I See Changes!

Whew!  These last couple of months have been pretty crazy. David and I have made a major change and the babies are changing every day.

First change: I have moved to Idaho with the babies and puppies. We thought it would be a good idea for me to come home ahead of David and get everything settled. Little did we know, it would take much longer for him to get home.  We are still waiting for him to get his ratings back from the VA but once he does, we will only be separated for another month. 

David and I have gone months without seeing each other. And while it does suck to be apart from my husband, it's much harder when there are kids involved. I know he misses them so much and feels like he is missing out, but this will all be a memory someday. We make sure to Skype throughout the week and I am always sending pictures and videos. Fingers crossed that we will hear something before the end of September. I'm ready for my family to be together again. 

Onto other news, the babies!!!  Oh man, they are getting so big!!  They are seven months old and so heavy!  

Emmett is closing in on 20 pounds and is my chunky monkey. He still is the happiest baby and has the most hilarious belly laugh.  His happiness is completely contagious, you can't help but smile along with him. He loves to talk and is getting better at grabbing things. Emmett has his favorite toys and loves to watch his animal mobile, he's just so content.  The doctor said that he is a little lazier than Kambry but that's ok, he has a lot more to him!!  

Kambry is my little peanut, around 15 pounds.  She is the sweetest little girl ever!!  She loves to hear herself. Sometimes you'll hear her yelling from across the house but she's not upset, she's just talking very loudly. Kambry has the most adorable smile and the funniest little laugh.  She has become a pro at grabbing her toys and surprises me with how far she can scoot. Kambry also loves to bounce!!  All you have to do is bounce her and tell her how beautiful she is and she is a happy girl!!   And! My little baby has two teeth that have broken through!  It's hard to believe!!

Both babies are growing so well, you would never know that they were tiny preemies.  They have started eating solids, they both love rice cereal and prefer it over veggies or fruit.  They both love to stand and have really strong legs.  I love reading to them and they love watching sing-a-longs, particularly one about a hole in the bottom of the sea! :)  I do have to toot my horn a little bit, we have worked very hard in setting a nightly routine and because of that, both babies sleep at least ten hours a night. Emmett is definitely easier to get to sleep but once they are both put in bed, they are out until the next morning.  I won't spill my secrets though!!
It is so fun watching them develop their own personalities.  There are some areas where they are so alike and some where they are complete opposites.  It is quite hilarious watching them together now that they are starting to be more aware of each other. In the NICU, they weren't ever together and were never in the same bed until they both were home. Now that they are able to control their hands better, they tend to grab at each other clothes or their ears or hair but very often you will catch them holding hands and  it is the most precious thing.

Well we are having a fun summer and are trying to spend as much time outside as possible. Hopefully by my next blog, some pictures will include David!!!

The Best Kind of Insanity

I have been trying to write this blog for a month but if you can imagine, I've been a little busy. No, not just a little. I have been ridiculously busy. When you bring home a baby, it can be pretty overwhelming but when you bring home two, it is a whole different world. Everyone thinks that when you have twins it's just two of everything. Two car seats, two bottles, two diapers, and two cribs. While all of that is true, there is a lot more to it. No one tells you that your twins could be on completely different feeding or sleeping schedules. Or that both babies may want mommy at the exact same time that your trying to make bottles.  Needless to say, our world has changed in a huge way but I couldn't imagine it any different.

Emmett is my sweet boy, my little monster. He is the sweetest little boy with the biggest blue eyes. He is very patient and relaxed and loves to be in his bouncy chair or on his play mat.  Emmett's smile is pretty constant and huge, but don't be late on feeding him him or he will wake up everyone in the house.  He has rolled onto his back a few times and is getting pretty good at kicking his legs.  Emmett is David's twin through and through but is a total mommy's boy.  He is a great sleeper and averages about 6 hours a night which is amazing. He is freaking adorable and it takes everything I have to not constantly kiss his cheeks.

 

 Kambry is the most beautiful baby. She is my little twin with my almond eyes.  Unlike Emmett, it is a rare day if she is happy on her play mat or bouncy, she just prefers to be held.  But when she is happy, she has the sweetest smile in between her chubby cheeks.  Kambry makes the cutest squeaky noises and the funniest faces.  Her favorite thing is laying on the changing pad (don't ask me why) and she is even happier when she's naked and getting a massage. Kambry doesn't sleep as long or as easily as her brother but once she lays on her daddy's chest, she is out like a light.  I love having one-on-one time with my little girl, she can be very talkative just like her momma.

 

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I kind of assumed that I wouldn't deliver full-term babies but I never imagined that I would give birth 11 weeks early.  I may have been naive, but I didn't know that preemies were such a big deal.  I knew they would just be little but thought they would grow up like any other baby.  Although they are are almost five months old, they are technically only two months old.  So instead of my 19 week old babies hitting 19 week milestones, they're only expected to to hit eight week marks.  Most five month olds would weigh much more than 12 pounds too!  It's all pretty complicated and can be very confusing sometimes.  The way I look at it, I am just very lucky to have been able to spend extra time with my babies.

Now to shift the focus a little bit, my family will be living in Idaho very soon. We are waiting for David to be medically retired from the Army. He suffered a back injury while he was in Iraq and it is continuing to get worse. I know this isn't how David wanted to finish his career  in the military but I don't know if the timing could be more perfect. It is going to be a huge transition for us (bigger for him than me) but I think we're ready for a new adventure. This year has already been full of surprises and challenges and I know there are many more in store for us. We can't wait to be around our family and raise our babies in such a beautiful place.

Now let's keep our fingers crossed that I have the next blog written before the babies are crawling.

Babies.

Birth stories.  They are always very intriguing and interesting but are also very creepy and weird.  But now that my babies have made their way into the world, I figured I would share their birth stories too.  I will try to not put too much personal stuff in this story, but I am not making too many promises. 

My pregnancy started out as a strangely normal pregnancy.  Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, I didn't have any morning sickness, slept very easily, didn't have any weird cravings and hardly gained any weight.  It was hard to believe I was pregnant, let alone pregnant with twins.  But as soon as week 21 came around, things started to change.  I had horrible, horrible back pain and learned about round ligament pain which was insanely painful as well.

At the beginning of December, David and I went on a marriage retreat in Dallas where we spent one day at the zoo and the next day at the aquarium.  By the end of both days, I was completely worn out with a sore tummy and swollen feet.  I should have taken it easy, but I had been wanting to go to Dallas for so long that I wanted to make the best of it.  When we went back to Killeen, I had a regular doctors appointment where I had complained of some cramping and being very uncomfortable.  My doctor wanted me to go up to Labor and Delivery to be monitored for a little bit to make sure that I wasn't in labor, I was only 24 weeks and 5 days.  David met me in the waiting room and we sat there forever and ever.  Two hours later, we were finally called back into a room where I was going to receive a pelvic exam.  I thought that was a little strange since I hadn't received an exam in months but figured they knew what they were doing and I was just being paranoid.  I should have listened to my gut.  After they started the exam, it didn't take any longer than two minutes before everything went wrong.  Before I knew it, a nurse was rushing out to get a doctor, David was holding my hand and asking the other nurse if "she did this."  After an ultrasound was performed, they concluded that a sac had been ruptured which had started labor and I needed to be admitted to the hospital.  That wasn't comforting.  Hospitals are not my favorite place so the thought of spending the night was so scary.  Then the doctor came in and told me that not only did I need to be transferred to another hospital, I needed to be prepared to give birth within 12 hours.  Not comforting either.  While we were waiting for a helicopter to come and pick me up, they started pumping me full of magnesium and steroids to try and stop the labor.  I couldn't believe all of this was happening.  I was not prepared to have babies so early, and the babies were definitely not ready to come out.  But I had no choice but to go with the flow and see how everything played out.

 Two days before I was admitted, 24 weeks and 3 days

When the helicopter crew showed up, I was already three centimeters dilated and having steady contractions.  Everyone was very friendly, but I was very anxious to get this flight over with and get to the hospital in Austin.  It's too bad that my first helicopter flight was spent having contractions because it would've been nice to be able to enjoy the Christmas lights but the combination of the uncomfortable gurney and loud buzzing and pain all over made the flight pretty horrible.  Once I arrived in Austin, I was able to relax a bit and had another ultrasound done.  I probably will never forget that first ultrasound.  It was so relieving to see both of the babies and hear their heartbeats...it was literally the highlight of my day.

The next day, a doctor came into reaffirm that I was ruptured and that the best bet for the babies and me would be to stay in the hospital, on bed rest, until I delivered.  That was December 10th, my due date was March 27th.  The thought of staying in the hospital for four months was so scary.  Who would take care of my puppies or the house?  Who would get the nursery ready?  Would David have to go back to work?  And if he did, would I be alone in the hospital and for how long?  It was a lot to take in but I forced myself to stay as positive as possible.

A few days later, I became stable enough to be transferred to the Antepartum Unit.  This unit was so much more relaxed than Labor and Delivery.  I only had to be monitored twice a day, didn't have to have an IV and got an ultrasound every three days.  Getting used to only being able to get up to use the bathroom or shower was pretty difficult, but it got easier and I found ways to keep myself busy.  About a week after everything happened, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.  It felt like there was always something!!  Having to watch what I ate was such a pain, especially since I had to eat hospital food all day!  I ate a lot of salad, oranges and crackers with cheese and salami.  David and I stayed in the hospital for Christmas and for New Year's.  The holidays for 2012 were not anything exciting but I was happy to still be pregnant and be with my husband.

Fast forward to the week of January 6.  I had been in the hospital for five weeks and was days away from being 29 weeks.  I had finally gotten wheelchair privileges so I got to go outside for the first time since December 10th and was looking forward to the weekend so a friend could bring my puppies.  A doctor had also started to talk about sending me home since it seemed like the rupture had healed itself.  The babies were very healthy and I was very stable, everything had turned around, it was kind of miraculous.  That Friday, the 11th, David was able to come be with me since he had been in Killeen all week.  About two hours after he arrived at the hospital, my doctor came in and ordered a test to see if I was still ruptured and that test would determine if I would go home or not.  As she started walking out of my room, I felt fluid and lots of it.  Scary.  My water broke.  Oh no.  Luckily, my nurse wasn't too concerned and said that we would just act like nothing happened and go about our business.  I felt fine for about 20 minutes, I even had David go to Panda Express to pick up some dinner, but very soon after that, I started to feel a lot of pressure and tons of pain.  45 minutes after my water broke, I was being wheeled to the operating room to have a C-section.  I was in so much pain by that time, I didn't care what they did, I just wanted it to end.  Everything had happened so quickly, that instead of going with a regular C-section, they chose to put me under general anesthesia and deliver the babies.

Some time later, I woke up while I was being wheeled into the recovery room and could feel a huge incision and burning.  Since my labor had progressed so quickly, they didn't have time to give me an epidural which would usually keep the pain of an incision hidden for awhile.  Lucky for me, they hooked me up to a nice dose of pain killers and that got me through the night.  Two hours after surgery, before I was wheeled to my room in Post-Partum, my nurse snuck me into the NICU where I saw my sweet babies for the first time.  They were so little and skinny, and really hairy, with wires and tubes everywhere.  But they were here and they were healthy, what more could I ask for. 

Emmett Anthony Cole was born on January 11 at 7: 53 p.m. weighing 3 lbs. 3 oz., 15 1/2 inches long.

Kambry Rae Marie was born at 7: 55 p.m. weighing 3 lbs., 16 inches long.

 My first time seeing them.  (That stuffed bear was given to me by my dad, it stayed on my bed every night and even made it through surgery!)

 Sweet Kambry, 1 day old.

 Now that the babies were here, the thought of being able to go home very soon was exciting.  Obviously, the fact that the babies wouldn't be coming home with us wasn't what either of us wanted, but I couldn't help but look forward to the day that I would be able to leave the hospital!!  I was told to expect to be discharged on Monday the 14th, but the day after I delivered, the doctors noticed an infection in my uterus.  I still don't know what caused it, but the infection is the reason why I delivered so quickly...my body was trying to fight the infection by getting rid of everything-including babies.  So naturally, I was hooked up to three different kinds of antibiotics that would be running around the clock for three days.  On that third day, which was Monday, I was told that I would be discharged the next day just to make sure that the infection was gone.  When Tuesday came, I got sick.  And I don't mean cough-cough sick, I mean really, really, REALLY sick.  No eating or drinking, no talking, no moving.  I had never been sick like this before and the doctors couldn't figure out WHY!!  It was the most excruciating two days of my life, I was even quarantined!!  And because of this weird sickness, I wasn't able to see the babies and that was rough.  Finally, they stopped the antibiotics, since I had been on them for five days straight, and I miraculously felt better.  I had color, I could move and I could even drink water and eat some crackers.  Once Thursday came, I had made a HUGE turn-around and would be discharged just in time to pick my mom up from the airport!!

 Moppy's first time holding one of her grand-babies.

Our sweet babies have progressed beautifully.  Just a few days after they were born, they were taken off oxygen and about two weeks later they began bottle/breast feeding.  Kambry is now getting close to five pounds and Emmett is getting close to being six pounds.  Of course they are absolutely beautiful...and they don't cry!!  Seriously, I've maybe heard Kambry whine for a couple minutes during a bath but that is it!!  I wonder how long it will last...

 David's first time holding baby Kambry.

 My first time holding both babies at the same time.

These last few weeks have been tough: mentally, emotionally and physically.  Since we live about 60 miles away from the hospital (and insurance won't transfer them closer) we aren't able to be with the babies as much as we would like.  Thankfully, we have had the opportunity to stay at the Ronald McDonald House during the weekends and that has literally been life changing.  I can't believe how lucky we are to have healthy babies.  I have met so many people in the NICU who have had babies in there for over 90 days...I can't imagine.

 Our first family picture.

Currently, the babies are 36 weeks and 6 weeks, 5 days old.  They are absolutely precious and we are so in love with them.  We can't wait to have them home and start our new life as a family of four plus two puppies.  :)

Thankful.

I always see people posting their "thankful thoughts" on Facebook during November and I wanted to do the same thing.  I chose to do it as a blog so I could look back on it someday and remember this year and the things that were going on in our lives.  

November 1-  I am thankful for my husband.  He works so hard for our family, it's amazing.  He always keeps me laughing and always keeps me feeling wanted and loved.  He's my best friend.

November 2-  I am thankful for parents.  Although we aren't in the same place and can only see each other a few times a year, we are as close as ever.  They are some of the hardest working people I have ever met, but they never let their work come between our relationships.  They have helped us out so much over the years, they're amazing.

November 3-  I am thankful for my brother.  He is my best friend and has been for years.  It doesn't take much for him to put a smile on my face and some days, that's all I need.

November 4-  I am thankful for people in the medical field.  Without them, I wouldn't be able to see and hear the babies growing inside of me.  I look forward to ultrasounds every month, it's so much fun.

November 5-  I am thankful for the military.  Not only does the military keep food on my table and a roof over my head, but they allow me to feel secure and safe.  I have always been thankful for the military but the last three years have taught and showed me so much.  I am proud to be an Army wife and it will be something I carry with me for the rest of my life.

November 6-  I am thankful for God.  With the elections going on today, I have faith in God that he will continue to keep our country safe and put it in the right direction.

November 7-  I am thankful to live in the United States.  After Obama won the election, people have been so hateful and have said how disappointed they are in the American people.  All I can say, is that no matter what the outcome is, I am grateful to live in this country.  We are much better off than a lot of other countries throughout the world.

November 8-  I am thankful for four-day weekends.  It gives us a lot of time to relax and enjoy each other without the craziness of everyday life.  It's almost like a little vacation...and we love it.

November 9-  I am thankful for my puppies.  Although they can really be a pain in the ass, they are so cute and they love me so much.  I love their fluffy little faces and am so happy to have them to keep me company during the day.

November 10-  I am thankful for my friends, especially the friends I have made since being in Texas.  Even though all of my very close friends have relocated to either Arizona, Korea, or Germany, the fact that we are still very close in contact puts a huge smile on my face.  I love them all...and miss them like crazy.

November 11-  I am thankful for all past and present veterans.  I have always had gratitude for them, but that gratitude has grown and blossomed over the last three years.  It is a whole different world when you are married to a soldier and see what they deal with and go through on a daily basis, when you have friends that have been in the military for years and years and listen to their stories, when you live on the biggest U.S. military base in the world and see soldiers deploying and coming home so often.  I have a lot of pride being an Army wife and a lot of pride in my country.  Thank you veterans.  Happy Veterans Day.

November 12-  I am thankful for sleep, especially on days that I get to sleep in.  Big thanks to my lovely hubby for taking care of the puppies first thing in the morning.

November 13-  I am thankful for cell phones.  It may seem like a silly thing for someone to be thankful for, but I truly am.  Without cell phones, I wouldn't be able to stay in constant contact with my parents and brother.  I always look forward to the days that we have shows on together because then it feels like we are a little bit closer.

November 14-  I am thankful for pay day!!  It is always a happy day when we see our bank accounts growing.

November 15-  I am thankful for the veterinarian.  They keep my furry babies happy and healthy!!  I'm especially thankful that they got their very last immunizations today!!  YAYYY!

November 16-  I am thankful for my much-loved crock pot.   I have always been very indecisive, but being pregnant has made it 100 times worse.  What to make for dinner is always a hard decision for me and keeps me thinking all day long so when I can throw something in the crock pot and not have to worry about it, I am happy!!

November 17-  I am thankful for the breakfast my hubby made for me.  Although I wasn't too thrilled when he woke me up at 7 a.m., little did I know that when I officially get out of bed, I would have home-made sausage biscuits and orange juice waiting for me.  Delish.

November 18-  I am thankful for my mom!!  Since it's her birthday and I can't be there to celebrate with her, I just want to express how amazing she is.  She has worked her butt off her whole life in order to keep her family happy.  She is the most understanding person, she listens very well and gives the best advice.  She can get crazy and drink a lot of wine and play beer pong or she can relax with you and watch reality shows.  She would give you the clothes off her back if you needed them.  She really is amazing and I am so blessed to have her be my mom.

November 19-  I am thankful for our recliner.  It is magical.  My back has started to hurt constantly and the only thing that relieves it is the lovely recliner.

November 20-  I am thankful for blue skies and sunshine.  It is something that is often taken for granted but can always brighten any mood.  Just one more reason why I love Texas.

November 21-  I am thankful for my favorite part of the day...the end of it.  Not because I am ready to go to bed or because I am a miserable person, but because it's the time of day where I can put my feet up, have my hubby home, hear the puppies running around and dinner cooking.  I just love to kick back with David and watch our shows and cuddle with Otto and Opie.  That is wear I am the most content.

November 22-  I am thankful for my life.  Although I wish I could spend the holidays with my family, I think the only way I should feel is grateful.  I have an amazing husband who takes amazing care of me and who I know is going to be a spectacular dad, I have a great house and live in a beautiful state.  I have two adorable puppies who love me to death and bring so much happiness into our lives and I have two little babies that are growing day by day...I really can't think of anything more perfect.

November 23-  I am thankful for naps.  Sometimes, they're just needed.  And on some days, I wouldn't make it through the day without one.

November 24-  I am thankful for my in-laws.  I am so lucky to have in-laws that I love.  You always hear horror stories about in-laws coming for Christmas and them being absolutely horrible.  Well, if my in-laws were to come to my house for any holiday, I would gladly host them.  They are so much fun and brought me in as their daughter so quickly.  I love them.

November 25-  I am thankful for a clean car.  I don't know what it is, but I always feel so refreshed when the car is clean.  It just makes me happy.

November 26-  I am thankful for water.  Any one that knows me well, knows that I never go anywhere without a bottle of water.  It's my favorite drink, especially when it's ice cold.

November 27-  I am thankful for our treadmill.  It helps me a lot.  It keeps me from being too sore and I always feel better about myself after I walk on it for awhile.

November 28-  I am thankful for DVR.  I honestly don't know what I would do without it.  It is so convenient.  I especially love it on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because it records my Sons and then I get to watch it with David, my dad and Tony on Wednesdays.

November 29-  I am thankful for the ability to go shopping!!  I finally broke down and bought my first pair of maternity jeans and I love them.  They are so comfy and I love showing off my bump right now.  :) 

November 30-  I am thankful for date night.  It makes me so happy when I am able to spend special time with David.  I know that in a few months, our date nights will probably not exist so I am glad that we are able to take advantage of the time we have together.

The Longest (but very important) Blog Ever!!!

Once again, I have failed to keep my blog updated.  I feel totally lame for just posting a blog that I have had done for months and now it's the beginning of November and I have a ton of stuff to get caught up on.  The months of August and September were pretty crazy with a lot of changes and exciting new things for us to get used to. 

On July 25th, I found out I was pregnant.  SURPRISE!!  Huge, huge surprise.  The three weeks prior, I had a feeling that something was different but wasn't totally convinced I could be pregnant.  There was no morning sickness, no weird cravings or food aversions...everything was just as normal as ever.  David and I honestly thought neither of us could have kids since we both have issues so when I saw the two pink lines, I was a little shocked.  I took two tests while David was at work and refused to say anything to him over the phone because I wanted to be face to face.  I wasn't going to be home when he got home so I left the tests on the bathtub figuring he would see them before I got back...he didn't.  So when I got home and he didn't say anything, I was a little confused.  When he asked me if I had taken the tests, I got up, went and got them and put them right in front of his face.  What were his first words?  "My life is over." HAH!!  We were both in shock but we wanted to wait until I went to the doctor the next day for the official word and that of course came back positive.  (His reaction was much better when I told him I was for sure pregnant.)  That night we spent two hours calling all of our family and close friends and sharing the news, the reactions were absolutely priceless.
On the 13th of August, I had my first ultrasound.  I was kind of in denial that I was pregnant so going in for an ultrasound made me totally nervous.  When we got there, I went into the room by myself and was in there for at least 20 minutes before they brought David in.  She finally turned the screen toward us and said: "I don't see anything discernible but I want you to look at this.  Here is one fluttering heartbeat...and here is another fluttering heartbeat."  Uhhh...another heartbeat?  What?  Really?  There is two?  Seriously?   Oh. My. God.  I would put my actual words on here but they aren't appropriate.  So there is another surprise!!  I am pregnant with twins!!  Fraternal twins to be exact...fraternal twins that are two days apart.  Crazy right?
Immediately after the ultrasound, we started texting and calling everyone and those reactions were even better than the first.

Our very first picture of the babies

As of right now, I am 20 weeks, 3 days and sometimes forget that I am pregnant.   It has been so easy, especially with twins.  I never had morning sickness and can eat whatever I want, but it usually ends up being mexican food.  The only thing I can complain of are constant headaches but I would much rather have headaches than being sick all the time.  The fact that we will be welcoming two babies in March has finally sunk in.  I have always dreamed of being a mom but I had no idea we could be THIS lucky.

Alright, the next big change...moving!!  We finally, finally, FINALLY moved out of our tiny one-bedroom apartment into a nice, spacious three-bedroom house on post.  Deciding to move on post took a lot of thinking but when we decided to put our names on the list and see what happened, we got so lucky!!  Two days after we filled out an application, we got a call to look at a house that is really close to David's work.  When we walked into it, we were in awe!!  It is newly remodeled, all of the appliances are new, and it has carpet!!  Carpet is a huge deal on post.  Every house I have ever been in has tile all throughout the house and that was always a big turn off for me so when I saw the carpet, I was in love.  It has 2 bathrooms, a ton of storage, huge yards, and a lot of room.  There is so much space that we need more furniture.  Oh.  And the spare bedroom has two closets.  Perfect for babies!!  We love it so much and are so excited to make it our home.

Our new home.  It looks a lot nice on the inside.  :)

Now comes the month of September and it was jam packed!!!  The week after we moved into our house, I went on a trip to Colorado to spend some time with my family.  It had been a year since I had gone to Denver so I was very excited to see everyone since it would be the first time seeing them since becoming prego.   We mainly hung out, ate great food and caught up with family.  Like always, we spent a day in Boulder with my grandparents and uncle and listened to stories all day about my grandpa growing up and my dad and uncle as kids and teenagers.  The last day we were there, we decided to go on a lot of adventures by driving to the Colorado Wildlife reservation, Cave of the Winds, and the Garden of the Gods.  It was a lot to cram into one day, but it was really fun and great family time.

Garden of the Gods

When I left Colorado, I brought my brother with me to Texas!!  David and I were so excited to have Tony come spend time with us.  We didn't really do too much but we spent some great quality time together and had a lot of laughs.  Two days after we got back to Texas, we got puppies!!  Yes, that is plural.  We have been together for three years and have always wanted a family pet.  Sadly, our old apartment wouldn't even let us have fish so as soon as we moved into this house, we wanted some kind of animal!!!  I was searching on Craigslist and found a post for 10 week old Pomeranian-Eskimo puppies.  I have always wanted a Pomeranian so obviously I called and the lady only wanted forty dollars!!!  HELLO?! PERFECT!!!  When we went to go pick him out, there was only one puppy left: the runt and since my hubby is such a big softy, he told the couple that we would take him in a couple days if nobody wanted him.  Their answer?  "You can go ahead and have him, free of charge."  Uhh...ok.  So there we were, two brand new puppies eventually named Opie and Otto.  We are in love.  It's definitely a lot of work taking care of puppies, with all of the chewing and the training, but it is so much fun.  They are my little furry babies!!

Opie is on the left, Otto on the right.  So Cute!!!

About two weeks after we got the puppies, our anniversary was coming up.  I was ecstatic because finally we would be together on our day.  The two years prior, the Army stole him and would keep him for days and we never were able to celebrate our anniversary.  But, sadly, David got a call that one of his aunts passed away and her funeral would be in California in a week.  So, on the 27th (our anniversary) we were headed to Cali with my brother and two puppies.  The trip was so easy, the puppies did great and we finally made it to California early Thursday morning.

I was very nervous and excited to go to Cali because I knew that I would be meeting the majority of his family for the first time.  When we got there, we stayed at Aunt BJ's house in Hesperia.  I loved spending time with them and Aunt Ruthy, they were so much fun and so warm and welcoming.  The next day was the funeral and although I was never able to meet Aunt Vicky, I feel like I definitely got to know her.  She seemed like such a fun and happy person and was loved by so many.  The funeral was beautiful.  Afterwards, the family got together for a big dinner which was amazing and we headed over to John's son's apartment.  After meeting him and his girlfriend, David took Tony and I to the beach and we got to walk around the pier.  It had been years since Tony and I had seen the ocean, so it was fantastic..  For the rest of the time we were there, we mainly spent good time with family and went sight-seeing.  One night, David took us to San Pedro to show us his "old stomping grounds."  I have heard SO MANY stories about Pedro so I was excited to actually see it.  It is such a neat city!!  We went to the cliffs where the sunken city is and went to a lookout so we could see the whole city and it was beautiful!!  I am so grateful for the time we got to spend in California and extremely grateful to meet the rest of the family.  We all had such a great time and hopefully it won't be too long before we see everyone again!!!

Sunset on Pacific Coast Highway

When we headed out of California, David had about four days until he was required to be back at Fort Hood.  Since we knew we would be driving through Arizona again, we decided that we might as well make a detour and go to The Grand Canyon!!  We also counted this little adventure as our anniversary present!!  We thought it wasn't going to add any time to our 20+ hour trip...but it did.  We got to the park around 8 in the morning and spent about 3 hours there.  It was an incredible sight!!  We went to all of the main lookout points and just stared in awe, it was so neat.  We started to head back to the visitor center so we could check on the puppies and saw that we could rent bicycles and go on our own tour around the south side of the canyon.  The price was pretty reasonable and we had the option to put the puppies in a kiddie trailer so we went for it!!  We biked for about an hour and went about a mile around it!!  I won't lie though, it was probably the hardest bike ride I have and will ever experience.  Even my knees were sore...it was pathetic.  We all are so happy we made that detour, these are memories that are going to stick with all three of us forever. 

Halfway through our bike ride

Incredible

A couple weeks after we got back from our trip, I was scheduled for a high-definition ultrasound.  I went by myself because David had some things he had to take care of at work so when they asked me if I wanted to know the genders, it took me by surprise.  Luckily, David called me at the perfect time and told me he was on his way.  I had no idea that we were going to be able to find out the sex, my gender ultrasound was scheduled for the next week!  I was not prepared!!  But as soon as David got there, they told us and I am still in shock and so happy.  We are having a boy and a girl!!  The perfect combination in my eyes.  We are so over the moon and cannot believe how blessed we have been throughout this journey.

Our little twins

Ok!!  Whew!!  I think we are all caught up.  As of right now, it is November 4th and 86 degrees.  Ridiculous.  I never thought I would pray for colder temperatures, but the heat has lasted way too long!!  In the coming months, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Fingers crossed that David and I will be able to travel home for the holidays!!  Until next time!!  

Don't Expect Pictures.

DISCLAIMER: This blog was written 3 months ago but I was too lazy to upload pictures.  So here you have it, my summer blog. 

Well, the time is here!!  It is OFFICIALLY summertime in Tejas.  :)  Ya know that time of the year when it's really chilly and you can only wear hoodies and have to wear socks constantly and all you wish for is HEAT!?  Well, all I want to wear right now is a hoodie and drink hot chocolate.  Funny how that works.  Don't get me wrong, I love the warmth and the sun and being able to be outside all night long but when I look at the weather forecast and it tells me that the next four days are going to be 100 degrees or higher, I don't enjoy the heat THAT much!!  :)
The last couple months have had exciting times, boring times, and sad times. Earlier in the year, we learned that some of our best families would be leaving to either Germany, Arizona or Korea.  I wasn't very happy about it but figured we had enough time to be around everyone.  Well, five months went very quickly.  Our first favorite family left to Germany in the middle of May and that was rough!!  Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have a friendship with them.  They are amazing people with an amazing little boy and even though I am sad to not be able to see them, I know they are going to have an amazing journey in Germany.
Our second favorite family moved all the way to Arizona.  That one was rough too!!  David has known them since he first joined the Army and went to Korea.  It was a pleasant surprise to learn that they ended up at Fort Hood a few years later and we hung out with them ALL the time.  I have so many great memories with them and their little girl.  The hot tub, Starlight, BBQ's, cupid shuffle...the list could go on and on. 
We have two more families who are leaving towards the end of the summer and I am not excited.  Although we won't be able to hang out in person, I know we will keep in contact and am confident that we will have reunions with all of these families someday.
On a happier note, I am pleased to share that my mom and brother FINALLY made it down here!!  I cannot express the joy I had when they were here.  The feeling that I had when sharing our home with them is indescribable.  Whenever David and I are in Idaho, we always stay at my parent's house and are "hosted" by them so it was a nice change for us to host my mom and brother for the first time.  Their first night here consisted of yummy finger foods (which I had prepared all day) some wine and Thor!  The next day was our Exploring Post Day.  I took them to all of the memorials and museums, to the giant PX that is kind of like a mini-mall, we had lunch at the Chili's on post, did some more exploring and at the end of the day my mom got to experience the Motor Pool and the Battery!  While in the Motor Pool, she got to see the launcher up close and meet a few of David's friends.  When we went to the Battery, that place was crowded with soldiers!  She got to meet the Battalion Commander and 1st Sergeant, Platoon Sergeants and some of David's soldiers and co-workers.  It can be intimidating walking into the office and being surrounded by all of these guys in uniform, especially talking to the head-hanchos, but she handled it like a pro.  That night my mom and I went on a walk to the city cemetery while the guys played Tony's new game, Battlefield 3 and then we all enjoyed the movie Tropic Thunder.  I don't think I've heard my brother laugh like that in a long time.
The next day was Friday and we were so lucky to be able to have David home all day!!  While him and my brother played more video games, I took mom around town.  I showed her downtown Killeen (which isn't anything spectacular) and took her to my favorite store...SPECS!!  I was so excited to show her this store because it has everything that we could possibly wish for.  Not only is it a liquor, wine and beer specialty store, it has some of the finest foods that you can't find anywhere else!!  You can buy a block of parmigiano reggiano for $5!!  C'mon!!  We could've spent hours upon hours and hundreds upon hundreds in that store.  I wish I could just live in it.  That would be a dream come true. :)  Later that night, David wanted to go fishing out at Maxdale bridge.  It's a supposedly haunted bridge with a supposedly haunted cemetery but I have never seen a glowing headstone or a truck trying to force us off the road.  While David fished, my mom, Tony and me went exploring.  There was only one time where I was really scared:  when I almost walked into a huge, fuzzy spider hanging from a tree in the cemetery!!  (I really just got goosebumps while I typed that) What's with us and cemetery's?
On Saturday, we were determined to enjoy some real Texas BBQ!!  So what better than Salt Lick?  Towards the afternoon, we made our way to Round Rock to enjoy a ridiculous amount of food (which they loved) and hustled our way to Inner Space Caverns.  I can't tell you how many times we have driven by it and I have always wanted to go check it out!!  The caves are thousands of years old and really neat!!  Our tour lasted about an hour and a half and it was such a nice escape from the everyday Texas heat!  It was a really cool thing to experience.
I had such a great time with them here and I am so happy they got to experience some of our life for a few days.
The week after my family was here, David got to go to California for a family reunion.  This was the first reunion that he was able to attend and we were determined to get him there.  Little did we know that his work schedule would be jam-packed!!  Sadly he was the only one able to travel and his trip only lasted a day and a half.  I was so upset that I wasn't able to go since I still haven't been able to meet any of the Summers' family but I was really excited for him nonetheless.  Not only did he get to see his mom and his step-mom, he got to see family that he hasn't seen since he was a kid.  There were even people there that hadn't seen David since he was in a crib!!  I know he had a great time and I am positive the time will come where I can be introduced to everyone as well!
Since then, our lives have gotten back to the normal routine.  David has spent the whole month of June in the field which has been lame but is now finally over.  We have enjoyed fishing and spending time at the lake during the weekends, soaking up as much sun as possible.
I'm not sure what the summer months have in store for us, hopefully some trips to Six Flags and Schlitterbahn can be included.  But whatever happens, I'll keep this thing posted!!

The Beginning of a New Year...In March.

I am a little irritated with myself. It seems like I cannot keep constant blogs coming!! So here is my first blog of the year, better late than never right?!
Our Christmas was fantastic. Once again we were able to go home and spend great quality time with everyone we love. It was a great little escape from the craziness of our military lives until we started our trip back to Texas on New Year's Eve.
Once we got back into town, the craziness began! David's battalion was given a new mission at the beginning of the year so that has led to a lot of training and field problems. In all honesty, that's really what our year has consisted of so far. Stress, training, laundry, stress, cleaning, more training, more stress, and more laundry!!! Luckily, living in Texas means springtime is here very soon so no matter how stressful our lives are (mainly David's) everyday the sun is shining, it is a good day!!
Speaking of sunny days, we had a VERY sunny day yesterday!! David's battery put together a special family day for us and gave us the opportunity to travel to San Antonio and go to SeaWorld!! And even better, it was on a WORK DAY!! We were so excited! Great friends, roller coasters, penguins, roller coasters, dolphins, roller coasters, sharks, sunshine, roller coasters and Shamu!! (I later learned that it wasn't the real Shamu, it was just some really amazing Killer Whales. Don't laugh.) It was so much fun. I was a first-timer so I was like a little kid and a tourist all at the same time, taking a ton of pictures with a huge smile on my face!! When we left, not only did we have great souvenirs, we had our first sunburn of the year!! Yay!!







We also decided to take advantage of being in San Antonio and go to the Alamo! When we got there, we learned a lot! Firstly, we had no idea it was smack dab in the middle of downtown. Secondly, we didn't know that there was a lot more to the Alamo than just the building. Since we got there later in the evening, we didn't have enough time to look at everything but we got to go inside the Alamo and that's the main thing we wanted to see. We plan on making another trip to San Antonio fairly soon so we can see ALL of the attractions that the city has to offer.

The one on the right is Davie Crockett.

So that was a little snippet of the last 2 1/2 months. Coming up is my 24th birthday!! Yikes! Some St. Patty's parties and more field problems. I want to say that I promise I will become a better blogger...but I don't want to lie. But I will promise to TRY to become a better blogger.

Everybody Needs a Renaissance Festival.

Over the summer, when I was in Colorado, I had the chance to go the Renaissance festival with some of my family. I have always enjoyed the festival and have been going to one ever since I can remember, but this festival sparked something in me, almost an obsession. I had to go to the Texas Renaissance Festival and David had to go with me.

When I started researching and finding out all I could about this festival, David wasn't exactly keen on the idea. He had never been to one, therefore he didn't really understand the concept. He just pictured a lot of role-playing and wasn't too excited about it. But with my persistence, we finally set out on our two and a half hour drive on Halloween weekend. Now a drive like that really is not a big deal...you have to drive everywhere if you want to go somewhere neat.

I'm pretty sure David started out going to the festival for my happiness and probably to get me to stop bugging him about it but a s we were driving, David asked me what all there is at a renaissance festival. Well, it was hard to make a list!! There's elephant and camel rides, lots of shops with renaissance clothing and shoes, lots of food and a lot of beer and wine. There's comedy shows and concerts, games, jousts and a ridiculous amount of actors. Although I had done my research, I somehow missed the fact that this festival is the biggest in the nation, around 53 acres!! That made my excitement go over the roof, I could not wait!!



When we finally got there, after being lost for a good half hour, I was giddy and David was a little out of his comfort zone. David is not one for big crowds and a lot of people so it was kind of a shock when we saw how many people were there. The park was HUGE!! and there were people everywhere. Once we started walking around and stopping to watch a few shows and concerts, David started getting into it. One thing that the renaissance festival is great for is people watching!! You will see all shapes and sizes, all kinds of costumes and all kinds of personalities. But with it being Halloween weekend, the costumes were even more outrageous and we would get a pretty good laugh from a lot of them.

One of my favorite things at the festivals is the bell man, or Cast in Bronze. It's this man who is dressed in all black with a creepy mask on playing this massive instrument full of different size bells. It sounds kind of silly but watching him perform is very impressive and it sounds so neat. I was so excited to see him because I wanted to know what David would think of it.


We spent most of the day walking around and checking out the shops. After about six hours of walking, we had almost made it around the whole park. Needless to say, our backs and feet were about done. When we were coming to an end of our adventure, we saw a castle that looked very creepy and were informed that it was a haunted house. I thought, "Well that's cool, let's go now." David thought, "We're going in there." Guess who won. Yep, I went in the haunted house and I was not happy about it. I didn't walk slow to try and enjoy it, no, I walked as quickly as I could so I could get the hell out. I do not like being scared and well, David enjoyed watching me cringe.



Going to the Renaissance Festival was probably one of the best weekends we have had. We had so much fun and we want to go back before it closes. I'm so glad David enjoyed it as much as I did...even though I knew he would. Everyone needs to experience a Renaissance Festival. Huzzah!!

Slacker.

Hmm...long time, no see!! I don't even know if I know how to use this Blogger thing. :) I kid, I kid...but it has been a very long time!! The last time I had blogged was a couple weeks after David had left for New York, my in-laws had just come to visit for the first time and I was counting down the days until my husband would be home.

Well, he's home!! He came home a couple weeks earlier than had been expected and the night he came home will forever be burned into my brain, just like the night I saw him for the first time after Iraq. I had been counting down the days in my head but never wanted to get my hopes up too high just in case the date would change. When I finally got the actual date of when he would be home, about five days prior...I was so excited! I kept myself busy by deep, deep cleaning our home and playing Call of Duty with my brother. When the day came, I was so nervous!! When I say that I was nervous, not many people understand because after all, I'm just seeing my husband. And I don't really know how to explain the nerves, but I'm sure all military wives can agree with me that homecomings are nerve-wracking!!! Sadly, I have no pictures...which really bums me out now but at the time, I wasn't too worried about pictures. Having him home and around has been amazing. I think we both grew a lot during the summer and we have just been trying to make the most of the rest of the summer. His work schedule is back to being out of control, but who's surprised??

Now let me backtrack a little bit because although I was without David, I did have a fantastic vacation to Denver and Boise in June. Denver is a little piece of home that I love so much. The majority of my family lives in Colorado and it's always a nice little escape for us. My mom and brother met me at the airport and we spent about five days there and can I just say that being with my brother, who is one of my best friends in the entire world, was just what I needed. While there, we went to the mall, to dinner and lunch...the usual. But then!! We went to the Colorado Renaissance Festival!!! I hadn't been in a few years and it is always one of my favorite things to go to. I think every person needs to experience a renaissance festival at least once in their lifetime. It's like you enter another world, with different food, clothing, pastimes...different everything and it is SOO much fun. That was probably one of the highlights of my summer. I love going to Colorado!!



After Colorado, I traveled back to Boise with mom and Tony. I always love going to Boise and this trip was nice because it was the first time that I was there during the summer since I had moved. I mostly spent quality time with the family and being there during Father's Day was a nice touch too.



After I had gone back to Texas, I had about a month left until David was home so there was a lot of hanging out with friends and doing a little bit of partying to pass the time. When July 25th came and gone, David and I left for Boise on the 27th! Not only did we have very little time to prepare for this trip, our parents were given a one-day notice. :) While I wasn't too excited to drive across the country for the third time, the fact that we were traveling during the summer was a nice change of pace. Since we didn't get on the road until after midnight, we ended up finally rolling in to Boise around four in the morning. But like always, as soon as we made it to our destination, the drive was behind us and we were excited just to be home!!

During the first five days of our vacation, I was posted on the couch because I wasn't feeling well at all. It was a drag, but it gave me some time to chill out and gave David some alone time with his parents. Usually our trips are jam-packed with seeing people and places...but this trip seemed more relaxed. We didn't really plan anything and just played everything by ear. At the end of the first week, we drove up to Crouch and stayed with a family friend at his cabin. It was beautiful!! We drank, laughed, shot a few guns and David spent over an hour trying to get a dirt bike running. :) We mostly spent a lot of time with both of our families. We had a few barbeques, went to a few bars, and popped a tube going down the Payette. We both had a lot of fun and this trip proved to us how much we really do miss being home.



Since we've been back in Texas, business is as usual! David is being worked to the bone and I am back to the usual routine, with the exception of trying to find some type of income and trying to stay cool in this ridiculous heat!! I'm pretty sure we have had close to three months straight of temperatures over 100. Yuck!! These next few weeks are going to be busy for David and lonely for me with field problems and shooting rockets every week. Our second anniversary and my parent's 25th anniversary is coming up too! The Army will have my husband on our day once again but I know that someday we will finally be able to celebrate our anniversary together...possibly in a year and a half. :)

With the holiday months coming up, we will be staying busy and keeping our fingers crossed that we will be able to go home for Christmas. Hopefully everyone had a great summer like we did!! And I will try to keep this darn thing updated. :)