It's been a crazy few months and we are finally settled in at Whiteman AFB. Boy did we luck out with our new house. We love it. I'd still like to live off base in the near future though.
A few highlights:
Rowen started Kindergarten on time with the rest of his class. He's doing great. He really is thriving and learning so much. He's made a ton of friends and loves living closer to Kaiden and the rest of the fam back in Columbia.
Jack turned one! He's not walking yet but he is pushing himself up to standing position without holding onto anything. He also cruises along the furniture. He loves his mommy soooo much! It's very apparent and clear just how much of a momma's boy he is. He gives kisses, lays his head down on warm shoulders, and is starting to play "bumble bee" with mommy.
Addison is more or less potty trained! She has an accident here and there but she tells us when she needs to go pee and gets up on that potty and goes. It literally took all of 3 days to get to the point where we dont have to make her sit on the potty all the time. We have quite conquered going poop in the potty.. but we'll take one small victory at a time. ;) She also has a new found love of Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Daisy and the rest of the bunch.
Chris is doing great with his new position here at Whiteman. The transition of being part of such a large family of weather guys at Scott to a handful of people here at Whiteman has been a little weird.
Chris is also going in on Wednesday for a vasectomy! Woohoo! That's right, now more babies for the Steward Fam. We love the children we have and want to be able to spend quality time with each of them. Besides, babies are expensive. =)
I'm doing okay. Trying to get back into "before babies" shape. I've got a lot on my mind lately. I've got a friend back home thats in dire need of support and guidance and I'm doing my best but feel very overwhelmed at times. My family can be dysfunctional just like many families around the world. We've got a few obstacles to overcome in the near future but i believe everything will work out for the best. Working out definitely helps take away some of that stress though.
And of course the biggest stressor of them all; Andre's birthday. Which happens to fall on the same day that he was taken from us. I wake every morning and freak that we're all one day closer. I go to bed thinking, "tomorrow, we'll be another day closer." 18 days left.
It absolutely amazes me to see just how much one person's death affects everyone around them. My family has been forever changed by losing Andre. We will never be the same. We all cope differently and a select few of us are still drowning in grief. But I believe we've all become much closer and more accepting of each others faults and differences as well. Andre taught us how to love better. And I love him for that. It's so hard, especially right now. But time heals all pain right?
In 18 days we plan to have a Birthday Party for Andre. We plan to celebrate his life and eat cake and ice cream. We're planning for a HUGE gathering, seeing as how so many people loved and still love Andre. We plan to have a balloon release. We plan to share good stories and fond memories of him. We plan to hold his baby boy close and remind him how much his daddy loved him.
Thats our plan.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Welcome to NOLA!
This past weekend I was lucky enough to escape from the crazy in our tiny TLF apartment and make my way to New Orleans. :)
I spent the weekend with an old childhood friend. And by that i mean my oldest childhood friend. Austyn and I grew up on the same street together during the early double digit years. We were inseparable. Until her family moved down to Nola. :( We've stayed in contact over the years but really have not spent any time together, until this weekend. It was crazy to see how we were both just the same as when we were young girls and it seemed like no time had passed at all.
So the first night we really didn't doing much except talk and drink. Before we knew it, it was the wee hours of the morning and I'm not sure about her, but I was typsy.:) The next day, I was able to catch up with her mom and dad and toured the gorgeous house she grew up in. Later that evening Austyn, her brother, and her brothers girlfriend showed me a good time on Bourbon Street. CRAZINESS! We had talked about doing the Running with the Bulls with the derby girls that morning. Basically, you dress in all white with a touch of red and run from the derby girls and if they catch you, you get hit with a bat. We were too lazy and unmotivated to attend this early am event. So instead we just went to the after party dressed as though we had run with the bulls. Austyn claims that we were impostors. So at some point during our adventure down Bourbon Street, she found a different derby girl or "bull" to spank us with a bat. Needless to say, I had way too much fun. If it hadn't been so hot, I would have had even more alcohol in my system and would have been wasted. Luckily, most of the alcohol sweated out of me and kept me just drunk enough. :)
After that we ate Beignets in the park. Probably my favorite part of the whole trip. Beignets are frigging delicious!
The next morning we didn't do much but complain and pie out on the couch. We got to talking again. We talked about family back home and memories. We talked about Andre and her grandma who isn't doing so well. We talked about her paintings and her amazing photography skills. Did i mention she is an artist? and her husband? Actually her whole family are artists! They're all VERY good. Austyn was even selected to have a piece of her work displayed in the Ogden Museum. The print is beautiful and apparently it's a very big deal. :)
I was lucky enough to convince her to be my photographer for mine and the hubby's "wedding/ceremony" that we're planning for the fall of 2015.
When she brought me back to Biloxi, we picked up some Bootleggers Pizza and she FINALLY met Chris, Addy, and Jack. She also met Howard, Chris's best friend.
I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend away but I was happy to be back with my little family. Now if only I had my ROWEN! I am missing him something fierce! Only 21 more days!
I spent the weekend with an old childhood friend. And by that i mean my oldest childhood friend. Austyn and I grew up on the same street together during the early double digit years. We were inseparable. Until her family moved down to Nola. :( We've stayed in contact over the years but really have not spent any time together, until this weekend. It was crazy to see how we were both just the same as when we were young girls and it seemed like no time had passed at all.
So the first night we really didn't doing much except talk and drink. Before we knew it, it was the wee hours of the morning and I'm not sure about her, but I was typsy.:) The next day, I was able to catch up with her mom and dad and toured the gorgeous house she grew up in. Later that evening Austyn, her brother, and her brothers girlfriend showed me a good time on Bourbon Street. CRAZINESS! We had talked about doing the Running with the Bulls with the derby girls that morning. Basically, you dress in all white with a touch of red and run from the derby girls and if they catch you, you get hit with a bat. We were too lazy and unmotivated to attend this early am event. So instead we just went to the after party dressed as though we had run with the bulls. Austyn claims that we were impostors. So at some point during our adventure down Bourbon Street, she found a different derby girl or "bull" to spank us with a bat. Needless to say, I had way too much fun. If it hadn't been so hot, I would have had even more alcohol in my system and would have been wasted. Luckily, most of the alcohol sweated out of me and kept me just drunk enough. :)
After that we ate Beignets in the park. Probably my favorite part of the whole trip. Beignets are frigging delicious!
The next morning we didn't do much but complain and pie out on the couch. We got to talking again. We talked about family back home and memories. We talked about Andre and her grandma who isn't doing so well. We talked about her paintings and her amazing photography skills. Did i mention she is an artist? and her husband? Actually her whole family are artists! They're all VERY good. Austyn was even selected to have a piece of her work displayed in the Ogden Museum. The print is beautiful and apparently it's a very big deal. :)
I was lucky enough to convince her to be my photographer for mine and the hubby's "wedding/ceremony" that we're planning for the fall of 2015.
When she brought me back to Biloxi, we picked up some Bootleggers Pizza and she FINALLY met Chris, Addy, and Jack. She also met Howard, Chris's best friend.
I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend away but I was happy to be back with my little family. Now if only I had my ROWEN! I am missing him something fierce! Only 21 more days!
Friday, July 5, 2013
The end is near.
Lately, Chris and I have been discussing our plans for our trip back home. This whole ordeal has required more thought out planning than I wanted to endure... but what can ya do? These are the times Chris thanks his lucky stars (at least i hope he does) that i am such a planner and organized person, because if we did our move his way, we'd be winging it and royally screwing ourselves in the process.
Here is our plan, as of now...
We leave Mississippi on 7 August and make our way to New Orleans where we'll spend the day at the Zoo and Aquarium with an old friend from my childhood. We'll stay at a hotel that night and make our way to Memphis the next day. After Memphis, we'll head straight to Columbia. We're seriously thinking about purchasing a dvd system for the van so the kids will be more occupied on the trip.
Once we get to Columbia, we'll relax and hang with family which I am most excited about. ;)
The next day, Addy will stay with Camoey (grandma) and Jack will stay with my cousin Jessie. Chris and I will be heading to Scott AFB to pick up our belongings from storage. I plan to take Rowen and Kaiden with us, so that Rowen has a chance to say goodbye to his friends from Scott. I think it's really important that Rowen gets that closure. Hopefully my dad and brother can help us move as well. After we get our stuff out of storage, we'll make our way straight to Whiteman AFB.
Here is the part that is still undetermined...
We won't know if we have a house on base for another few weeks. In the case that we do have a house, obviously we'll take our stuff straight there and get the essentials unpacked. In the case that we don't have a house at that time, we have TLF (temporary living facility) reserved at Whiteman. We'll basically be moving our stuff back into storage at Whiteman.. We're really hoping that we'll have a place by then so we can bypass those extra few steps. But if we don't, the housing office has assured us that it would only be a couple of weeks in TLF before a place was ready for us.
We'll head back to Columbia the next day to retrieve our kiddos and possibly to hang more with family. That depends on whether or not Chris has to be back on base the following Monday.
His report no later than date on his orders isn't until 31 August. However, we have heard that once he actually gets to base, he has to check in at that time.
At that time, my 4 days of getting settled in and preparing for Rowen taking off for his first day of school begins. His first day is that Thursday, 15 August.
Do you feel like tearing your hair out after reading all of that? Because I do!!
There is light at the end of the tunnel though! Once we get settled in and all of this stress passes, we'll only be an hour and a half away from my family and only about 20 minutes away from Chris's family. For the next 2-4 years, maybe more!
Jackson's 1st birthday is September 1st, which is a holiday weekend. So most of our family back home will have a 4 day weekend. I've already started planning for some kind of gathering/party for his birthday. I have a feeling that'll be the weekend when we can all really relax and enjoy ourselves after such a LONG summer. <3
Here is our plan, as of now...
We leave Mississippi on 7 August and make our way to New Orleans where we'll spend the day at the Zoo and Aquarium with an old friend from my childhood. We'll stay at a hotel that night and make our way to Memphis the next day. After Memphis, we'll head straight to Columbia. We're seriously thinking about purchasing a dvd system for the van so the kids will be more occupied on the trip.
Once we get to Columbia, we'll relax and hang with family which I am most excited about. ;)
The next day, Addy will stay with Camoey (grandma) and Jack will stay with my cousin Jessie. Chris and I will be heading to Scott AFB to pick up our belongings from storage. I plan to take Rowen and Kaiden with us, so that Rowen has a chance to say goodbye to his friends from Scott. I think it's really important that Rowen gets that closure. Hopefully my dad and brother can help us move as well. After we get our stuff out of storage, we'll make our way straight to Whiteman AFB.
Here is the part that is still undetermined...
We won't know if we have a house on base for another few weeks. In the case that we do have a house, obviously we'll take our stuff straight there and get the essentials unpacked. In the case that we don't have a house at that time, we have TLF (temporary living facility) reserved at Whiteman. We'll basically be moving our stuff back into storage at Whiteman.. We're really hoping that we'll have a place by then so we can bypass those extra few steps. But if we don't, the housing office has assured us that it would only be a couple of weeks in TLF before a place was ready for us.
We'll head back to Columbia the next day to retrieve our kiddos and possibly to hang more with family. That depends on whether or not Chris has to be back on base the following Monday.
His report no later than date on his orders isn't until 31 August. However, we have heard that once he actually gets to base, he has to check in at that time.
At that time, my 4 days of getting settled in and preparing for Rowen taking off for his first day of school begins. His first day is that Thursday, 15 August.
Do you feel like tearing your hair out after reading all of that? Because I do!!
There is light at the end of the tunnel though! Once we get settled in and all of this stress passes, we'll only be an hour and a half away from my family and only about 20 minutes away from Chris's family. For the next 2-4 years, maybe more!
Jackson's 1st birthday is September 1st, which is a holiday weekend. So most of our family back home will have a 4 day weekend. I've already started planning for some kind of gathering/party for his birthday. I have a feeling that'll be the weekend when we can all really relax and enjoy ourselves after such a LONG summer. <3
Sunday, June 30, 2013
KINDERGARTEN!!!!
3 weeks. That's how long we've been holed up in this tiny hotel room/apt in Mississippi. 6 weeks left and boy am I getting anxious to get out of here. I miss my dog. and my cat. I miss my family and friends. I miss my bed. I miss my pots and pans. I miss my sewing machine. I miss Addy and Jack's old sleep routine. I miss sleep. I miss my washer and dryer. I miss my car being conveniently parked right outside my house, rather than down 3 floors and across the street. Most of all, i miss my son.
The week before leaving Illinois for good, we spend a few days in Columbia to say goodbye to family and friends and to celebrate Addy's 2nd birthday. Rowen decided last minute to stay behind in Columbia and spend the summer with his best friend and cousin Kaiden. By last minute i mean last minute. The van was packed, we were all in the car and Uncle Jamal offered to watch him and we gave Rowen the choice to stay or go. He chose to stay. I was sad but relieved at the same time. I knew Rowen would have a blast spending every day for two months with Kaiden. If he had chosen to come with us, he'd be out of his mind bored in this tiny apt and would have driven me insane. When we go out and do fun things, I think of him and wish he was with us. But to be honest most of our time is in this apt. It's just too dang hot.
I'm anxious to get settled into our new home. But as the time draws near, I get a little more freaked out every day. There are still just so many unknowns. We don't have a house yet. We're waiting to hear from base housing as to whether or not they'll have one ready for us by the time we get there. Technically Chris doesn't have to report to duty until August 31st. However, Rowen is starting Kindergarten this year and as happy as i am for him, I'm cursing under my breath over the bad timing. His school starts August 15th. We may not have a place to live on base by then. In that case, they'll stick us in another TLF at Whiteman until a home opens up. I am freaking out. Not having a place to call home while Rowen takes off for his first day of school is not okay. This is a huge milestone and one I feel like i have no time to mentally or emotionally prepare myself for. We leave here the 7th, we'll arrive at Scott the 9th. We'll pick up our belongings and our cat and say our final goodbyes to our friends at Scott. We'll head to Columbia to pick up our dog and our kid. We'll head to Whiteman, probably the next day.. Hopefully with some moving help =) So that leaves us what two or three days out. So we'll get to Whiteman around the 10th? Possibly the 11th with wiggle room in case anything goes wrong. So that leaves me with less than 5 days to prepare myself for Rowen and the whole first day of school ordeal. 5 days to get settled in ( if we even have a home at that time), 5 days to take him school shopping.. 5 days to cry myself asleep at night because my firstborn is starting Kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN!!! Maybe i'm being a bit of a drama queen because I haven't seen my boy in over 3 weeks, or maybe i'm literally going crazy in this little apartment and my emotions are all over the place. Whatever the reason, I am sure of one thing... I'm going to need to stock up on some wine. A lot of it.
<3
The week before leaving Illinois for good, we spend a few days in Columbia to say goodbye to family and friends and to celebrate Addy's 2nd birthday. Rowen decided last minute to stay behind in Columbia and spend the summer with his best friend and cousin Kaiden. By last minute i mean last minute. The van was packed, we were all in the car and Uncle Jamal offered to watch him and we gave Rowen the choice to stay or go. He chose to stay. I was sad but relieved at the same time. I knew Rowen would have a blast spending every day for two months with Kaiden. If he had chosen to come with us, he'd be out of his mind bored in this tiny apt and would have driven me insane. When we go out and do fun things, I think of him and wish he was with us. But to be honest most of our time is in this apt. It's just too dang hot.
I'm anxious to get settled into our new home. But as the time draws near, I get a little more freaked out every day. There are still just so many unknowns. We don't have a house yet. We're waiting to hear from base housing as to whether or not they'll have one ready for us by the time we get there. Technically Chris doesn't have to report to duty until August 31st. However, Rowen is starting Kindergarten this year and as happy as i am for him, I'm cursing under my breath over the bad timing. His school starts August 15th. We may not have a place to live on base by then. In that case, they'll stick us in another TLF at Whiteman until a home opens up. I am freaking out. Not having a place to call home while Rowen takes off for his first day of school is not okay. This is a huge milestone and one I feel like i have no time to mentally or emotionally prepare myself for. We leave here the 7th, we'll arrive at Scott the 9th. We'll pick up our belongings and our cat and say our final goodbyes to our friends at Scott. We'll head to Columbia to pick up our dog and our kid. We'll head to Whiteman, probably the next day.. Hopefully with some moving help =) So that leaves us what two or three days out. So we'll get to Whiteman around the 10th? Possibly the 11th with wiggle room in case anything goes wrong. So that leaves me with less than 5 days to prepare myself for Rowen and the whole first day of school ordeal. 5 days to get settled in ( if we even have a home at that time), 5 days to take him school shopping.. 5 days to cry myself asleep at night because my firstborn is starting Kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN!!! Maybe i'm being a bit of a drama queen because I haven't seen my boy in over 3 weeks, or maybe i'm literally going crazy in this little apartment and my emotions are all over the place. Whatever the reason, I am sure of one thing... I'm going to need to stock up on some wine. A lot of it.
<3
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Shittiest Week Of My Life.
So... we left Illinois to make our way to Mississippi a week ago. This has been the longest week of my life.
We left Friday and stopped in Memphis. We planned on making reservations at a hotel but didn't find the time with the whole move out process which was a headache all on its own. So we stopped at Ramada and checked out their prices. Yes, the AF funded our lodging and gas but we still had a budget. Ramada was too pricey. So we drove up the street to Holiday Inn. We chose them and the choice was super easy. Their room listing for a family as big as ours was about $125 a night. However, with a military discount, we got the room for $72. A freaking steal. The room was huge too.
The next day we got up bright and early and headed to the Memphis Zoo. That Zoo was sooo much better than the St. Louis Zoo. Although it was not free, you actually got to see the animals! When we went to the St. Louis Zoo, none of the animals were visible. They were all hiding i guess. Anyway, there were a ton of animals and Chris and I were still going strong after walking around for a couple of hours. Our little ones were not on the same page. They wanted naps. We didn't have a very good reclining stroller so we opted to head on the road to Jackson, MS and let the kiddos sleep.
We got to Jackson that afternoon and stayed at another Holiday Inn, with the same discount offered. ;) We hung out in the pool with the kids for a bit and then went out to eat. This was when we could tell something with the kiddos just wasn't right. Addy wouldn't eat. Jack was super duper cranky. Not like them to act that way at a restaurant. They're usually pretty good. We got back to the hotel and settled in for the night. The next morning we were rounding up our stuff to head to Biloxi. Addy just had a sippy full of chocolate milk and was bouncing around like normal. Both of the kids seemed back to their normal obnoxious selves. Then Addy puked a little. It really wasn't much and Chris and I shrugged it off with her bouncing around with chocolate milk in her belly. They we're both fine the rest of the trip. Jack slept quite a bit actually.
So we got to Biloxi and stopped on the beach and gave them their first taste of the salty air. Neither one of them wanted anything to do with the ocean, nor the sand.
So we left after about 20 minutes. We got settled into our TLF (temporary living facility) on base. Chris stayed with the kiddos while i went out to buy us some groceries.
When i got back, all hell had broken loose. The kids were puking and pooping every half hour. This pretty much has gone on since we got here. It's now Day 6. Addison had a stomach bug, that much was clear. She wouldn't eat, barely would drink anything. She could hardly keep anything down. And she was lethargic and sleeping all the time. She's just starting to get her appetite back and is having regular bowl movements and wet diapers. Jackson... I think he started out with the bug and he got better a lot faster than Addy did. However, I think his bug turned into teething. He's going thru the same phase that Addy went thru when she was getting her first teeth. He stopped throwing up but the diarrhea is still going strong. And it's constant. Addy had horrible diaper rash when she went thru this phase and Jackson's little bum is looking a little redder than usual. But I am bound and determined to not let it get as bad as Addy's was. We've been pretty diligent with the cream and corn starch. So far so good.
I have changed poopy diapers, hosed down blow-outs, cleaned up vomit, smelt sooo many awful smells this past week. The amount of laundry i have done in one week is ridiculous. I'm making an appointment to get my tubes tied tomorrow.
Chris and I joke about our conversations now as parents of toddlers and babies. Most of our conversations are about our kids' bowl movements and bodily functions. Someday, we're not going to have anything to talk about!!
I was going to title this post "Longest Week of My Life" but Shittiest just seemed to fit so much better. ;)
We left Friday and stopped in Memphis. We planned on making reservations at a hotel but didn't find the time with the whole move out process which was a headache all on its own. So we stopped at Ramada and checked out their prices. Yes, the AF funded our lodging and gas but we still had a budget. Ramada was too pricey. So we drove up the street to Holiday Inn. We chose them and the choice was super easy. Their room listing for a family as big as ours was about $125 a night. However, with a military discount, we got the room for $72. A freaking steal. The room was huge too.
The next day we got up bright and early and headed to the Memphis Zoo. That Zoo was sooo much better than the St. Louis Zoo. Although it was not free, you actually got to see the animals! When we went to the St. Louis Zoo, none of the animals were visible. They were all hiding i guess. Anyway, there were a ton of animals and Chris and I were still going strong after walking around for a couple of hours. Our little ones were not on the same page. They wanted naps. We didn't have a very good reclining stroller so we opted to head on the road to Jackson, MS and let the kiddos sleep.
We got to Jackson that afternoon and stayed at another Holiday Inn, with the same discount offered. ;) We hung out in the pool with the kids for a bit and then went out to eat. This was when we could tell something with the kiddos just wasn't right. Addy wouldn't eat. Jack was super duper cranky. Not like them to act that way at a restaurant. They're usually pretty good. We got back to the hotel and settled in for the night. The next morning we were rounding up our stuff to head to Biloxi. Addy just had a sippy full of chocolate milk and was bouncing around like normal. Both of the kids seemed back to their normal obnoxious selves. Then Addy puked a little. It really wasn't much and Chris and I shrugged it off with her bouncing around with chocolate milk in her belly. They we're both fine the rest of the trip. Jack slept quite a bit actually.
So we got to Biloxi and stopped on the beach and gave them their first taste of the salty air. Neither one of them wanted anything to do with the ocean, nor the sand.
So we left after about 20 minutes. We got settled into our TLF (temporary living facility) on base. Chris stayed with the kiddos while i went out to buy us some groceries.
When i got back, all hell had broken loose. The kids were puking and pooping every half hour. This pretty much has gone on since we got here. It's now Day 6. Addison had a stomach bug, that much was clear. She wouldn't eat, barely would drink anything. She could hardly keep anything down. And she was lethargic and sleeping all the time. She's just starting to get her appetite back and is having regular bowl movements and wet diapers. Jackson... I think he started out with the bug and he got better a lot faster than Addy did. However, I think his bug turned into teething. He's going thru the same phase that Addy went thru when she was getting her first teeth. He stopped throwing up but the diarrhea is still going strong. And it's constant. Addy had horrible diaper rash when she went thru this phase and Jackson's little bum is looking a little redder than usual. But I am bound and determined to not let it get as bad as Addy's was. We've been pretty diligent with the cream and corn starch. So far so good.
I have changed poopy diapers, hosed down blow-outs, cleaned up vomit, smelt sooo many awful smells this past week. The amount of laundry i have done in one week is ridiculous. I'm making an appointment to get my tubes tied tomorrow.
Chris and I joke about our conversations now as parents of toddlers and babies. Most of our conversations are about our kids' bowl movements and bodily functions. Someday, we're not going to have anything to talk about!!
I was going to title this post "Longest Week of My Life" but Shittiest just seemed to fit so much better. ;)
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Open mouth Kisses ;)
So we found out about 2 or so months ago that we'll be PCSing. (Permanent Change of Station) Basically, we're moving. However, this move will be a little different for us. Chris has to complete two months of training in Mississippi at Keesler AFB before we can head to our new home in Whiteman AFB. So we'll be packing up our stuff and putting it in storage for the summer and heading to Mississippi with whatever will fit in our van. Yikes!
This is when I thank my lucky stars for being such an organized person!
These are my lists. Lists of things to be left out of packing. Things to be done. Lists of cleaning and move out procedures. These lists have saved me. As well as starting early on the packing. We leave for Mississippi in 12 days and I cannot imagine how the next two weeks would go if I hadn't done it this way. Not to mention 3 of those days will be in Columiba, MO celebrating Addy's 2nd birthday!
We are getting down to the nitty gritty though and realizing that we can't just pack a box here and there and call it a day. We actually have to do real work and stuff! ;(
Living in a military installations adds to the stress and chaos.
Half of our list of things to do is meet the "move out" standards for the housing office.
Inside has to be SO VERY CLEAN. The outside is just the same. We even have to weed our front flower beds and wash out the trash and recycle barrels... who does that?
We are living in a pretty bare house right now. I've gone through all the clothes and whatever isn't going to Mississippi is already packed away. Because i refuse to do laundry up to the day we leave. Pretty much the only things in our house are the crucial items. Anything thats going on the trip with us and the essentials in the living room and kitchen.
We decided to gathering everything to the storage unit 2 days before we leave. That way, the very last day we can spend the day with the kids at the park or the mall or wherever they want to go. This whole move is going to be a stress for them too and we don't want to have to do anything work related on that last day.
We also decided today that Gretchen and Beast will be coming with us to Mississippi. Mostly because we couldn't find anyone to care for them for us. ;-/ Which is okay. That just means we have to stay in a 1 bedroom TLF at Keesler instead of a 2 bedroom. They don't have any 2 bedroom pet friendly TLF's available during the timeframe that we need. It also means that we need to pack even lighter in the van to make room for Gretchen largeness.
Since our trip is being paid for by the AF and we have 5 days to get down to MS, we decided to make it a mini-vacation for the kids. We'll leave here and stop in Memphis and spend the night in a hotel and wake up the next morning and go to the Memphis Zoo. When the kids are good and tired we'll get back in the car and drive to Jackson, MS and stay in a hotel. We'll find something fun to do in Jackson and then head the rest of the way to Biloxi that evening. Breaking out trip up like this is the only way. Jackson is a horrible car rider. Actually, come to think of it, so is Addy. Rowen is the only one who tolerates long car rides well. I guess all that traveling when he was younger is finally paying off. ;)
I've been brainstorming some ideas to make the car ride easier. I made a flat surface that velcros on and off of their pillows so they can lay them on their lap and color, draw, eat... etc. I've been on the lookout for little pocket caddies that hang over the back of the seats to hold their crayons and toys and stuff. I lucked out and found two at the airmans attic the other day. Love that place. Chris and I are also thinking about getting some over the seat dvd players. Maybe. Haven't yet decided on that one yet.
We plan on packing a cooler with snacks, drinks, and of course Jacks goats milk. NO FAST FOOD. Addy doesn't do well with fast food and motion sickness. I've cleaned up puke out of her car seat more times than necessary.
I just vacuumed and shampooed the van. I know i'm crazy but i really hope it stays clean by the time we get to Mississippi. ;-/
This is when I thank my lucky stars for being such an organized person!
This is my garage. Thats A LOT of boxes. I started packing little by little two months ago.
These are my lists. Lists of things to be left out of packing. Things to be done. Lists of cleaning and move out procedures. These lists have saved me. As well as starting early on the packing. We leave for Mississippi in 12 days and I cannot imagine how the next two weeks would go if I hadn't done it this way. Not to mention 3 of those days will be in Columiba, MO celebrating Addy's 2nd birthday!
We are getting down to the nitty gritty though and realizing that we can't just pack a box here and there and call it a day. We actually have to do real work and stuff! ;(
Living in a military installations adds to the stress and chaos.
Half of our list of things to do is meet the "move out" standards for the housing office.
Inside has to be SO VERY CLEAN. The outside is just the same. We even have to weed our front flower beds and wash out the trash and recycle barrels... who does that?
We are living in a pretty bare house right now. I've gone through all the clothes and whatever isn't going to Mississippi is already packed away. Because i refuse to do laundry up to the day we leave. Pretty much the only things in our house are the crucial items. Anything thats going on the trip with us and the essentials in the living room and kitchen.
We decided to gathering everything to the storage unit 2 days before we leave. That way, the very last day we can spend the day with the kids at the park or the mall or wherever they want to go. This whole move is going to be a stress for them too and we don't want to have to do anything work related on that last day.
We also decided today that Gretchen and Beast will be coming with us to Mississippi. Mostly because we couldn't find anyone to care for them for us. ;-/ Which is okay. That just means we have to stay in a 1 bedroom TLF at Keesler instead of a 2 bedroom. They don't have any 2 bedroom pet friendly TLF's available during the timeframe that we need. It also means that we need to pack even lighter in the van to make room for Gretchen largeness.
Since our trip is being paid for by the AF and we have 5 days to get down to MS, we decided to make it a mini-vacation for the kids. We'll leave here and stop in Memphis and spend the night in a hotel and wake up the next morning and go to the Memphis Zoo. When the kids are good and tired we'll get back in the car and drive to Jackson, MS and stay in a hotel. We'll find something fun to do in Jackson and then head the rest of the way to Biloxi that evening. Breaking out trip up like this is the only way. Jackson is a horrible car rider. Actually, come to think of it, so is Addy. Rowen is the only one who tolerates long car rides well. I guess all that traveling when he was younger is finally paying off. ;)
I've been brainstorming some ideas to make the car ride easier. I made a flat surface that velcros on and off of their pillows so they can lay them on their lap and color, draw, eat... etc. I've been on the lookout for little pocket caddies that hang over the back of the seats to hold their crayons and toys and stuff. I lucked out and found two at the airmans attic the other day. Love that place. Chris and I are also thinking about getting some over the seat dvd players. Maybe. Haven't yet decided on that one yet.
We plan on packing a cooler with snacks, drinks, and of course Jacks goats milk. NO FAST FOOD. Addy doesn't do well with fast food and motion sickness. I've cleaned up puke out of her car seat more times than necessary.
I just vacuumed and shampooed the van. I know i'm crazy but i really hope it stays clean by the time we get to Mississippi. ;-/
We recently parted ways with our friends the Spitzenbergers. They have been with us since we lived in Mississippi in 2011. They are headed to Fairchild, Washington and we already miss them so much!
Most of the toys and fun stuff to keep them occupied are packed away in boxes. So the only thing left for them to do is wrestle. Addy usually wins out by farting on Rowen. ;)
Here are some randoms of the kiddos. We gave Rowen a mohawk.
And no, Addy is not trying to eat Beast. That's an open mouth kiss ;)
Saturday, April 27, 2013
I'm a bit of a blogging slacker...
I suck at blogging. But I'm going to get better at keeping up with it. It's good therapy.
So good news... We're moving to Whiteman AFB! Yay! This is what we've been hoping for. Closer to friends and family. We'll be headed out of Scott AFB beginning of June and headed to Mississippi for two months of training at Keesler AFB. Chris will graduate from his training courses beginning of August and then we will make our way to our new home at Whiteman. Hopefully we'll be staying there for a good long while. Chris's family is in about 20 minutes away from Whiteman and my family is about an hour and a half away. Rowen is super excited about going back to Mississippi. Mostly because he wants to swim in the pool from our old apartment complex which I guess is what he remembers most about living in Mississippi. Never mind the huge ocean and all.
Rowen has made quite a bit of a turnaround lately. We were having troubles getting him to go #2 in the toilet. You wouldn't think that a 5year old would have issues with this. Apparently it's pretty common. After months of frustration, I turned to the internet. Yup, Google saved me from losing my mind. I stopped bugging Rowen about the whole thing. I stopped asking him if he needed to go. I stopped forcing him to sit on the toilet for 20 minutes at a time 20 times a day. I stopped flipping out about the whole thing. I told him that the ball was in his court. He could poop in the toilet or he could poop in his pants. Totally his choice. But if he was going to make the choice to poop in his pants, he was going to clean it up. The next day, he chose to poop in his pants. He cleaned it up and was not happy about it. He hasn't had an accident in his pants since.
Other than being fully potty trained, Rowen has become very helpful around the house. Especially helping Mommy with household tasks and occupying his brother and sister. Mommy recently got a new front loading washer and dryer and Rowen loves to help load and unload the clothes. He also helps with pouring in the soap. When he isn't inside helping mommy, or playing on his Nintendo DS, he's outside playing in the cul de sac with his buddies. He's also in pee-wee soccer every Saturday.
Addison is nearing 2 years old, and it sure is showing in her attitude. She's sassy. She's absolutely obsessed with mommy's makeup and rubbing it all over herself and the floor. She loves having her toenails painted. She's working on her last four teeth to pop in. She's a cuddler. She still loves her Frenn. She still loves Yo Gabba Gabba and cannot go to sleep without all of her YGG dolls. She's forming sentences. She can say "I want that", "I want a snack", "I pooped", and Chris's favorite sentence of hers "I gotta go pee!". She got that one from Rowen, who seems to think he needs to announce very loudly every time he has to pee.
Jackson is such a doll. He'll be 8 months old this week. He's sitting up by himself and reaching for objects and food. His tummy issues are almost completely gone. He still spits up every once and a while but nothing compared to before. If he cries, Chris or I can usually pinpoint exactly why. He's been sleeping through the night more and more. Occasionally he'll get up in the middle of the night for a feeding. But more nights than others, he's down between 8-9pm and up at 5am. Then back down around 6am. He's just all around a much happier, healthier baby. Chris and I are not the only ones who've noticed either... Addy and Rowen are drawn to Jackson. They're always down on the floor playing with him and making him laugh. Overall, a happy baby makes a happy household.
Chris is mostly working on getting sleep and out processing for our move. He's currently on the 1am -9am shift and it's awful. We never get any time together and he hardly sleeps. Next month is a regular 9am-5pm shift for him and I could not be happier.
I have been having some lower back pain for the past... well... for a really long time. Sometimes it's worse than others. Lately, it's been worse. I finally listened to my oh so loving husband and went the the ER this morning. They took X-Rays and saw that I have a problem with a disc. I'll know more once I see my doctor and possibly a specialist. I'm a little concerned that i'm already having these issues at such a young age but who knows, maybe a chiropractor can fix me in one session ;)
Anyways, thats what's been going on in the Steward/Harvey Household ;)
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