New Beginnings

The past two weeks have felt like a time warp, with time both speeding by and standing still as we let go of our old life and began to embrace our new life. In the midst of it, I think I've felt every emotion under the sun. It's an odd feeling to be so excited yet apprehensive about these moments that I've been waiting for so impatiently now for so many years, and surprisingly nostalgic as the chapter I was so eager to leave behind actually starts to fade away. But both literally and figuratively, we have finally arrived, and I cannot be happier with our new life!

Looking back at what the past two weeks have wrought, our crazy schedule went something like this:

Goodbye Army!

The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy

Well folks, it’s official: I’ve caved to reality and am ready to admit that we really are moving! Which means that as of tomorrow, we will be internet-less and TV-less for over a week. (I know. I’ve also been wondering if we will survive). But I dare say it might actually help me spend more quality time with my family! And thankfully, we won’t be going completely cold turkey since we still have our ever-trusty smart phones for all those emergency Facebook status updates. It does mean this will be the last blog post, though, before I say goodbye to the Army in 10 days...and until the saga of the stay-at-home-Coloradoan-mom begins.

So without further ado, here’s the last little snapshot of our life at Fort Drum:

This Old House

My dear husband said something yesterday that hit me like a slap in the face: "Can you believe that in one week this place will be empty?"

I wasn't sure whether to cheer, hug the walls and cry, start hyperventilating, or just swallow the large lump of panic constricting my airway and sink further in to my cozy cloud of self-denial. (You can probably tell by the fact that I am lounging around writing this that I chose option d).

A few hefty sighs later, I don't think I've made much progress in the move-my-family-across-the-country department, but I've decided that maybe I'm not as good with change as I thought, and I need to spend some time processing it all (time I don't really have, mind you). This post, therefore, shall serve as my guilty indulgence.

Home Sweet Home!

So riding on the coat tails of my little revelation last week about love and beauty, and in concert with the adage that "love makes a house a home," I will regale you with the fairy tale of how a tired little house on a small plot of land became the regal kingdom and shining castle of a desperate young couple and their miniature horse giant dog. So grab some tissues and buckle in, because my emotions are running full steam ahead.

The Oasis in the Desert

"Can’t go over it. Can’t go under it. Can’t go around it. Oh no, we’ve got to go through it!"
–We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (a Marie and Erik favorite) 

Today is Ash Wednesday, which means that another Lent is upon us. That ho-hum, gloomy time that seems so…unappealing. Aside from giving people a good excuse to spend Fat Tuesday partying and getting rid of the last of that Valentine’s day candy, that is. Or a second shot at keeping those New Year’s resolutions that have grown stale. But who really wants to give something up for the sake of just…giving it up? Ugh. Not sure who came up with that idea.

Side note: I clearly remember my 7-year-old self deciding to give up all chocolate except Nutella, because there was no way I could handle that much sacrifice. The next year I did give up Nutella. But just Nutella, no other chocolate. Such a tortured soul, I was...

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Well I submit that true love beholds true beauty. And I have never been more in love—nor have I beheld anything more beautiful—than the blessings in my life today.

It really hit me the other day when I was hanging out and playing with the kids. I’m not sure what we were playing, or what Marie was chattering about incessantly at that moment; all I knew was that all of a sudden, just like in the movies, the background noises faded, time seemed to stand still, and all I could think while staring at my little girl’s moving lips and little face was, she is SO pretty. I think she just gets more beautiful every day!


She quickly shook me from my reverie as she walked toward me, took my face in her hands and demanded, “Mommy! MOMMY! I’m talking to you! Did you hear me?” All I could say was “Umm…no, Sweetie. Sorry. But do you know that you’re beautiful?”

And in that moment I had a little epiphany.

Happy Brithday to Peter!

Today our favorite guy turned 28! We had a great day of adventures celebrating the gift of him in our lives!

Lazy Morning...

Eternal Happiness

Today was my grandmother's interment. It's been a long wait since she passed away on November 15th, but she was finally laid to rest today next to my grandfather in Arlington National Cemetery. I'm sad that I couldn't be there to be a part of it, but I'm thankful that after almost 20 years, she is now both physically and spiritually reunited with the love of her life.

My wonderful brother was kind
enough to send some pictures...

The fact that they're together in eternity gave me some time today to reflect on their previous life together, too.
My grandfather had the honor of being buried at Arlington because of his service in the Navy. He enlisted when he was 17, conning his mother into signing his contract, and was assigned to the USS Murphy at the height of World War II. He was on board in the English Channel during the D-Day invasion, served as part of the crew who escorted Prince Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia to the Yalta Conference, and later saw some of the worst fighting that the Pacific Campaign had to offer.

Three...and a half!

It seems like we just celebrated this girl's 3rd birthday...but suddenly she's 31/2!

Gonna be tall like her daddy...

She grew approximately one inch in the past six months, and was ecstatic that she could add the coveted "and a half!" phrase to her age. 

Our dinner conversation regarding the subject went as follows:

Peter: Marie, how old are you now?

Marie: Three-and-a-half!

Peter: So how old will you be on your next birthday?

Marie: Four! And after that I will be five. [pause] But when I am five, I'm not going to go to school. I'm going to stay home ALLL day!!!

Me: So not happening.

Peter: Erik, how old will you be on your next birthday?

Erik: Cake!

Cake, indeed. 

Ethan is 3 Months Old! {Photo/Video Dump!}

Guess who's 3 months old today?

Here are lots of updated pictures and videos, as promised!

Laughing!

Hyp Mama: The Grand Finale - Ethan's Birth Story!

Many of you have seen these posts and expressed interest in finding out more about Hypnobirthing. You can find all the posts I've written about it here:

My Discovery of Hypnobirthing: 

Hypno-What?!

The Hypnobabies Lessons I've blogged through:

Hyp-Mama: Zero Day 

Hyp-Mama: Lesson 1 - The Power of Words

Hyp-Mama: Lesson 2 - Out Like a Light!

Hyp-Mama: Lesson 3 - Blissfully Numb

Hyp-Mama: Lessons 4&5 - Push it to the Limit

Hyp-Mama: The Grand Finale - Ethan's Birth Story! 

And also be sure visit the Hypnobabies website, www.hypnobabies.com, for more great information. (Some of the Hypnobabies links embedded in my posts may be outdated since Hypnobabies has updated their website). If you have any questions or want more details, please feel free to send me a message and ask away!

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I know the star of the show is almost three months old, but considering the fact that I never got around to writing the birth story for my first “hypnobaby”, it’s a bit of a miracle that I got this one down before the kid left for college!

So if your favorite pastime is reading exceedingly long and drawn out baby stories, if you’re interested in hypnobirthing, or you have nothing better to do, then this post is for you! Everyone else: you’ve been forewarned.

For the purpose of this birth story:

Pressure Wave=Contraction

Birthing Time=Labor

Baby-in-waiting=Ethan

It all started on Thursday, October 27^th when I was getting ready for work around 9am. I was already in my uniform and trying to bend down to tie my boots when it happened: my water broke! Or so I thought. There was no big gush but definitely some seeping, and it was the last thing I expected, so I texted my husband and boss, then went out to the living room to tell our nanny. “Don’t freak out, everything’s fine,” I said, “…but I think maybe my water just broke?” At which point she absolutely freaked out and started bustling around the house with excitement making sure everything was ready, asking if I needed anything, getting me food, etc. I wasn’t so excited, though because nothing was happening. No pressure waves, no “pain,” just the discomfort that I’d been feeling, say, for a few months now. And I did NOT want to be one of those women who had to be induced because her water broke and she hadn’t progressed.