Thanks

Thanks for all the wonderful comments after the tantrum I posted a few weeks ago. It is so nice to have the support of so many wonderful people. Thank You, Thank You!

V-Day!

Well our Valentines Celebrations started with crazy hair day. Hallie was very excited that it was going to be crazy hair day and her Valentines day party at school. It was the first time that she was able to exchange valentines and have a real valentines day party. She was really really excited.

Brooklyn was a little bummed that she didn't get to have a valentine's day party and exchange Valentines, so we made our own valentines day bag and throughout the day she recieved valentines from the dog, grandma, the cat, etc. She was pretty excited!

Hallie with her crazy hair and Valentine's Day haul.

The real Valentine's Day. We have 9 am church (ugggh) and so instead of having an amazing valentines day breakfast we had breakfast for lunch.

We have made amazing strides with Brooke's diet lately, and the newest addition WHEAT!!!!!! This is the first grain she has ever been able to eat consistently without being in the ER.

Hooray, it has opened a lot of doors for little Brooklyn, and she was all too happy to try her very first pancake!!!

After lunch it was time for the Valentines Day Monster to pay the kiddies a visit. My parents made him up when I was younger, and I am all to happy to continue the tradition with my own little ones. He delivers a special valentines day package sometime during the day without being seen. The girls waited all day until finally, (their mom got it together) he delivered a special treat!

A LITTLE TACT, IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK

Okay, I am not usually one to complain on my blog but I am afraid that I have reached my limit. I have had it with bratty comments about Chris' deployment. Is it just that people don't know what to say, or are people really that rude?

I met with a few sisters in my ward last week and in casual conversation they asked me when I will be moving back to VA and then decided that it would be a good idea to add the following, "Well the neighbor girl and I were talking about how when we were younger and dating and a military boy came around we were sure to run the opposite direction." That is so RUDE! Next example "My son wants to join the military and I told him that there was NO WAY that I would ever let him join," I have heard this one ATLEAST 50 times. Oh and I really love it when they tell me that they won't let them join because they are afraid that they will die or get severely injured. Let me tell you, that makes me feel really good. There is the ever popular "I could never let my husband join the military because I would miss him too much." Wow, well I guess that it is a good thing that I don't miss Chris because let me tell you, that would be awful. But I have to admit my most favorite of all is when people upon hearing about Chris deployment decide that it is a good time to debate the war.

This being the latest example: Last week I was forced into meeting with Brooklyn's 5th allergist up at Primary Children's hospital to meet the ever famous Mayo Clinic doctor that has recently joined their staff. It took 4 months to get in with this guy, and within the first 10 minutes of the conversation before finding out nothing about Brooklyn other than we will be moving back home in a few months because chris will be coming home. He decided to ask me if I thought that they were doing any good in Iraq. I of course told him that yes they are doing a lot of good over there, and then tried to steer the conversation back to my sick child. But instead of discussing Brooklyn he decided to tell me just how much the war was costing, and how america can not handle anymore debt. Shocked, I then explained to him that our debt was not coming from the Iraq war but was most obviously being racked up by our current President's stimulus/bailout/plans. He then decided that it would be an even better time to have an argument with me about President Bush and the Iraq war. What a pompous jerk. Do people really think that it is okay to A) bring up politics during a doctors appointment B) Tell a deployed soldiers wife that her husband is risking his life for nothing, and by the way it is costing the US a lot of money. Are you people for REALS!?! It is bad enough that I have to take care of the kids, the finances, the stress, etc. Do I really need this on top of it, NO!!!

I don't care if you are a democrat, if you don't want to marry a soldier, or even if you aren't fond of your kids joining the Military. I don't need to hear about it. And by the way, they are doing a lot over there, and I am proud to be a military wife. You have to be an noble, brave, unselfish person to join the Military. It takes guts to put your life on the line for our Country. It teaches things that can be taught no where else and it really is a shame that there are people out there who are keeping those who would like to join from joining. They are missing out. You will never ever find a better group of Men and Women. And furthermore, I am not a soldier but I can serve my country by taking care of my family while Chris is gone, and I am happy to do itDoes this mean that I love it when he is gone, that it is easy, that I don't miss him, that I won't be glad when it is over, uhh NO. It is hard. I am not dumb. When I don't hear from Chris for even a day it makes me sick. I am constantly googling the latest news out of Iraq, and the truth is that it is dangerous over there it is a WAR! But I do it because it is the best way for me to support my country . It sickens me that people take the sacrifice that Chris and many, many other military members and family members put on the line for their safety and security. Freedom isn't free!!!! I am proud to stick it out while he is gone, and I am proud of him. I am not trying to make myself out like some kind of hero. I am not asking for an award or any sort of recognition. All I ask is for people to give me and all the other Military wive's out there the courtesy of THINKING BEFORE YOU SPEAK!!!

MRSA

So after what seems like a million trips to the doctor to figure out what the new pain is that Brooklyn has had in her abdomen, a phone call at home from the doctor now confirms that my little banana has MRSA (a penicillian resistant staff infection). It is now all over her skin and inside her bladder. She has been through so much I really hate to see her have to another problem, but what can you do. On the bright side, she is still the crazy little kid that she always is, and hopefully treating the MRSA will get rid of some of the pain that she has been having.

We have to keep her all bandaged up, but having hot pink bandaids definitely helps. She has also figured out that not wearing a shirt under her dress is the best way to show off her bandaids.

Now I am well aware of the fact that this blog is primarily about the kids, but this is the best way to send pic.'s to Chris in Iraq.

It's A Major Award

Tonight I promised Hallie that we would make something out of her book of kid crafts that she got for Christmas. Well with no hesitation it was decided that we were to make awards. Both Brooklyn and Hallie were each very proud of themselves for their grand acheivements (making the awards for themselves), and my most favorite part of it all was when Hallie and Brooklyn started arguing over who got to be 3rd place. Just another day with the kiddos I guess.

Snow Day

Today I decided to embrace the snow, embrace the cold, embrace the mess and head outside with the girls. Sadly enough and, I am ashamed to admit it, this is only the second time I have taken the kids out to play in the snow. It seems like life has been really busy and really crazy, and I really do not like the snow too much. However, today the sun was shining and we just couldn't resist.

The girls and I made a little pilot snowman in honor of Daddy

This is little Sophie. I am not a cat person at all, but she was posing

so perfectly I couldn't help myself.

Long Lost Friends

A week or so ago I was able to get together with some of my friends from High School. It has been 4 or 5 years since we have all been together. It was a blast to see them again only this time as mothers, and wives. It is really funny to think back, I am sure that we would have never imagined that we would live so far apart from each other and that we would have had so many kids by now. They are all amazing Mom's and friends and I hope that this is something that we get to do a little more often.

It was impossible to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time, but it was fun to try!