Six Months!

Ethan man is half a year old today.  Say it with me: unreal!!!

Here are some of the milestones that lil' Speedy Gonzales has been up to:

TEETHING

Those chompers
could show up any day now!

Essential Resources

Let me start out by saying that this post probably holds no interest for the vast majority of you, and your time would be better served reading about things other than my medical history and grievances. But if you have a friend struggling with endometriosis, please direct her to this post. It could save her a world of heartache.

(In short, tell her to read this book. Before her next doctor's appointment. It may be the best investment she can make, I wish I'd found it a long time ago).

Usually in moments of pain and desperation, I end up consulting Google to see if there are any links I haven't clicked yet that boast new pain relief techniques or treatments for my condition. I feel like I've tried everything...besides my staple of Advil, I've tried natural hormone supplementation and other supplements such as B vitamins, magnesium, and Omega 3s; I've tried cutting out gluten, soy, and processed foods from my diet,

Happy Easter - 2012!

"Christ is risen from the dead! By death he has conquered death, and to those in the graves he has granted Life."  
-Paschal Antiphon

Easter Morning...time to rejoice!

Easter Best!

Playing some "hymns"...

A Week of Firsts

These first few weeks in Colorado have been crazy but lots of fun and filled with many "firsts" for all of us--and for once, I actually captured most of them on camera!

After delaying it for as long as possible, I finally cut Marie's hair for the first time ever. She'd been asking since before we moved to have it cut like her friend Maddie's, and I told her once we moved to Colorado I would cut it. Naturally, when she asked to have it cut our first night here I said no. But promises are promises, so I gave in after about a week and tried not to cry in the process...

First haircut!
She looks so old now...

The next day was Monday, and Marie got to go to a special Tea Party at her Gran's house right around the corner, complete with Gran's special silver tea set. Her older cousins who live in the area were also there, and they had a blast.

Dearest De, How We'll Miss Thee...

We've been blessed to have some wonderful caretakers for our children these past few years, which is a very big deal. Because whether she admits it or not, I think every mother's biggest nightmare is knowing her child is with someone she doesn't completely trust, whether it's for a few hours, a few days, or possibly months at a time. It was hard enough to leave my kids for work every day even when they were with a trusted caretaker, and the few times I had to leave our wailing little girl in back up care at the daycare on post--in the company of strangers whom I didn't always trust--were by far some of the worst days I can remember. Nothing could assuage my guilt on those days. This is why I'm so thankful that we've had the benefit of some wonderful nannies who have cared for our children in our home, and for the past two years, that "second mom" to our kids has truly been second to none...

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.