A friend of mine from church emailed everyone to ask us to pray for her brother-in-law. He is in Afghanistan and yesterday after a routine patrol his vehicle ran over an IED. The explosion left both of his legs severely injured and he has a spinal fracture. They have spoke to him and he is being cared for, in stable condition and will be moving to Germany and so forth for further treatment.

My friend is a wonderful and gentle and sweet woman and I am so blessed to have come to know her through S.S., Bible study and MOPS. I ask that you please pray for this man and his family as they are going through this challenging time. I can only imagine how they must be feeling right now. I know they will be strong and rely on the Lord for whatever lies ahead, but that doesn't mean they need any less prayers sent up for them. There is also another mom I know through church who's husband just left for a year long deployment about a week ago. She has two children that he is home schooling right now and I know she could also use your prayers as well.

It makes me nervous for when the day comes that Brandon will have to leave us due to deployment, but that is still over a year away. But we signed up for this and it's part of our lives. It's been in the back of my mind because it seems so far off. Let's not forget to keep praying for those who are facing it now.

A couple of you have asked how it was going now that we don't have cable, so I thought I'd fill you in. I love it!! Every now and then I have the desire to fall into the couch and watch something mindless, but I just grab my book and feel so much better because I did. I have never read so many books before and felt so good after reading something.

I also started back into Bible study and I'm really, really enjoying it as well. It's called Conversation Peace and it's so perfect for this time of my life. I've been finding myself so frustrated with the day to day and know that the kids and I are yelling at each other more than we should, but just didn't have that inner peace to help me change. Maybe I was being lazy or stubborn because I wanted to be right and for them to magically listen, but well, that's just stupid.

After just one week I find myself being happier and speaking to my children in a much happier tone and they are returning the favor as well. We still have our struggles, like Christopher giving one word commands because he thinks it's funny or Sophie just saying no because she doesn't care what you want or think, but I'm more patient about how I handle it. Funny because I find myself being more strict with them now too!

I think the best part of cutting cable is I don't have to listen to it when I go to bed. I hated turning it on, but sometimes it was just so easy to check out what silly show was on or how much a house costs in another country that I knew I'd never live in. So, I'm loving it. We listen to music more and the kids are playing even more than they did before and we are having more fun playing with them. A friend of mine wrote on her blog that we tend to think of our children as being in the way and that's not how we should see them or treat them. It really hit home with me because I knew some days that was how I felt. I truly enjoy them so much more now than I ever have before. I'm sure some of it has to do with the ages they are and that Sophie can play more every day, but I think it's because I'm not trying to look around them to see something stupid on television and I'm spending more time in the Word. It feels good!

Now, if you could only see what those two were up to while I was typing this. Sophie's bed has been moved to the middle of her room and Christopher found an old cookie dough scoop and used it to throw a plastic golf ball in the hall. Sophie would retrieve it and bring it back to him. Those two. Always up to something!

It's funny how things work isn't it? Here I go posting about things that haven't even happened yet and guess what, they aren't happening. We went out last night and had a great time. We had dinner the two of us and met our friends for the movie. We saw The Blind Side and I HIGHLY suggest seeing it! It was fabulous!!!!

This morning we woke up and Christopher felt very, very warm and stayed that way for about 2 hours. We decided to not head out of town due to him telling us repeatedly that he didn't feel good. He looked and acted like it. I took his temp, but I think the thermometer's broken b/c every time we took anyone's it was lower than the time before. I think I registered about 93.3 degrees at one point. (Is that even ok?)

So he and I cuddled on the couch for a few hours and Brandon took Sophie to breakfast. They came home with doughnuts and that perked the little guy up. (I truly believe he didn't feel well even though the doughnuts made him better.) After while, we went to the BX to get new cartridges for the printer and new phones for the house. We lost one of the ones we had and I think the one that was left is the one that got left out in the yard during a downpour. We never really liked them anyway. We got one kind of like Grammie's at Christopher's request. Not sure how he knows or remembers, but since all phones pretty much look alike we went with it.

Then we wandered to the toy section and picked up a few more Legos. We got the firetruck ones that also make a boat. The little man and I couldn't wait to get home and get to work. I don't mind that the pieces are little, but you do lose them and well, when you have an army to build there are never enough Legos to go around. I've thought about buying the same ones we have so we don't have to keep taking them apart to make the other suggestions they have.

Everyone just got quiet, it is nap time after all, and I'm going to join them. Hope you have a great weekend!

Do you ever feel like your life is jam packed full of stuff going on? I feel like that's been my life since Christmas. It hasn't stopped. Typically in January there's nothing to do, right? Not this year. I've had more parties to attend than ever in my life! (It kind of feels like high school graduation all over again.)

There have been girls' nights, baby showers, company, MOPS, Bible study and Mother's Day Out. Wednesday is the only day we have been free and even those are taken up sometimes. Don't get me wrong I love being busy, and thankfully the kids have handled it well, but I'm kind of ready for a day with nothing to do.

Tonight, Brandon and I are going on a last minute double date with some friends. I am so thankful for wonderful friends who are willing to babysit with no real warning so this can happen. I can't remember the last time we went on a date too. I feel kind of bad because I sort of changed the plans. The guys (and maybe the wife too) wanted to see Avatar (again) in 3-D out in Destin. I've heard it's great and I'm sure it is, but I'm not one that can sit still in a movie theater for that long, late at night. After 1 1/2 hours I'm getting restless. SO, we are going to grab a quick dinner and see a different movie. Hopefully everyone will still enjoy it. (I feel really, really bad guys!!)

Now, as for why I wasn't totally up for it.... we are going to Mobile, AL for the day tomorrow. Leaving by 7:00 in the morning, if not earlier. It's not around the corner, so still kind of long for a day trip. And the day will be full. Full of fun and friends and some food thrown in too. Then Sunday afternoon I have another baby shower. I'm afraid that if I get into a dark room and have to sit still for 3 hours I will only be awake for 1 of them.

I'm writing about our weekend now because I'm afraid that I will not have the energy to do it next week. And we are busy every day next week. Except Wednesday. But I'm sure something will come up. Next week is going to start a bad rotation for Brandon so I'm trying to psych myself up for it. I try not to complain about his schedule because there's nothing I can do about it and there's no point in nagging him when this is what we chose. I fully support him and all he does. I have a problem with the kids when they are whiny and fussy and rude and tired and won't listen to me. But those days happen whether Brandon is home or not. I just want to be prepared so I don't whine, fuss, act rude, tired or ignore them. They don't deserve it! Ok, I'm going to try to drag these cute kiddos (who only 1 has napped for 30 min. today) inside so I can shower and feel like a wife instead of the hot momma Christopher calls me. (That always makes me laugh!)

Have a great weekend!!

We had our friends, the Khans, come down for the weekend. They got here late Friday afternoon and I knew I would never get Christopher down for a nap because his friend, Nicholas, was coming. Thankfully Brandon was home early from work and he took C-man to run an errand so I could shower and try to finish getting things ready. To sum up the weekend it involved lots of Wii playing, running full speed around the house, riding bikes, digging outside, swinging and a little party thrown in the middle.

We invited the Ramages over for pizza and cake Saturday night to celebrate Sophie's birthday. It had rained all day, except for one break in the afternoon, when we ran outside to ride bikes to burn energy that had been building all day. It was so much fun to have everyone over and have them be good enough friends that I didn't have to spend all day cleaning or stressing (anymore, I do stress a little before we have company come, but I forget everything once they get here!) about having things perfect. We don't have any friends that I feel like I have to make the house perfect for. Honestly, if you are that kind of person, we probably wouldn't be very good friends anyway because my house is never perfect. Brandon made a cute video of pictures fro the party and weekend, but I'm waiting until Sophie's actual birthday to post them.

Sunday we tried to go and find out if baby Khan is a boy or a girl. Burt and I learned that neither one of us should become doctors because we aren't very good at it. We kept shouting "It's a boy! No, it's a girl! No, wait, it's a boy! No look, it's a girl!" Brandon was just laughing at us because we kept seeing a stomach or a bladder or the umbilical cord or something completely unrelated to what we thought we saw. It was a lot of fun to watch Brandon in action. (Have I mentioned how proud of him I am? I love you, honey!!!) We really hoped to find out what she/he is, but he/she wouldn't cooperate so we just have to wait for the scheduled ultrasound in 2 weeks. Brandon knows, but won't say. Sorry!

The rest of the weekend was spent playing more games, riding more bikes, playing with Legos and getting outside as much as possible. The guys were able to get away during nap time on Saturday and Sunday for a little while and Melissa and I did Monday morning. It was nice because I wasn't getting my break this week due to the holiday. It's always fun hanging out with the Khan family and before we know it, there will be even more of them. We will all need a bigger house by then! Hope you had a great weekend, whatever you did, and I'll post photos later. We would just grab whatever camera we could find, so I have no idea what we ended up with.

Today was very busy. Sophie and I ran errands to get ready for our company that was arriving this evening. The weather was much warmer and could not have been a more beautiful and perfect day! We had fun together and I'm really enjoying our "mommy/daughter time" we have weekly. She's just so cute! And isn't it funny how your kids are so much better behaved when you have them one on one? Don't think I'll ever figure that out, but at the same time it makes sense. Why behave when you have a partner in crime?

In some other good news, Brandon called this afternoon to tell me that he and two other guys in his class were selected to be chief next year! I'm so proud of him! He really struggled with whether to run or not. He wasn't sure if he wanted to added responsibility that would come with it, but I told him it wouldn't bother me if he was up for it. I knew he'd be great at it and fully supported him. He thought they were going to have to wait until Tuesday to find out, but he got the call today. The two other guys are great too and I think the three of them will be great together.

I best be going since we do have company and I'm getting sleepy. Hopefully tonight will go smoothly for everyone. Have a great weekend!!

I was given lots and lots of Karen Kingsbury books over Christmas. They were passed along from a friend's daughter. I've been trying to find a really good Christian author to read because the "real world" just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. They weren't bad books, they were good reads, but the characters just didn't live the life that a Christian tries to live.

My dear friend, Wendi, had written about the Christian author Karen Kingsbury on her blog and I thought I'd give it a try. I called my mom because I had a feeling she'd mention this name to me before and she had a few books. Problem was they were parts of a series and I wanted the whole thing if I was going to start down this journey. I was reading some Christmas books she had given me at the time, so I wasn't in any hurry.

Well, Christmas morning I started the first book in the firstborn series. I was hooked! I finally just had to set it down and promise I wouldn't pick it up until I got home the next day. It was family time after all. The next night as I climbed into bed I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I finished it within a week. I started the 2nd book and was done in 4 days. Finished the 3rd book in 3 days. Yesterday I finished the 4th book in 4 days. The funny thing is, I've never been a fast reader! Probably because the books I'd been reading really weren't as good as I thought they were. That and I'd only read at night, but these were so good I read at nap times too!

Yesterday I thought I was finishing the last book in the series, only to find out that there was one more and I'm left hanging now. I saw they have it at the Niceville library and plan to get it on Friday when I'm over there. I talked to Wendi to see if she had it and she didn't. Turns out there is a series that was written before this one with the same family involved, but it doesn't matter. Will only explain a little more now. The books are good at answering any questions you may have missed the answers to, but doesn't take too much time repeating it.

I better run because the kids are starting to get a little rowdy with the legos and I should try to step in before a fight begins. I hope I may have helped you if you are looking for a good read. It's my favorite thing to do in my spare time. (Besides blogging, which has now taken a second place!) Hope it's warming up a little where you live. It is here and I think we may actually head out to the playground with friends at lunch time. Yeah!!!

What do you do when the boots that you want so bad are now 50% off and you still don't have enough money left in your checking account to buy them b/c you have things like a van and medical school you are still paying for?? And if you asked your husband if you could get them he would probably say, "You already have boots in your closet, why on earth would you need more?" To which I would respond, "Because I bought those 6+ years ago, I didn't have any children, they have at least a 3" heel, and I don't know how to walk in heels anymore."

I found these boots at the BX this fall and fell in love. They are Nine West (my favorite brand!!) and would try them on every time I walked through the store. They sold out and I don't buy myself anything before Christmas. I just looked up their website and found they are on sale for even less than they were on base, which is really good! How do you pass that up? What do you do? I heart them terribly and hope that just maybe they will magically show up on my doorstep.... in a size 5.5 in dark natural suede.

Am I selfish? I hope not.

Are you trying to find something new to do with your children? Well, here's a game that every family must own. It's called Zingo.

Now, if you are looking for a great Bible to read to your kiddos, we got a really good one for Christmas this year. My mom found it by reading other blogs so you may know about it already. If not, then I'm glad to pass this information along. It's The Jesus Storybook Bible.

It tells the stories of the Bible in such a fun and detailed way. I can't wait to read it every night with Christopher and love that it's his first choice when it comes to books. The neatest part about it is that at the end of each story is relates what you've just read to the story of Jesus coming and how they are connected. It's really cool!

That's all I've got for today. These have been quite the hit at our house lately. I just thought I'd share some ideas with all of you. The smell coming from my beautiful daughter is getting worse by the second so I best be going. Later!

And I hope it's true. I checked the weather this morning and was shocked to find out it is 18 degrees outside with a windchill of, get this, 8!! (My laundry room is 48 degrees, any wonder why I don't want to do any?) This isn't FL weather and I'm not liking it too much. But to get back to the light I saw. It's going to start warming up! By this weekend it should be, and remain, in the 50s and possibly get to 60 at some point in the next 10 days. Thank you Lord!!!

Yesterday I checked the weather on the Wii and was curious what the rest of the country was experiencing and to my shock it was warmer in the state of Washington, yes, that's the big one next to Canada, not the little political thing, than it was here in FL. Isn't that crazy???

Regardless of the weather, we had a great weekend. We woke up and went to the Donut Hole for breakfast and then to the outlets to walk around. We like going anywhere along 98 when the tourists aren't here. I've been trying to avoid it still so I wouldn't spend any money b/c once you get to those outlets it gets tempting.

We bought Sophie a little belt, so she could be like the rest of the family and it is glittery and colorful and she loves it. we came home and had lunch and then put the kids down for naps. I had a baby shower for a friend to go to that afternoon and it was so nice to have a couple hours with my medical wife friends with no kids. I think we were gone like 4 hours b/c we had so much fun!

Sunday was Brandon's turn to get away. We went to church and then in S.S. found a couple guys that wanted to go to the movie as well and you would have thought they were little boys just given a bunch of quarters and let loose in Aladdin's Castle. It's was hilarious! They went to go see Avatar in 3-D and Brandon loved it. Everyone says it's great, but I'll just have to wait and see I guess. Not much for Sci-fi myself.

Now the kids and I have to get ready to take them to mom's day out and then I'm going to come home and do some stuff around the house. Nothing exciting. We have company coming this weekend, so I need to clean a little, but I know it will only be dirty by the time they get here so I'm a little torn. But don't worry, I have a long list of to-do's, so I'll find something to accomplish, even if it's just shower and put supper together for tonight. We have a busy week and I'm looking forward to it. I have felt very house bound lately and miss getting out to do things. I hope you all have a great week and are staying warm!

Brick was out with us watching the kids ride their "tractors" around in the driveway when he took off between two houses. By the time Brandon got to him he'd caught another squirrel. Two pounces and it was over.

Brick: 2
Squirrels: 0

Brandon took photos, but I will spare you them. He's quite proud.

Today Christopher has mother's day out and so Sophie and I get to hang out together. We haven't had one of these in a while and they can be nice. She has quite the little personality and knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it. I don't really have any big plans for us, other than going to the commissary. We are flat out of milk and juice and the kids are thirsty. Maybe if someone would stop giving the little man so much to drink at night we'd have some left over this morning and I wouldn't have two sets of sheets to wash today. (I love you dearly, honey!) Yup, two days in a row he wet the bed. Thankfully it was just enough to wake him up and make it to the bathroom, but still.

Oh, and our cable is officially gone now. I still have some show for the kids saved on Tivo. I recorded a whole bunch knowing this day would come. And I fully welcome it. I miss being able to turn on the weather. And now that Diane Sawyer is gone it's easier to not turn on GMA. But I still miss Robin Roberts' face too. They just seemed so sweet! I'm almost done with my third book in the series I'm reading and hope to finish it today during naps. I think I'm starting to ramble now. Maybe it's b/c Sophie climbed up here and is getting into everything she can get her hands on, most of which she wants to eat. So, happy day to you all and happy weekend! I have a baby shower (kid-free too!) to go to tomorrow and I can't wait. : )

Last night Brandon told me that they had to shut down the operating rooms at Eglin due to the cold weather. It's so cold there is no humidity. (Can you imagine, a South without humidity?) But this is actually bad. Or maybe inconvenient. The humidifiers for the OR won't work due to the lack of humidity from the cold so there's a chance of sparks literally flying. Labor and delivery can't deliver any babies now because if they have to go to c-section, it's too dangerous. Those poor women have to pick a different hospital and be delivered by Dr. Stranger because it is too cold in Florida.

On a totally and completely different note, I decided to try a little experiment this morning. When Christopher crawled into bed with me this morning we turned on the weather to see what today was going to be like. It's 23 with a wind chill of 15. Brrrrrrrr....!!!!!!!! I told him that tonight we should set out a cup of water to see if it freezes from the cold. He didn't want to do that. He wanted to set out Brick's water bowl. (We'll have to have a talk about that later.) Then when I went into the kitchen I realized. It's probably cold enough for it to freeze now. So we set a cup outside the door and we are going to check on it every 30 minutes to see how long it takes, if it takes, for it to freeze.

Finally, we are saying goodbye to a "friend" today. Cable. I know, I know, you think we are crazy, but it only seems to my our lives more frustrating and we fight more because we can't hear or see what is on. The last few weeks I've been watching less of it and reading more and I feel much happier. The kids only watch it because we turn it on and are content playing anyway. We got a new tv for Christmas, but we are playing Wii a lot more now and it's fun because the kids are finally old enough to play with us... sort of! We are also going to start having game night on Wednesdays and pizza/movie night on Fridays. Don't worry, we joined Netflix, but I see Brandon using it more than me. Did I mention I've been reading? Karen Kingsbury is my new BFF. I read my first book in a week and last night finished my second book in only four days. It's not a race, it's just that good!!!! If you are looking for a great Christian author, I highly suggest picking up one of her books. You won't be able to stop!

(I know I change my background constantly, but when I saw this warm brown it made me feel like I was by a fire with a warm brown blanket over me and my next Karen K. book in my hand.)

Yesterday we were out for a family walk and decided to let Brick go without a leash just to see how he'd handle it. I had the leash and knew we'd only make it to the end of the street, but something caught his eye and he was off in a flash. You can only guess what it was... a squirrel. These little "rats" are everywhere here. The outside of base housing is concrete that is textured. It's ugly and a fabulous surface for squirrels to hold on to and run around your house.