're very very excited that we're going to be adding some pink to this very blue family! The ultrasound tech said everything appears fine and she's tracking the due date the same as first estimated March 23!

~Till They All Come Home~

Reunion of Korbin and His Dog

2009-11-17T19:27:00.004-06:00

Korbin never listens!! I see many posts starting out that way in the future...

We went to the Rams vs. Saints game in St Louis on Sunday. Afterward we stopped in Sullivan, MO for dinner and we took a side trip into their local Wal-Mart for some much needed items. Korbin and Tayton were both told to leave their puppies in the car. Neither one listened. Tayton carries his puppy everywhere because it's weighted and helps him feel more secure (instead of weighted belts and vests). Tayton never puts puppy down so him losing him isn't much of a concern.

Korbin however goes in spurts of wanting to bring Little Memphis places with him. He disregarded our warning and brought little Memphis into the store. Brandy and I took off to the craft section to find some material for her to make a baby wrap like the one I made and tested out on my 8 year old. It's great, he simply loved it!

Anyhow, once we got home Korbin couldn't find Little Memphis. I called Wal-Mart in Sullivan (an hour away) and they had found him. I asked if they would ship him to us and that I'd pay for it and they said sure, took down my address and never asked for payment. I was a bit worried it wasn't going to arrive but today we got a package:

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin Plans Ahead

2009-11-14T16:19:00.004-06:00

We had this discussion in the car yesterday...

Korbin: I'm going to have four kids. Two girls and two boys.

Me: Which do you want to have first?

Korbin: The girls because they're cuter!

Me: Why do you want us to have a girl?

Korbin: Because girls are sooooooo cute!

Korbin: Or probably I'll just have two kids. One boy and one girl.

Tayton: Why not four? Then you can have a bigger house.

Korbin: Just two.

Tayton: Or are four too expensive? What are you a cheap freak?

~Till They All Come Home~

An Explanation

2009-11-10T20:29:00.003-06:00

I posted from my phone to let anyone interested know that Janes ultrasound was cancelled. Her doctor was home sick the day of the appointment and while her appointment was at the hospital so she should have been able to have her ultrasound. She had told the nurse that her daughters were sick with the flu, possibly H1N1, and with the possibility that she could be infected they weren't able to let her have the ultrasound.

It has been rescheduled for the 19th. The doctor called her this morning and decided that even though she isn't feeling too bad now, he wanted her on Tamiflu anyway because of the risks for her with H1N1. She'll be taking it until the 19th as of now and possibly for another week after.

It worries me. I hate that I can't be at the ultrasound. I'm sad. The good news is that we got to see family and we got to see Jane a couple times and she seems to be doing well. She's showing now and we're hoping the rest of the pregnancy goes good and that this will pass.

The boys are happy to be home, Kirke's happy we're home. I'm happy to be home. Only I'm not feeling overly happy for some reason. I guess it's just leaving so much undone at home.

Keep thinking pink... Blue's nice too.

~Till They All Come Home~

2009-11-09T14:46:00.001-06:00

The ultrasound was rescheduled so we're heading back to MO with no clue about the gender of the baby. I'm very very disappointed...

Adoption Update

2009-11-06T20:54:00.004-06:00

The birth mom, birth dad and I met with a local attorney today. The first one we met with said it would cost their minimum fee of $4500 and would be a simple process. Today's attorney said it would be a simple process and therefore cost us only a fraction of the price.

Today's meeting was very reassuring. I need this boost of confidence. The birth parents are very secure in their decision to allow us to adopt the baby. The attorney and I had a chance to chat a little after the birth parents went out to the car because I was waiting on a text from Kirke with some information. She was very helpful and seemed to be looking forward to helping us with this process.

I'm very excited and Monday is our ultrasound!! Think pink!! And if it's blue then think healthy!!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Best Friends Shouldn't Be Separated

2009-11-01T21:24:00.005-06:00

We love our Army life most of the time. We love that we get to move around and meet new people. We develop very fast friendships that become our families.

Over the past two years we've been lucky enough to meet some of the very best friends we could imagine. Tayton and Cadie had a slow go at their friendship because they are both pretty shy. And Tayton isn't one bit into girly stuff. Lucky for him Cadie doesn't care much for pink pretty girly things most of the time either. She's never asked him to play barbies and he respected her for that. In first grade they were seated together and he relied greatly on her being there to help him through his days. She took care of him and made him feel safe at times that he might have otherwise melted down. They spend afternoons and weekends together hanging out and learning about Pokemon and riding bikes. Their bond is amazing. We've promised to make sure they can make it to prom together! As they said goodbye today Tayton hugged Cadie a million times, requested that I take a picture of him and Cadie together a few times. He's an amazing kid and she was a fantastic part of his emotional development the past two years. As they left he stood on my van waving until they were out of sight. He then said "I'm pretty sure this is going to be a rough day for me." I held him for the next 20 or so minutes. It's too hard to say goodbye sometimes.

Cassidy has gone from being a creepy little slobbery, girly, smelly baby to just another part of the group. The boys were thrilled with this change. Korbin has taken to including Cassidy in his fun in the recent months. He was very "big brotherish" with her and that means lots of fighting, bossing and a little bit of fun! It was a sweet transition for the kids to see a child go from a one year old to a 3 1/2 year old.

Christian came on the scene quiet and reserved. Brandy I were certain he hated us. We still wonder. Then we realized he does think we're funny and is as much a smarty pants as us!He proved to be much more fun to be around since we weren't scared he secretly wished we'd choke on our drinks. We're really gonna miss his quiet snickering in the corner while we're being stupid. And his witty answers in the game of Things.

And then there's Vicki. Amber's mom who lives with them. She's fantastic. She thinks that I'm funny and that makes me happy. She's fun and crazy and she just kinda "gets us" which is hard to find in our "parental" types.

Last but not least we have Amber. Amber was brought into this madness by Brandy. She was thrown full force into our group, probably somewhat involuntarily, as the deployment planning started taking shape. We convinced her to move on post into our friend Summer's old house cause we're cool like that. And it was convenient for us and we're all about what's best for us, right? Since she was thrown in head first she didn't get time to ease into our group which would have given her an escape route. Instead she was trapped! Sucker!

Well here's my beef. We got here before her. We've been her longer and damn it she gets to leave first? Not fair! Leaving first is the easiest. It's the ones left back waiting (or stuck forever, sorry Brandy) that are suckin! It's harder to fill the voids left by friends who've come and gone than to start fresh in a new adventure.

We spent nearly everyday doing something together. We survived the deployment together as well as the post deployment struggles. It's been a rough road we've travelled but we laugh. We can always laugh even if half the group thinks Brandy and I shouldn't mix according to game night answers that is....liars, you love it!

Some friendships are meant to be temporary and eventually fade into memories. The ones we've made here aren't that type. We're not saying goodbye, we're saying "see you later" even though later may be really far away. We love you guys and you're going to be missed more than you or I could have imagined!

Enjoy your new adventure Sud's Family. It's gonna be hard to find people like Brandy and I and our crazy families again you know? You're welcome!

~Till They All Come Home~

Lamberts Throwed Rolls and Hog Jowls

2009-11-01T18:45:00.000-06:00

We've been going ninety to nothing the past couple weeks! I've been dying to eat at Lamberts Cafe for a while now. Dana told me they throw rolls and that's all I needed to know. Any resturant that throws food is great in my opinion!

We finally went two weeks ago. We went with Ambers family and our good friend James. We got there and put our name on the waiting list at 4:45. Only an hour and forty minute wait! Wow! We waited because dang it I want someone to throw food!

We got our table and Amber's in-laws were with us. Well they're about as country as you can get coming from Indiana. We ordered our food, caught some food from the air and got more brought around in giant pots and slopped onto our plates. Oh wait, I didn't eat on a plate! It was a giant fryin pan!

Ambers Father in Law ordered Jowls. I had no idea what jowls were. Then next thing I know Korbin and Cadie were each eating themselves some hog jowls. Korbin told me it was good! Amber's hubby told Cadie to ask her grandpa what they were. He replied "the jaw of the hog (cheek)", as if that's perfectly normal.

Korbin's response to that bit of knowlege: "I'm full of eating this now." And he put it on the table.

~Till They All Come Home~

Half Naked Foreigner OR Trick-or-Treat OR Men Dressed as Women

2009-11-01T18:44:00.005-06:00

First off let me just mention that we encountered this guy along our trick-or-treat route. He and a trusty companion were passing out candy. He talked with a crazy accent. His friend that was with him was in a military uniform but it wasn't United States so we're not sure where they came from since we do have a lot of foreign military here on the Fort. But I was cool with him stopping to hand out candy to our kids.

Right up until I realized he wasn't wearing any pants. At which point I couldn't stop staring and laughing. And my real camera had been put away since it was dark so I was left with this terrible image from my phone. But you can clearly see that his legs are painted but there are no pants.

Creepy.

Oh and one more thing. No Pants Guy should have been told by his trusty companion not to be squatting down because his little speedo's weren't enough...

So, On to the good pictures. Here's our group of kids. Somehow Megan and Abby are missing from this picture. This was right before we started trick-or-treating. Tayton is chewbacca and Korbin's a dinosaur after he decided that he wasn't going to wear his werewolf costume so he loaned it to Nicholas because he's so stinking sweet!

Everyone really loved my milk jug skeleton's that I slaved over for the past couple weeks!

I wasn't kidding. They LOVED them. Those guys got an awful lot of attention!

This is what Kirke would look like if he had hair like Dorothy from Wizard of OZ. I"m glad he doesn't. But it also kinda makes me wonder what a baby girl would have looked like .....scary!

And as if it wasn't bad enough that Kirke put on the wig but Christian dressed up as a Spartan Cheerleader from SNL.

Kirke and I ditched our Roman God and Goddess costumes we originally planned on for a more simple Thing 1 and Thing 2. We got way more attention than I'd have liked. Too many people talked to us and pointed us out and that's not really my thing. Really it's not....

All in all we had a fantastic day. Sadly our Halloween was also a going away party for some of our very closest friends. Tayton's best friend and one of mine.

~Till They All Come Home~

Get the Leg Out

2009-10-28T21:56:00.003-05:00

I think th eboy needs new pants. He just thinks he's funny!

Oh yeah and he's standing on the table and I'm okay with that....that's how we roll!

~Till They All Come Home~

Look What I caught!

2009-10-28T17:16:00.000-05:00

This little guy was hanging out on the sidewalk this afternoon. Probably soaking up some much needed sunshine after all of these cold rainy days! He's hanging out in a pop bottle right now so Kirke can see him before we let him go.

~Till They All Come Home~

Poor Poor Scrappy

2009-10-27T16:38:00.004-05:00

I've had Scrappy longer than I've had Kirke! True story. One in which I tend to remind Kirke of more often than necessary I'm sure! He's 11 years old now. He's still laid back and tolerant of all the kids antics and I have no idea how he manages! Especially on days like this:

Maybe he was just cold?

~Till They All Come Home~

HEY!!!

2009-10-26T12:05:00.001-05:00

Who stopped following me? I was so excited to have 50 followers and now back down to 49. I must suck. I'll work on that and lure you back!!

~Till They All Come Home~

Don't Put Your Hand in Little Holes!

2009-10-22T16:26:00.005-05:00

Last night Korbin came down stairs upset. He had gotten his hand stuck in a waffle block. The darn kid wouldn't let me take his picture. Why would a 6 year old stick his hand through a block that is too small? I thought we'd outgrown these types of situations. Seriously kid! If your hand doesn't fit going into a hole then it's probably not gonna come out so well either!!

And since the little punk wouldn't let me take his picture you can all laugh at this old video of the same sort of problem!

UPDATE: Korbin has agreed to a public service announcement/reinactment about yesterdays events for other children to keep them safe from the dangers of waffle blocks. (plus people didn't know what waffle blocks are)

~Till They All Come Home~

My Kids Spend Too Much Time With Adults

2009-10-18T20:32:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure if I'd be happier having the boys come home from pubic school repeating the things they hear there or if it's better that they are picking up on things they hear around the house and out in public.

Here's a few things I've overheard recently:

When pulling into a parking spot at Target some parking lot idiot (PLI) did something that I can't remember at this point. And then SOMEONE (James) in our car said "way to go numb nuts". As soon as Korbin opened the car door he loudly said "way to go numb nuts" within earshot of the previously mentioned PLI then laughed and kept repeating "numb nuts" until we were able to stop laughing and explain that he's not allowed to use that word. Ever.

Tayton has been getting instant headaches recently every time he starts to cry about something. Today he hit his ear on something and was crying while we were at a party. I was in the bathroom with him getting him a little wet towel to dab off the blood and he said "I think that my hurts when I cry because it's taking so much longer for my brain to process it than most people. You know cause of my sensory integration disorder!" (silly kid hears and absorbs every single thing you say)

We were chatting with some friends about our plans for our kids if something happens to us. We all have to have wills drawn up before deployments (well in AK we did anyhow) and my brother and his wife are the lucky winners of two naughty little blond boys if Kirke and I meet an early demise. Korbin overheard us talking and said "Mom if you and Dad both die at the same time I'm gonna have to go live with someone lonely, Grandma Vettel!" This is my grandma who is 77. I replied "I think she's a little too old to take care of you hunny." Korbin was quick to respond "that's okay, I can just take care of her!" They LOVE their Great Grandma Vettel. It's impossible not to!

Tayton just told me that he'd like to someday get another type of animal that lives in a cages. "Probably like a reptile" he said. "They're my second favorite". So I of course asked "what's your first favorite?" He said "OH, mammals!" He likes to keep his options open.

And last but not least while we were listening to the radio the other day Korbin started singing "I make them good girls go bad!" (By Cobra Starship) over and over. I'm pretty sure this might be true. Because a little while later he saw his wife walking out of the store (we were on a convoy to a haunted trail and their family ran inside for a quick stop) and when he saw Megan he shouted "hey baby" out the window to her. Her response was to run and hug him of course......

Korbin said after one of the recent haunted house visits "I wasn't really scared I was just pretending to be so they would think they were doing a good job!"

Silly Kids.

~Till They All Come Home~

Holy Crow You're Really 50??

2009-10-16T10:25:00.004-05:00

Today one of the most wonderful people I know turned 50! Wow 50!

I remember when you were only 26 for so many years. Although I was too smart to fall for your crazy antics even when I was only six....and then seven, eight and nine. Nice try!

When I was a little girl you always kept an open dialect between us. I knew that I could talk to you about anything. Even when I was in 5th grade and thought I met the love of my life. You didn't laugh at me or shrug me off. Instead you shared details of your childhood loves. Even though you knew that it was something that would pass quickly you valued my feelings and took care to protect them. I remember that day by the kitchen sink as we talked.

I always loved the time that it was just the two of us and we'd get a chance to really talk. As I got a little older those talks often took place as we drove to Battle Creek to pick up dad from the trucking company he worked for through the weeks. I love that I could tell you anything without judgement or harsh words and lectures.

Later in high school I thought I met the love of my life again. This time everyone else thought so too. I know how hard it was for you when I was 19 and I told you that my 4 year relationship with that boy was over and then just 2 months later was truly in love and planning to marry Kirke. Most parents would have told me I was an idiot and was making a huge mistake. Instead you listened. You looked into my eyes and I saw that you were a little unsure but your words were loving and encouraging and full of support. You trusted me to make a good decision.

Later that year you turned 40. Another new decade and I turned 20 and I was marrying the man who truly is the love of my life. You were there for me even though I knew you were worried. You made sure that my day went smoothly. We went together, just the two of us to get our hair and make up done for the wedding and you were proud of the woman you'd raised me to be and I was proud that you're my mom.

Since getting married (almost 10 years ago now!) our relationship has transformed. We've gone from being mother/daughter to sharing a bond and a closeness that has no definition or label to clearly explain our relationship. Sometimes it's mother/daughter, sometimes its friends, sometimes its two girls giggling their heads off over something ridiculous.

The most important thing I learned from you was how to be a playful parent. I remember the times of playing sports (which you were terrible at, haha), hide n seek in the dark, board games and cards, our own lip syncing contests, and a gazillion other things we did just being crazy and laughing together.

I know that I can always call you and I value our relationship and it's many aspects. I wish that I could be there to celebrate your birthday with you today. I'll be home in two weeks and we'll have a day out just you and I.

I love you Mom Happy Birthday!!

~Till They All Come Home~

How Do You Forget Something Like That?

2009-10-09T23:21:00.003-05:00

Today I got up got around, showered and went to some second hand stores with Brandy in search of some size medium/large maternity pants for the birth mom. While we were shopping for her the birth mom, aka Jane, called. She was at her doctors appointment and called me to let me (get this!!!) hear the baby's heartbeat!! It was 152! Hoping for a girl here!! Think pink! Although blue would fit in around here just here just fine! It was so great to get to feel like we're a small part of this pregnancy! All was good in the world.

It's 11:22 and we just left our friends house to come home for the night. It's a Friday night so we did our usual game night.

And it wasn't until just a few minutes ago when I took off my boots that I realized I only shaved one leg. That's right! I walked around all day with one shaved leg and one hairy beast of a leg. Fan-freakin-tastic!

Thankfully it's not summer so I wore long pants!

~Till They All Come Home~

No More Mama Drama

2009-10-08T21:01:00.004-05:00

We heard from the birth mom today and she is doing fine since moving out of my moms house. We're going to get her a cell phone on our plan and we'll be able to maintain better contact. Tomorrow she has her 16 week appointment and will be calling me from the doctors appointment so we can hear the heartbeat! I'm so excited!!

Everything is still moving forward. And she's still very on board. The one statement she said that reassured me most was "I am not going to bring another child into this lifestyle". After I asked her about her feelings about the adoption and any second thoughts. She's very certain that she's doing the right thing for this baby.

Oh and big news!! She's also going to schedule her ultrasound in November during the time I am home visiting.

I feel better!

In addition our family is all well. No more sickness here! Woohoo!

~Till They All Come Home~

Today's Update

2009-10-07T17:02:00.002-05:00

Well we all seem to be okay today. The boy are obviously still recovering. Tayton's drinking like a fish in fear of another IV they told him he'd be getting if we came back to the ER. That is really helping him a lot. We've managed to only medicate this morning and nothing since. Thank God!!

The bad news is that I'm not feeling tip top. I'm pretty sure I'm just exhausted at least that's what I'm going to be telling myself until it passes!

Thanks for all your well wishes, we'll be back to our normal selves soon!

~Till They All Come Home~

ER Visit #2

2009-10-06T23:40:00.002-05:00

At about 5:30 tonight we took Taytons temperature and he was up to 103.6 again (I think). He had Tylenol around 3 and I gave him Motrin right then and I called the ER since we were there last night. They told me to bring him right in. So I did and they took his temperature and it was 102.8 they told him that he was dehydrated and if he didn't drink the giant cup of Gatorade they gave him then he'd be getting another IV. The went ahead and gave him more Tylenol. Then we waited for about 4 hours to be called back. They took us back and of course by then he had plenty to drink and the meds were working well and he was feeling fine. Little snot! The doctor sent us for more chest x-rays to rule out pneumonia and said he didn't have to get an IV unless he stopped drinking plenty and we brought him back in. They believe it's the flu which type we don't know. It doesn't matter much since they treat it the same with Tamiflu, which he's on.

Let's hope that we can finally get some sleep and that this is the end of the ER trips for the flu.

~Till They All Come Home~

Wow What A Night We Had

2009-10-06T11:50:00.003-05:00

Korbin was feeling a lot better yesterday. But Tayton came into our bedroom around 6am crying, well screaming that his head hurt and he was running a fever and cried himself into an asthma attack. Good morning! We went back to bed after the medicine kicked in. We got up a while later and after lunch we did two hours of school. Sometime in that time period Tayton needed his inhaler again when he started with another asthma attack.

Around 3:30 I took Taytons temperature and it was 101. No biggie, he always runs fevers with any sort of sickness. A little Tylenol and sent him on his way. Korbin's fever was hanging around 99-100 without meds.

Well Kirke came home from work and I sent him up to check Taytons temperature. He said the reading shot straight up to 104 and he stopped and came to get me. I took it again and his temperature was 104.6!! We snapped into fight mode. I changed into pants and Kirke got Tayton dressed. Gave him Motrin and headed off to the ER.

Once we got there we waited a few minutes they took his vitals and sent us off to xray for chest xrays. With his asthma and frequent bronchitis we come to expect that. After his xray a nurse was waiting for us to take us not back to he ER but to an empty waiting room of one of the clinics. Weird. Then they took us back to a room and explained that they would be testing him for seasonal flu as well as H1N1. No worries here. I knew he'd be alright. They did those two tests, started an IV, took blood, did a urinalysis. His heart rate was 170 and stayed high even after his fever came down to 100. The IV seemed to help and his heart rate was 136 when we were released.

All the test were negative but the doctor seemed convinced that this is indeed the flu and the test isn't as reliable as we could hope. So with the decision that the flu test (regular flu, we don't have the N1H1 results yet) was a false negative. She sent us home and he's doing pretty well.

Tayton stole the hearts of his personal nursing staff in what turned out to be the fast track clinic not some kind of isolation chamber. He wasn't supposed to be on that side because he had to have blood drawn and an IV but they took him because they didn't have any patients and the ER was full. He had 3 nurses who were so attentive to him and answered all of his crazy questions and did everything they could to make him feel safe and comfortable.

I'm pretty sure this was our best visit to the ER in the 3 years we've been here. And we make plenty.

During discharge the nurse gave us his note to excuse him from school for the next 5 days......Tayton was very excited! Then I had to clarify that she meant public school not home school. I also told him if he'd like to follow the rules on the note then he should read the rest that says he can return (to public school) on the 12th! He didn't agree.

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbin's Sick and Miserable

2009-10-04T20:12:00.005-05:00

Korbin was just fine, a tad emotional but thats typical on a no meds (ADHD)day for him. We were at Brandy's and he was running around and acting normal. For dinner he had two sloppy joe's (his favorite!) and went to play. A bit later Kirke found him laying on the couch in Brandy's living room. Kirke carried him into the play room so he could watch TV while we played Wii.

A short time later Kirke checked on him and he was sleeping and hot. We got him home and found he had a 103.8 fever. Both boys always run very high fevers so no need to worry yet. A little Motrin and a good nights sleep should help.

Here he is at Brandy's last night.

This morning the same thing. His temperature zips right back up over 103 every time the Motrin wears off. Poor little guy! It wouldn't be so concerning for us if he didn't have his kidney troubles but that always makes us a bit more cautious when he get sick. And I must admit that the whole H1N1 crap worries me too.

And here he is sleeping in my lap today. Poor little guy.

~Till They All Come Home~

Baby Mama Drama in a Family Fued Sorta Way

2009-10-03T13:22:00.004-05:00

"Jane", the birth mother of the baby we're adopting in March, is having some problems. She was living with my mom and they had some issues so Jane has moved out. We don't know who she and her two girls are living with or where exactly they are living. I spoke with her briefly yesterday. She assures me that things won't change for us and the adoption because of the problem with my parents but it makes me nervous. I'm also worried about the girls. She seems confident in our abilities to raise this baby and that we are the best fit for this child.

We need happy thoughts and prayers that this all turns out alright. We are still confident that Jane will follow through with the adoption I'm just concerned about her taking care of herself, the girls and my baby.

Tayton told me two or three days ago that we were going to have to teach him to make bottles so he can feed the baby since he's the first one up in the morning! Too cute! Korbin chimed in to say that he also needed to learn since he was the last to fall asleep at night. They are excited to have a baby brother/sister. I'm excited too and so is Kirke I just hope the time goes by quickly and everything goes without a hitch!

~Till They All Come Home~

Help A Blogger Out

2009-09-28T08:34:00.002-05:00

Manic Mariah has an equally manic teen aged daughter who wants to travel to Japan and fight off dolphin killin fishermen on her surfboard. True story! So she talked said daughter into staying home in the good ole USA until after graduation. Now all Mariah has to do is raise money for the cause. She's not asking for your money, she simply needs us to win free Ugg boots....Now for some people that might be a little painful but really, it's not so bad. Free is good!

~Till They All Come Home~

Adoption in the Eyes of an 8 Year Old

2009-09-25T14:01:00.002-05:00

I just asked the boys if they knew what adoption meant and Tate replied "yeah its when you buy a baby!"

No baby, that's illegal!

An Innocent Moment

2009-09-24T18:47:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here minding my own business. Well actually I'm doing language arts lessons with Korbin and Tayton is on the floor in front of me working on math.

Out of the blue Tayton turns to me and he says "what does presence mean"?

I was confused because I didn't know if he meant "presents" or "presence" so I said "what do you mean"?

He looks at me with his innocent little face and very serious look of wonder and says: "like if someone says "never scratch yourself in the presence of a lady".

I'm struggling not to laugh and he says what does that mean? At first I wasn't sure if he meant the scratching part of the presence part because I was so caught off guard. So rather than answer I asked him where he heard that. He said "on Home Alone".

So I went on to explain the word presence instead of how to act in front of a lady!!

Thanks a lot Macaulay Culkin!

~Till They All Come Home~

Hinder & Saving Abel, Cracker Spelling and Hunters Bags

2009-09-22T21:51:00.006-05:00

Each year the Fort Leonard Wood hosts a concert. Last year we went to see ZZ Top and Bowling for Soup. I love love love me some Bowling for Soup! This year we got Hinder and Saving Abel!! I love Hinder and only knew a couple of Saving Abel's songs but I loved it!

I'm too old to be so close to the stage and deal with the nonsense of others. I was "accidentally" groped, fondled and even dry humped more times in that 2 hour concert than I have ever been in my life! And I yelled at so many people and made use of my being a bossy, pushy witch more than my share of times. It got to the point that I was intentionally taking up more than my one square foot of space just to be able to block people who thought they could squeeze in a little closer!

Hinder

Here's Saving Abel

Buying a concert ticket is like buying permission to reach back into your closet where you stashed all of your bad 80's clothes and squeeze yourself into them and think you look great!

Here a few examples. Since were stuck so close to others I only got a few pictures this year as opposed to last year when I could actually turn my head from where I was sitting.

Yep the blue leopard print, skin tight skinny jeans!

And then we have the horrible zebra-ish print stretchy capri pants with a too short skirt and sneakers. I'll be finding me a pair of these so soon!

These three girls were some of my favorites! First is the hot pink skinny jeans with white sneakers and a stripped sweatshirt...weird. And Then the girl in the middle with her skinny jeans in red and flip flops...interesting. But their buddy takes the cake with her mini skirt with a tulle tu-tu under it and sneakers.

Here's a picture of some oddly dressed people. Weird, t-shirts and tank tops and blue jeans that aren't tapered, weird. Or hot! I think HOT! Aren't we cute? If only I could've fit into some skinny jeans.....wait I still wouldn't have!

Enough of that nonsense! Here's what we've been up to on the home school front.

I found these great Scrabble Cheese-It's at Wal-Mart (don't judge me, it's the only store within 30 miles. And even then there's only a K-Mart. The nearest Target is 70 miles away!)

The kids were each given 30 crackers and had to make 5 words and write them down. It was fun to see them asking for the letters they needed to complete their words from their friends. We had another homeschooling family over for group day.

We're studying the Revolutionary War right now and have this awesome book:

It inspired us to make these really cool hunters bags like they used during the Revolutionary War to hold their ammunition and the kids think probably a sandwich for lunch!

We also made these cool pierced tin lanterns yesterday.

Tomorrow is another group day and I'm gonna have my camera charged this time! We did other activities last week and I missed out on pictures because mine and Tayton's camera's were dead!

~Till They All Come Home~

2009-09-21T23:27:00.001-05:00

We had a great weekend with great friends, great music compliments of Saving Abel and Hinder, good food and drinks. Tons of laughing & I made a fool of myself!

They Are Gone

2009-09-17T19:06:00.002-05:00

With the move to New York in our future and the fact that I'll be spending about a month in Michigan with my family waiting for our baby to arrive, we had to let go of the chinchillas.

We loved them but knew that they couldn't live in a tiny travel cage for a month while we're in transition. Kirke's going to be taking the dogs and going on to NY to get us a place and get settled in a tad while I go to the last few baby appointments before he/she is born.

It was a tough decision but I guess it was the right one. We placed a free classified ad online and we got one call and they were sold. The family has an 11 yr old and 6 yr old boy as well as a 1 yr old girl. The chinchilla's will be loved and we'll miss them terribly.

~Till They All Come Home~

I Think It's A Girl

2009-09-15T22:05:00.001-05:00

I think this baby is a girl. People say they carry differently with different genders right?

Well I'm certainly carrying this baby differently than the first two! It's gotta be a girl!

~Till They All Come Home~

Come Inside My Head

2009-09-15T20:20:00.004-05:00

It's been a crazy few days inside my head. Ever since we decided that we are 100% sure that we want to adopt this sweet baby, life has been interesting. We're looking at things a lot differently. We are very very excited!

We're hoping for a little girl. We'll be happy no matter what but can you imagine adding a little girl baby to our wild house! And imagine being the baby sister with two brothers in this family! My mind just keeps going and going! My mind is consistently going back to thoughts about our baby.

I figured it was just me who was thinking about our baby this much but tonight Tayton made a comment about the baby. I can't remember what it was but it was something happy cause I can remember the feeling of knowing this is the right thing for family. Earlier today he giggled and asked "what if we end up with more than one baby"! It was cute.

Kirke is happy too and he's just quieter about everything. He has been telling his friends at work and that makes me happy. Kirke is such a good daddy and he loved having babies and it won't take him long to fall in love with this baby just as he did the boys!

Korbin is just Korbin. He's funny and optimistic. He says that "babies are adorable and so cute." Both boys will be great with a baby around!

Jane is doing well. She and I talked for a while the other day and there is no doubt in my mind that she is 100% in this. She doesn't consider this her baby and we already talked about the birth plan! She wants me in the room because she wants them to hand the baby to me when he/she is born. We still have lots to do to get things legally ready but I feel like we're on track.

~Till They All Come Home~

Here's Something to Think About

2009-09-14T21:06:00.004-05:00

We didn't know we'd ever have the opportunity to have another child. So we didn't think we'd ever get to name another child.

What to do with the extra names in your head that you didn't expect to get to use?

Name a pet of course!

Some may be relieved we won't have be naming our baby Allie or Sawyer. But I'm a little sad.

Allie

Sawyer

My Advice is to never name your dog something you would possibly want to name a future kid. Even if you THINK you're done having kids.

Now we're starting fresh with the name game......

~Till They All Come Home~

Wonder if He Still Loves Yellow?

2009-09-13T23:26:00.004-05:00

We went fishing yesterday. We decided to try out a new pond because we weren't having any luck where were started.

We got to the pond and Tayton decided he needed to use the restroom (tree). He was only about 10 ft from where I was fishing. He saw a hole in the ground and thought that would be the perfect place to pee.

These guys disagreed!

He started screaming and running and flailing his arms. I dropped my pole and I knew right away what was happening. When I got to him he had four yellow jackets on the back of his shirt and some on his pants. I ripped off his shirt and we threw it down. Kirke managed to get to us and lifted Tayton up and I ripped off his shoes and pants.

Meanwhile Amber was grabbing her bee sting/snake bite kit from her van.

Christian came over and helped us get the venom extractor onto his ONE (that's right only one actually managed to sting him) sting in the middle of his back!

(these two pictures were taken in July when Christian got into a nest of something or another)

He spent the rest of the time in Amber's van in his boxer shorts watching a movie!

Yellow WAS his favorite color............

~Till They All Come Home~

Surprise! We're expecting!!

2009-09-12T11:07:00.004-05:00

Wait a minute...... I had a hysterectomy nearly 5 years ago. Oh yeah and Kirke had a vasectomy two years before that because me+pregnancy=horrible! I didn't handle being pregnant so well. so while we always wanted more than two kids we knew that I would not handle another pregnancy especially with two naughty little blond boys running around.

So you are probably wondering what on Earth I'm talking about then right?

Well we have a family member who has found herself in a situation with an unexpected pregnancy. There is no way she can keep this baby as she struggles to make it work with the two small children she already has.

My mom has been the communication link between me and this family member, we'll call her Jane just to keep things straight. Mom told Jane that we would like to adopt the baby. Jane was very happy about this and has already told her doctor that she is giving this wonderful gift of being able to add to our family!

Our baby is due in March. Jane and Kirke and I will be communicating and working together to find an adoption facilitator in their area that will help us with the process. Due to this being a direct placement adoption between relatives things will be handled a little differently than a regular adoption.

I'm excited, and scared and most of all grateful that Kirke and I will be adding to our family and the boys are very excited about having a baby brother or sister! I'm scared that Jane might change her mind. That's really the only thing I'm afraid of at this point. I'm praying Jane is taking care of herself. She is giving us a wonderful gift and I'm certain that she will do her best to make sure this child healthy.

We weren't expecting this opportunity to come up and many of you are probably shocked by this news but we're excited and happy and we know in our hearts that this is right for us!!

**Please reserve any negative feelings/thought/opinions for somewhere else. We have been talking this out for a few weeks now and come to a decision that we believe is right for our family. Thoughts, prayers, well wishes and other positive comments are always welcome and much appreciated!

~Till They All Come Home~

We're Still Kickin

2009-09-10T22:15:00.002-05:00

Just wanted everyone to know that we got back on track and homeschooling is going great now. We remembered everything we love about it and we adjusted and we're back full force!! Which also means I'm super busy and there's lots happening around here. I catch everyone up soon.

~Till They All Come Home~

Room For Rent

2009-09-01T21:23:00.005-05:00

For Rent: A newly ~~repurposed~~ remodeled home. This classic stone covered home is perfect for anyone hopping along looking for a new place to call home. The view from this home is fantastic and it will be perfect for one or two occupants and possibly a few little ones. It's simple yet elegant and placed snug in an up and coming area. The neighborhood is very secure and the home comes with it's own security system. We are an equal opportunity housing for toads manufacturer .

This is the toad house we made today after visiting one of my favorite blogs here.

Then I found out she was guest blogging here with homeschooling tips. Her tips were for homeschooling a teen but still apply to all. That post led me here , We decided we could do this!

And then we did. And now I have this rock house front of my house that is the perfect home for a little toad or three! We had fun fitting the rocks together to cover the outside of the flower pot.

Then they added their own little touches to finish it off and this is the finished product!

~Till They All Come Home~

Avoiding Alzheimer's

2009-09-01T11:52:00.002-05:00

Kirke is home for lunch and we're watching TV. A commercial for an organized walk supporting something or other just came on and Kirke turned to me and said:

Kirke: There's an Alzheimer's walk coming up here I heard about it on the radio.

Me: Oh really? When is it?

Kirke: I don't remember.

I busted up laughing and he didn't realize why at first.

I'm pretty sure this is a cause we REALLY should support.....

~Till They All Come Home~

Now I Remember but Did I Forget to Mention That?

2009-08-31T20:40:00.003-05:00

I got a little side tracked and thought for a moment or twenty that the reason we were homeschooling was solely based on the whole sexual assault thing. I had forgotten it was something we had always considered and even actually figured we'd end up having to do one day. The reason being that my children have a problem fitting into the cookie cutter student mold. Most types of children can find their fit in public schools but with Tayton's Sensory Integration Disorder it makes things hard. One day he might be fantastic at one thing but need major improvements in other and the next week it could be completely opposite. This makes it tough on the teachers, other students and especially on Tayton.

After the rough start we had with homeschooling last week I needed a little time to regroup. I realized that what I did wrong was pushing the kids too hard too fast and forcing them to conform to how I expect them to learn. I put work books in front of them and said work. Well DUH of course that doesn't work.

We took Thursday and Friday and slowed things down and did some new plans. Today was the first day of the new plan and it was perfect!

We spent the morning at the eye doctor (health). We came home the kids played outside for a bit while we made lunch. After lunch we colored maps (geography) and talked about all of the states the four of us have been. All of our maps are colored differently. It was fun. We also checked out the new states the boys (Kirke and I already have them colored) will get to color when we drive out to NY in March.

OH did I forget to mention that? We're on orders. We'll be leaving the great state of Missouri and heading back to where Kirke and I met 11 years ago. Ft Drum, New York! But that's another story. We can't wait to get back up there and show the boys that part of our past! Our first home as a married couple, where we met, where we spent time together and so much more!

Ok so back to school. We played a math game instead of focusing on work sheets. We did language arts workbooks and they were okay with it. Then we went to the playground and the kids wandered down to the skate park where they had a blast running up and down the obstacles.

I think I can remember what works for us. Again the 4 month break was a bit much it's going to take some time to get back on track!

~Till They All Come Home~

A Four Month Summer Break is a Bad Bad Plan

2009-08-27T22:44:00.002-05:00

I honestly had no idea how much information kids lose over the summer. We finished our required hours and grade level work at the beginning of May. We had it all set so I figured "no big deal we'll just start our summer break 3 weeks earlier than the local public school".

I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!

I'm pretty sure we should have to pass a common sense test to home school our kids. What I mean is "ignore my college education for a minute please" because obviously I didn't use it when making these choices! I figured we'd stay up on our skills over the summer but who was I kidding? If I'm not held accountable for what we're doing then not much is gonna get done!

During the school year we document EVERYTHING! We keep good records so when the rat bastards who screwed my kids over in the public schools here decide to be pricks and come knocking on my door for educational neglect I'll make a fool of them! But my plan for summer was just to wing it. We did some educational stuff. Some. Obviously not enough. The only thing that didn't seem to lose out was Tayton's reading abilities. He's still a good little reader and his comprehension is impressive. But his math is screaming for some serious review and brushing up on skills he'd once mastered!!

Korbin has decided he doesn't know how to do anything. He's taking forever just to fill in a simple 100's chart. Today I decided we'd try a little addition and see if maybe he's just bored with the 100's boring review crap. THANK GOD that was the case! I thought we'd be starting back over at the beginning of kindergarten instead of first grade! He's good and in time will be right on track and realize that taking all day to do one assignment is a bad plan.....for all of us! He's still reading, well learning to read, pretty good. He's lost some of his sight words but he'll get back on track. Right?

As for me i almost lost my mind by day 3 but after taking a chill day to relax, review and reevaluate our plans I think we're gonna be alright.....I think.

Lesson learned: More than two weeks break is probably too much!

~Till They All Come Home~

Old Friends New Committments and an 8 Year Survival

2009-08-26T22:19:00.007-05:00

We made the most out of our leave (vacation) time. It all started with a camping trip to Arkansas with good friends of the present. Then we sent our boys off to Texas with my in-laws who joined us on our camping trip. From Arkansas we drove to Chicago. Wait let me back up. We were supposed to take the train, the day after we got home from AR, but there is NO parking beyond 24 hours at the damn Amtrak station. They wanted us to pay to park at the Sheraton. $17/freakin day! It only cost $99 for the damn tickets! We had to park for 4 days! So we drove.

Ok so we drove to Chicago for one of my best childhood friends wedding. I was a bridesmaid. It was beautiful, fancy and amazing! My friend, Diane and I met when I was 7. That was 22 years ago. Her sister is another of my best friends and was also a bridesmaid. Two of the other bridesmaids were long time friends of mine as well. I met Jody and Amanda both when I was 12. I probably met Jody before that but I don't remember. I had seen all of them in within the past 2 years but it had been a while. We had a great time and celebrated a fabulous union of two wonderful people. I danced, and I shouldn't cause I have no rhythm and my dress was about 8 sizes too small on my hips and I looked like a pregnant mermaid. We laughed, we hugged, we had a fantastic time!

The new Mr. & Mrs. Clancy!
The wedding party getting ready to party.

Kirke was a good sport and spent the weekend piddling around while I did bridesmaid stuff. By the time this picture was taken the makeup had worn off and the hair had gone flat but I sure was happy!

We left the morning after the wedding and drove to our home in Missouri to pick up our two dogs. We were home about 15 minutes and back on the road to Texas to retrieve the naughty little blond boys. While we were in Texas (3 whole days) we decided to have a birthday for our oldest son Tayton. I wanted to keep it small and simple.

Well for all of you who live close to relatives know that you can't invite without inviting them all. I intended to invite my long lost buddy Mark. I haven't seen him since my brothers wedding 8 years ago and he lives just an hour south of Kirke's family. I hadn't met his wife and he now has a 10 month old son. Any of you who know Mark know this is definitely something you have to see to believe! Love ya Mark! I also wanted to invite Korbins first wife, big Megan and her daughter Jada. Kirke's nephews and parents (their mom is another of my best friends) as well as Kirke's cousin and her family who we try hard to stay in touch with and looked forward to seeing. But we ended up with around 25 adults and a mess of kids. It was fantastic!

We loved getting to see everyone. Especially Mark, Marcie, Peyton, Megan and Jada who we miss dearly. I hope that our families understand that our family grows with each new duty station. So these friends aren't just friends but also important parts of our families.

Mark, Marcie, Peyton, Me and Kirke in Texas. We always end up there in August! HOT!!

Here's Korbin with his first wife. They are still obviously in love even though he married that "other Megan"!

We drove back home on the 21st and on the 23rd our little Tayton turned 8 years old. He's such an awesome kid and I've loved watching him grow. Over the past year he has progressed (according to his testing at OT) over 4 years in most areas and over 6 years in one area. Sorry I can't remember which were which because that news was so incredible to hear! I find it hard to believe that we've had a kid survive 8 years with our parenting! He's an amazing little boy and despite my wanting to string him up by his toes I love being his mommy!

These pictures are in random order, thanks blogger!

There's nothing like a good book for a 2 year old!

He still dresses kind of funny!

Pot holders made by Grandma Vettel can double as hats!

As Eskimo as my little Alaskan born boy gets!

He was so freakin cute! He had to have been close to 2 in this picture cause I wasn't pregnant with Korbin anymore.

He's always been inventive.

Long and skinny! He was maybe 2 in this picture. That's one of Korbins blankets in it so he had have been at least 19 months old.

Korbin was 3 months old so Tayton was 21 or 22 months old here.

And now he's 8 years old. Amazing!

~Till They All Come Home~

2009-08-17T23:41:00.001-05:00

Traveling with dogs is a pain in the tail! We lost Maggie, our navigation system, so we've been winging it since Friday. I will be back to blog details soon!

Why Have Two Kids When You Can Have Six?

2009-08-07T08:31:00.000-05:00

We often do crazy things here! We like to mix things up and test our endurance. This past week has been spent with four extra kids. Two girls 5 and 9 and two boys 11 and 15. It's been an interesting time.

Korbin and his wife Megan were thrilled to get to spend the week together. The first night Korbin informed me that he wanted Megan to sleep in his room. I told him that boys and girls can't sleep together till they are grown ups. His response "well I already married her!" My response was sleeping bags under the loft bed. They were happy as clams with that decision.

Yesterday Korbin came to my room crying and climbed up into my bed where I was reading a book.

He said "I stepped on a staple" between fake sobs. I said "oh no! What should we do?" He replied in a very serious tone: "we're either going to have to cut it off and get me a new one or get me some kid crutches!" Very seriously I said to him "okay then let's cut it off and we'll get you a new foot!" He said "maybe we should try kids crutches first." I asked him where we'd find those. He said "let's head to the hospital and get them there!" He was no longer in pain and I told him to make his own.

He was spotted later in the day with two sticks....

Silly kid!

The kids have enjoyed having their friends here. We went out in the canoe. We went swimming and Korbin decided he didn't need his life jacket anymore and was even jumping off the diving board and swimming back to the side of the pool all on his own.

We went fishing a few times and caught next to nothing. That was sad.

The kids will be going home soon. Their parents just got back into town after their trip to Vegas. And we leave in the morning (our family, their family and this one too) to go to Buffalo Point Arkansas to camp for six days.

Kirke's parents are meeting us there and camping with us for 3 days then taking the boys back to Texas while we go to my best friends wedding in Chicago. I have like 13 best friends so the rest of ya don't get offended. Then we're driving to Texas to get the boys and then back home and we're starting school on the 24th!

Phew that's a lot of stuff in one month!

Here's a few pictures:

~Till They All Come Home~

2009-07-30T21:16:00.001-05:00

Everything is making me mad today. Perhaps today should be over and I should try again tomorrow. Before I eat someone alive that is......

Sexual Assault is Ok in Our Schools

2009-07-30T15:13:00.005-05:00

I wasn't going to post this but now I'm just mad and I've done everything I can do and I don't know what I wanted out of stirring the pot but damn it we're still suffering and the school got off easy. It's bullshit!

Ok back in October my son, 5 years old, was in the restroom at school with a friend we'll call D. Korbin and D were washing their hands and getting ready to head back to class......probably having a water fight or standing under the air dryer too. Another student we'll call M. came into the restroom,, walked up to Korbin and D and pulled down his pants M tried to get the boys to touch him. Korbin and D did the typical "eww gross get away" thing and that's when M grabbed my Korbin and tried to pull down his pants. Korbin's pants did not come down because he had on adjustable waist jeans. D was not so lucky. He had on sweats and his pants were yanked down by this other boy. Korbin took advantage of this time to run away and get help. This is sexual assault!

This is the story we were told when we picked up Korbin and D from school that day. October 10th to be exact. We weren't notified during the day that anything out of the ordinary had taken place that day. D's mom and I talked for a few minutes and thus began a friendship strongly centered around our children's experience.

Over the weekend Korbin's behavior changed. He became very defensive and angry and mean. In fact he picked up an end table over his head and was ready to throw it at his brother! Not typical Korbin behavior. I spoke with the counselor on Monday and asked her to talk with Korbin because I noticed his behavior had changed. She assured me she would. She never did.

A fews day later after speaking with D's mom we decided we needed to meet with the principal and find out what, if anything was being done. M was still in class with our kids. Still roaming the halls and still alone with other children. I approached the principal on Wednesday that week and asked if we could meet with her Thursday or Friday. She informed me she was quite busy and couldn't schedule an appointment with us and if we wanted to talk to her it had to be right then. Since D's mom and I wanted to be together as to not be bullied that didn't work for us.

Friday morning we decided to just drop in and meet with the principal right then. She didn't even offer us a seat. She basically just said what she needed to say to shut us up and get us out of the office. At this time the counselor still had not met with my son even though it was specifically requested by me that she do so 5 days earlier. A week had passed at this point.

The following week nothing happened and my son continued to become angrier and more defensive. On one occasion Korbin came home with a note saying he got in trouble for "growling" at other kids. I told the teacher I'd growl at other kids too if no one was going to make sure I felt safe at school.

That Friday D's mom and I both emailed the superintendent of the district to alert him of the situation. The boys had both stated M had tried to get them to touch him and possibly had tried to touch them as well. They were reluctant to talk about the incident.

Monday morning the superintendent assistant called and said he'd look into why the counselor hadn't met with the kids and basically just saying what he had to say to pacify me. Remarkable the counselor met with both boys the next day and did a class (at my request) on good touch/bad touch with the students and appropriate behavior. Then that was the end of it.

Well unfortunately my son continued to become more and more aggressive and get into trouble and be disruptive in the classroom. I took Korbin to the behavioral health child psychologist on post who said Korbin has ADHD and has put him on medication. He stated that he felt that the onset of the ADHD symptoms came on so strong because of the incident but that they would have shown up in time. I went ahead with the medication because of the anger and violence not because he's a wild little boy. We love that about him!

D's mom and I were fed up with the schools administration and in November we both removed our kids from school and opted to home school them.

Well here I am 10 months later stewing over the issue again. I raised attention to the incident with our rear detachment commander at a meeting last month because I felt that the incident was not handled right and that my son was still suffering from the incident and I wanted to know what was supposed to happen in a situation like that.

Today we had a meeting with the family advocacy representative, the rear detachment commander and Kirke's 1SG. They had met with the schools administration and basically felt they did their share to handle the situation. They claimed to be unaware that there was an attempt to force our kid to touch M and that M tried to touch them. They freakin lied through their teeth about when they met with the students.

Today is the day I drop it. The school did not take care of my son and keep him safe and upon realizing he was in the situation played it off as boys being boys. That is not okay!! I'm pissed off but I don't know what I want that would make me not be so pissed off. I want my sweet loving happy little boy back.

The meeting we had today basically showed me that no one but me thinks this is a big deal. They made me feel as if I'm just being an over protective pain in the ass parent. I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect to have the situation minimized once again.

I'm not impressed. I feel like they are saying it's acceptable behavior. If this had happened to a little girl it would have been handled differently. If the other students parent wasn't an officer it would have been handled differently. If Korbin and D's daddy's had been here instead of in Iraq it would have been handled differently.

I miss my lovable sweet little guy. We love homeschooling but it's expensive. It's really been to our benefit that we've pulled them out of public school but damn it's just not right that THIS is the reason why! It's bullshit and I'm mad as hell but I've done all that I can do. I'm just grateful that my children aren't in school with kids who are allowed to bully them and hurt them anymore.

I'm not proof-reading this because it'll just make me mad all over again so forgive my typo's. If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

I just figured out what I want out of this. I want people to stop saying things like this happen and it's gonna be okay. I want people to say "You are right, this is not acceptable behavior and I'm sorry that this happened to your son. We will do everything we can to keep it from happening again!" I'm sick of people in authority positions just blowing it off like it's no big effin deal. It's a big damn deal and it's NOT okay!

~Till They All Come Home~

Gone Again

2009-07-23T16:12:00.002-05:00

We're off for more of this:

~Till They All Come Home~

I need 9 more

2009-07-22T16:55:00.002-05:00

I need 9 more followers to get to 50 and that would be so exciting for me so if anyone is lurking around please click the little follow button. You can follow anonymously but what fun is that?

Help me get to 50. Or even better 100. Maybe if I ever get to 100 I'll do a ginormous give away? That'd be fun right?

~Till They All Come Home~

He Said What?

2009-07-21T21:09:00.006-05:00

I have a tendency to start saying some little phrase and then I wear it out. Apparently that has happened again. At the grocery store Tayton picked up a cornish hen and was cracking up laughing and said "Hey Mom, this is just enough meat to make ya mad!"

I say that when restaurants give my tiny cups of diet Pepsi or I get stuck with 12 ounce cans instead of bottles.

This weekend we went camping and canoeing (spell check says it's not a word but it is for me!) with friends. Korbin was riding in their canoe. They had my friend and her hubby, Korbin and their 3 year old daughter on board and they tipped over. They took a few minutes to regroup and continued down the river.

Later that day Korbin said to me "When that canoe tipped over I was going to jump right in and save Cassidy! But then I forgot!"

Hope he never forgets to save anyone else! Silly kid!

Here's a few pictures from our weekend!

This was our campsite. You can see our tent and our friends tent and the river right there! It was beautiful. We'll be on the same site next weekend and hopefully this girl's family and maybe this girl too, will join us!

We weren't cool enough to have a canoe yet when these pictures were taken but we did have a look out scout!

And towing capabilities!

Here's Korbin and the Suds after he deserted us and our cheap inflatable for a real canoe!

These four made for quite a load on the first day of the trip! Good times for all! I can't wait to post more with us in OUR canoe now that we've moved up from the rubber raft!

~Till They All Come Home~

We're Off

2009-07-17T13:10:00.002-05:00

We're off to practice camping this weekend. We've camped before but this is the first time in Missouri so we want to make sure we know all of what we need before heading to Arkansas for a week long camping trip in August. We found the nicest little campground and it's 15 miles from home. Our tent site will be right on the river and we can fish right from there! I'm so excited. Now I'm off to finish the packing and get away from it all for the weekend!

~Till They All Come Home~

Front Page News: She's Not Bitchy Anymore

2009-07-09T21:02:00.010-05:00

Our soldier's home and now that we're on the front page of the paper we can't deny we missed each other!

Here's the picture without all the other chaos around it!

Kirke came home and said "how did we manage to get on the front page of the newspaper?"

My response was "well I was mean to the guy last week when the first group of soldiers came home so he remembered me this week!"

So here's the true story.

Me and my very good friends were sitting waiting on the first half of the battalion to come home on the 28th of June. The newspaper guy came and started his spiel about how he's looking for people to photograph and have names to go with the pictures for the pictures and blah blah blah. I cut him off short and said "umm we're the group who won't be getting our soldiers back today so you might want to find someone else if you want happy pictures."

I wasn't really that bitchy was I?

So this week he came up to us and I just laughed and he said "Are you ready for pictures this week?" So we couldn't very well say "no"!

OH and the best part is that he got a promotion by the newspaper guy. I guess he misunderstood me because they printed Staff Sergeant instead of Sergeant. I'd appreciate seeing that in the paycheck please!

~Till They All Come Home~

And Then There Were Four

2009-07-08T10:53:00.003-05:00

Our little family is complete again. It's been a long gazillion months apart! We got the call that our soldiers would be home Monday night. Our welcome home ceremony was to take place upon the arrival of the buses between 2300 and 2400 Monday night.

My soldier called to say their plane had landed in St Louis at 7:30. We all went into action like little ants getting things around. Us wives had dresses to put on and hair and make-up to do. The kids continued playing until we were through and got them dressed up and ready to go. We arrived at the location of the ceremony and were too excited to even make fun of other peoples choice of attire. Well kinda.....

I'm pretty sure that not letting myself get excited until that point was a little crazy. I was about to jump out of my skin waiting on the buses to arrive! Then we watched as the soldiers were unloaded from the buses and filed in, searching for the familiar faces of our own soldiers.

More to come including pictures but I just wanted to let everyone know our soldier is home safe and we're soaking in every little bit of it!

~Till They All Come Home~

Independence Sometimes Sucks

2009-07-04T23:31:00.004-05:00

Today we went to the Fourth of July celebration on post as usual. It was not as much fun as last year. Last year was much better so I don't have any great pictures or videos to share. But I highly suggest reading THIS post cause it's funny and has great pictures and it's all pretty much the same except we're all a year older.

We talked about what Independence Day is and the boys understand why we celebrate the Fourth of July. This year I'm a little bit bitter though. I thought I'd have my soldier back and that this would be the best Fourth of July ever. Instead things got jacked up and someone effed up and they are stuck for the time being. The boys were sad when they realized Daddy wasn't home for the Fourth like I had previously told them. It sucks when you let yourself get excited so much that you also let the kids get excited and then have to crush them!

Independence is great when you're talking about our country. Independence rocks when you're talking about a teenager graduating and moving on to college and facing the real world. Independence is especially great when kids can pour their own drinks, fix themselves a snack and even buckle their own seat belt.

For the most part Independence is a positive thing.

For us right now it sucks. I'm so sick to death of doing everything independently. I'm sick of having so much Independence that I sometimes have to think twice about what it was like to have someone here to help carry the load. Independence especially sucks when I have to go to bed independently on a night when I sure would love some company. And it really sucks when you have to independently tell your 6 and 7 year old that you don't know when Daddy will be home even though we've spent two Fourth of July's without him now. And when I have to sit here and listen to the 7 year old sing about how much he misses his dad so much, independently.

So today Independence sucks for our family. We really want to be dependent on the Daddy again!

Hurry home love!

~Till They All Come Home~

How Many

2009-07-01T00:10:00.002-05:00

How many more nights do I have to sleep alone? How much does our family have to suffer so that people in some other country can continue to live life as they did before the war? How many more years do my kids and I have to live without a man of the house? A daddy? A husband and best friend?

I'm tired of this life. I want to live the civilian life where we don't have to think twice about our spouse being shipped off to fight for freedom in some other country. Where we can walk outside and not see neighbors hugging goodbye for what may be the day or week or months and even years. I want to take life for granted just for a day, or two.

A few more days can literally turn into a lifetime to the soldier and families awaiting the end of their current tour. One more roadside bomb, suicide bomber or RPG could be the last for those of us still waiting for our soldiers return in just a few weeks or even days.

Half of our battalion is now home. I'd love to say home safe but the occurrence of abuse, assault, accidental and intentional deaths resulting from DUI's and domestic dispute sky rockets when soldiers return from any deployment let alone a 15 month deployment. Suicides become a sad but current trend as well. Even though they're returning home they bring a bit of the war home with them.

I want my soldier returned to me promptly in the same condition in which I surrendered him to this deployment so many months ago. Is that too much to ask? Probably so. Right now I'd settle for a hug and kiss and a smile to reassure me that he's still the soldier I love so much. The one who asked me to marry him 10 years ago tomorrow! (Our wedding anniversary is in December)

Come home soon baby we miss you!

~Till They All Come Home~

Frustration in the House

2009-06-30T09:16:00.002-05:00

Things here pretty much suck right now. We still don't have the daddy home. The kids are a mess, the house is a mess and everything seems to be just falling apart. We've held it together the best we can for the past gazillion months and now I'm tired of keeping it together and faking it. I can't say much more right now but it just sucks!

~Till They All Come Home~

This Really Pisses Me Off

2009-06-25T13:43:00.003-05:00

I just got another of those emails telling me I'll be rich blah blah blah. Normally I laugh, delete them and get on with my real emails. But this one totally pisses me off and you'll see why when you read it. Also I encourage you all to email him and tell him to eff off for impersonating a soldier....grrrrr!

Hello

My name is Major Henry Sanders. I am an American soldier serving in the military with the Army Third Infantry division with a very desperate need for assistance. I found your contact in an address journal. I am seeking your kind assistance to move the sum of fifteen Million United States Dollars to you as far as I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care until I complete my service here, this is not a stolen money, and there is no danger involved.

SOURCE OF MONEY:
Some money in various currencies was discovered in barrels at a farmhouse near one of Saddam old palaces in Tikrit-Iraq during a rescue operation, and it was agreed by Staff Sgt Kenneth Buff and I that some part of this money be shared between us before informing anybody about it since we saw the money first. This was quite an illegal thing to do, but I tell you what? No compensation can make up for the risk we have taken with our lives in this hell hole of which my brother-in-law was killed by a road side bomb last week.

The above figure was given to me as my share, and to conceal this kind of money became a problem for me. With the help of a British contact working here and his office enjoy some immunity I was able to get the package out to a safe location entirely out of trouble spot. He does not know the real contents of the package and believes that it belongs to a British /American medical doctor who died in a raid here in Iraq. And before giving up trusted me to hand over the package to his Family in United States.

I have now found a much secured way of getting the package out of Iraq. I will discuss this with you when I am sure that you are willing to assist me. I want you to tell me how much you will take from this money for the assistance you will give to me. One passionate appeal, please dont discuss this matter with anybody should you have any reason to reject this offer, please and please destroy this message as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us.

I do not know how long we will remain here. And I have been shot, wounded and survived two suicide bomb attacks by the special grace of God, this and other reasons I will mention later has prompted me to reach out for help, I honestly want this matter to be resolved immediately. You may want to go through this site to read what we have been going through here in Iraq . http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090129/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/army_suicides

Please contact me as soon as possible with the following details via my alternative email address henry_sanders@cantv.net

Full Name:
Full Address:
Tel/cell numbers:
Occupation:

God Bless you as I look forward to your positive response.

Truly yours,
Major Henry Sanders.

Now please....ATTACK!!!

~Till They All Come Home~

An American Hero Laid to Rest

2009-06-19T23:54:00.005-05:00

I really want to be careful writing this post because I want to be sure and say the right things.

Today we went to SPC Parrish's memorial service held here on post. It was every bit as horrible as you could imagine it to be and more. They did a great job honoring this fallen soldier but there's nothing that can be said or done to change that fact that a 4 year old boy no longer has a daddy. A young, beautiful woman is now a widow. And a mother and father are now without a son. He also had four siblings left behind to carry on with life without their brother.

He made everyone proud. He did his job and he did it well. SPC Parrish left quite an impact on the soldiers he went to war with and worked beside for the past 14 months. He was 23. Only 23 years old.

As his family walked through the doors and took their seats in the front pew of the chapel my heart broke. I had a hard time not thinking about how this could have easily been any one our families sitting in that pew. Any one of us with soldiers in Iraq could be facing that same future this young wife and child are facing. Through their sadness you could still see the pride they have in being a military family.

When the role call began 1SG called off three names of soldiers throughout the chapel. All of whom responded "here first sergeant". And then 1SG called "SPC Parrish" which was followed by silence. Again he called "SPC Charles Parrish", nothing. "SPC Charles Dustin Parrish" and then the gun salute began followed by taps. There is NOTHING in this world that I have ever heard that was as terrible as the silence that followed his name being called in role call without a response.

I heard the muffled sounds of others crying and above them you could hear the cries of a child.

In the front of the chapel sat the boots, weapon and helmet of this young soldier who bravely served our country and won't be coming home. As we exited the chapel we stopped to pay our respects. Soldiers of all ranks saluted SPC Parrish. We then filed out shaking hands and paying respects to the family.

I'll never forget how brave his handsome 4 year old son, Caden was as he sat and shook hands with each and every person who attended the memorial. And I'll probably never forget the sadness and sorrow that I saw in the face of his beautiful wife. My heart aches for them and I don't know how they will ever manage to get through this time in their lives because I can't imagine being in her shoes. She was supposed to be getting ready for the homecoming of her husband not the funeral and final goodbye.

Please stop and say a prayer for this family who is paying the ultimate price for freedom. And next time you see a service member in uniform stop them, shake their hands and know that you are shaking hands with one of many of the bravest, strongest most loved Americans you will ever meet.

Ashley, Caden and the rest of the Parrish family, you're in our thoughts and prayers. I don't have the right words to say to you. As I shook hands with you today I had no words at all as I struggled to fight back the tears. Tears for a soldier I never had the pleasure of meeting. I want to thank you and your family for your service to our country. Each soldier has a family that also serves and sacrifices more than most people can ever imagine.

~Till They All Come Home~

Sea Kittens? Really? Gimme a freakin break PETA!

2009-06-16T16:35:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine sent me an email with a letter her husband wrote in response to a website he stumbled upon while he was online recently. She's going to post his letter on her blog for you all to read. But she doesn't know that yet, since I just made that part up but now she has to. You're welcome Amber!

The website is set up to lure people into signing some dumb petition to stop fishing. Oh pardon me, it's to save the "Sea Kittens"! WTF? Seriously? Sea Kittens?

Shake it off PETA! They're fish! Nothing kitten like about them! Well except the catfish that has whiskers right in front of the three HORNS!!!

Here's what we think about saving the Sea Kittens:

Above is Tayton enjoying some relaxing fishing!

Korbin and one of his sunfish!

Tayton is a proud little fisherman!

Catfish, or should we call them Sea Kittens?

That's one big Sea Kitten! Makes me wanna curl right up with it and pet him and love him. Oh and you should hear him purr when I am taking the hook out of his mouth. It's the sweetest sound......

Great big cuddley Sea Kittens!

These little bass aren't as cute and cuddly as Catfish but fall into the same category!

Korbin's not afraid to touch any of the fish! He's a good little fisherman! I'm so proud!

Long live the Sea Kittens because we love catching them!

( Hurry home and help me bait hooks Hunny! )

~Till They All Come Home~

DoD Identifies Army Casualty SPC Charles D Parrish

2009-06-14T23:20:00.001-05:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~

Please take the time to reread this post and say a prayer or 40 for the family. The soldier who died has a wife and son left behind as well as many other family and friends grieving. His wife took the time to read this post and comment and I think it should be read by everyone. Please pass it along.

I have included the DoD Report and a Report from this soldiers hometown. The sources are linked below each of the two articles. They are verbatim and that is why there are some discrepancies as far as rank between the two articles.

I didn't know him. I didn't know his family. My husband had nothing to do with this mission other than his soldiers were sent to recover the disabled vehicle after the incident.

My heart aches for this family and we're reminded that even this late into the deployment our soldiers still aren't safe.

I don't know what else to say.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Charles D. Parrish, 23, of Jasper, Ala., died June 4 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered earlier that day in Jalula, Iraq, when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade. He was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

(SOURCE)

Jasper soldier dies in Iraq
Leaves behind wife and 4-year-old son
Saturday, June 06, 2009

TORAINE NORRIS
News staff writer

Cpl. Dusty Parrish of Jasper was looking forward to coming home from Iraq in July and teaching his 4-year-old son, Caden, the finer points of playing T-ball, said his mother, Tina Rigsby.

The 23-year-old soldier loved sports and played baseball and football at Walker County High School.

Cpl. Parrish died Thursday in northern Iraq in a rocket-propelled grenade attack, Rigsby said. While the Department of Defense has not released an official account of the circumstances of his death, Rigsby said her son was on a reconnaissance mission to clear land mines that night.

Rigsby said her son, an Army medic, died from wounds suffered in the attack.

Cpl. Parrish trained many of the medics who assisted in his surgery after the attack, his mother said. "They said he gave a good fight."

Family members, including his wife, Ashley, were eagerly anticipating Cpl. Parrish's homecoming on July 15.

"He just had another week there," Rigsby said.

She said Cpl. Parrish was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and recently had re-enlisted. He had been in Iraq 14 months, she said. Cpl. Parrish was going to be stationed in Columbus, Ga., after returning from Iraq.

A 2003 graduate of Walker County High, he had been in the Army three years.

He was into weightlifting, even winning some body-building competitions while in the Army, his mother said.

"He was very athletic," Rigsby said. "He couldn't wait to get home because this is his son's first year to play T-ball. "He was going to come home and tell him how to bat."

Rigsby said her son excelled at helping others.

"Dusty was the type of person who would make you laugh," she said. "He had an innate ability to make you happy when you were sad."

Rigsby said the family Friday afternoon was still trying to break the news to Caden.

"I hate that we have to tell his son," she said.

(SOURCE)

Please pray for this family and for all of the soldiers and families. It seems we've been forgotten now that this war has been ongoing for 6 years now but families are still being shattered by this damn war.

~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~

Today I opened my email to find a comment from SPC Parrish's wife. It's heart wrenching to think of what she and her son as well as the everyone who's lives have been touched by this hero.

Here's what she wrote:

Ashley Parrish has left a new comment on your post "DoD Identifies Army Casualty SPC Charles D Parrish...":

My son and i would like to thank everyone for all the love and support during this very difficult time. Dusty is gone but never forgotten, he would want everyone to remember that he died for our freedom and he loved his job. I love him very much and see his face every time I look at our beautiful son. Rest in peace my husband for your mission on earth is complete I love you.

Ashley we'll continue to pray for you and your son and the rest of the family/friends who are suffering this loss. If there is anything any of us back here at the Fort can do for you please let me know. You can email me privately at kmtkbest@gmail.com and whatever you need I will do my best to help make happen.

~Till They All Come Home~

Korbins Kidney Saga Continues

2009-06-12T14:24:00.004-05:00

You know how when you're at the doctors they are all chatty as can be until they find something that's just not quite right? Today we got that again.

Korbin had his annual ultrasound on his kindey to see how he's doing. She was all peachy and talkative as she scanned his right (healthy) kidney and then when she got to the left she was like a clam. She didn't even hear Korbin asking her questions as she clicked away capturing the images. Some with color to show the blood flow and one that made it look like a freakin volcano!

I looked as she scanned each kidney and the differences were obvious. You could see the dark area that showed the level of urine retention in his left kidney. I'm afraid we'll be heading back to Columbia for him soon.

Prayers and happy thoughts of good results and me just being an over reacting-stressed out-spazzy-assed mom.

Here are the links to stories to fill ya in if you have no clue what I'm talking about with Korbin.

First this happened.

Second he had surgery.

Third and then

Fourth

~Till They All Come Home~

Can't Stop Watching It and LMAO!

2009-06-08T22:42:00.003-05:00

Oh my! I just found this over on Lauren's Blog. She visited my blog as a friend of the family of CPL Parrish.

I was just looking around since she stopped by and left me a comment and I found this video and nearly wet myself laughing so hard! Thank god for my recent ~~torture~~ surgery!

Enjoy!

~Till They All Come Home~

2009-06-07T10:17:00.003-05:00

The monkey tail has left the building! Thank God!!

I called the doctors office ~~crying, complaining and begging~~ to ask if there was any chance they could remove the monkey tail and see if things were working okay. I knew the risks and was willing to chance it. They agreed to let me see the Doctor here on post to do it for me instead of driving 2 hours to the doctor who did my surgery.

I showed up and my male doctor informed me that there was no female chaperon available at the time and if it was going to be removed it would have to be with him and his male SPC that was working.

I didn't care if they did it in the middle of the waiting room as long as they took the damn thing out! Only I really did care, a little, cause I have a shred of modesty. Men have no concept of modesty. When the female nurse is helping my doctor she keeps me all covered up and comfortable. With the guys I was lucky they shut the door! No really, they didn't shut the door until they said to hop up on the torture chambers table and I looked at them like they were nuts.

Everything went well. It's amazing how great it is to be able to pee all by myself like a big girl! That is going on my list of things to never take for granted!

~Till They All Come Home~