I feel like there are so many thing to write about since the last time I was on here. Let's see, our little trip to the lab last Monday turned out to be nothing, so that was good. Then Tuesday I went to my first ever MOPS meeting at the church we've been attending and the kids did great in the nursery. Not that they have a hard time going there, but I wasn't sure how Sophie would handle being with strangers for that long. I laughed when I picked her up and they said she wanted everyone's bottle after finishing hers. That didn't surprise me. Wednesday - Christopher went to his first Wiggles & Giggles class at the church. He's pretty shy when he's put into group settings, so we just kind of walked around trying different things, but he warmed up when it was time to climb on the mats and jump off or run laps around the gym. Sophie, on the other hand, is going to be our little social bug b/c she was into everything and didn't care that it wasn't her class. She climbed onto the big parachute with all the other 2-3 year olds and then crawled under it. Christopher just stayed next to me and helped move the parachute up and down with the other parents. But he still had fun. Thursday - is our playgroup day, but this time we didn't meet in the morning b/c we were going to go see Sesame Street at the base theatre that afternoon and we needed to do early naps. It was a free event that was put on by USO and was awesome!! They gave each kid a free dvd of their choice, a light-up spinning Elmo toy (you'd pay $15 for one anywhere else!) and a piece of candy. They had lots of information for the parents about how to handle loved ones being deployed, the theme of the event. We got there early to get a seat and it was a good thing. The kids had a blast! It was very cute and lots of fun. We ended up having a reporter for the base paper sit next to us and Christopher kept pointing Elmo out to her. She thought he was funny and got our names and asked a few questions and tried to take photos, but Christopher would never look at the camera. I keep grabbing papers to see if we made it or not. I'll let you know if we do. Friday - Christopher goes to Mother's Day Out at our church and I spent the whole time running errands and made it back just in time to pick him up. He'd had a bit of a rough day and later found out he's cutting some teeth. Not fun b/c I think Sophie is cutting more as well. Saturday - Brandon is on call and my friend Rebecca is in town with her husband and new baby girl, so we meet them in Destin for lunch. It was great to finally meet Leighton and get to see Rich and Rebecca again. The kids did great at lunch and let me visit and do a little shopping too. Sunday - I wasn't up for trying to do the whole getting ready for church alone thing, so we went to hang out with our friends, Melissa, Landon and Kylan, who's husband/dad was taking over for Brandon at the hospital. I told Melissa about the great sales and we decided to load the kids up in the van and head back to Destin to shop some more. We had a lot of fun and were able to get some cute things for the kids. We picked up lunch on the way home and then hung out with Brandon after he woke up from his nap. It was a very busy week and I think it was more than Christopher was ready to handle, so I'm going to try to spend more time with him one on one to help him ease into our new schedule. I thought it was a great week and I think the kids did too. I'm going to bed now. I'll be back later with more updates and photos.

Most people don't like when Mondays roll around. I was one of those when I was working, but since I've been a stay-at-home mom I never really cared that much. Everyday is pretty much the same around here. But yesterday was full of funny comments and gross situations and I just had to write about it. It all started Sunday night when we were working in the yard and decided we needed some kind of weed killer to just kill everything in our backyard and start fresh. (There is no grass, just weeds we keep cutting.) I thought since Mondays are "laundry day" at our house that we could take a break and run to Lowes to buy some weed killer. To get Christopher excited about leaving the house I asked if he wanted to go to the "lawn mower store" to get something. Here's how that conversation went:

Me: "Christopher, do you want to go to the lawn mower store???"

Christopher: "Get a digger at the commissary."

Me: "No, we aren't going to the commissary, we are going to the lawn mower store."

Christopher: "Get a digger at lawn mower store."

Me: "No, we are going to get weed killer."

Christopher: "Go buy two auger drillers at lawn mower store."

Me: "You want to buy two auger drillers????"

Christopher: "Yes."

Me: "I don't think we can afford that."

Christopher: "Oh." (then runs off to play.)

Not long after that, I had what felt like the 35th dirty diaper in 3 days to change and Brandon happened to call. I told him the kids were still pooping like crazy and he thinks they might have something (he knows name, I have no clue) and that he'll call me back in a minute. He calls back and says to take dirty diapers from each kid, if I have any around (I laugh b/c I have 4 from the last 2 hours) and take it to the lab to drop off and they can get stool samples to see what's going on. So, I pull out 2 dirty diapers each from the trash can, put each kids in its own bag, load the kids up in the van and grab snacks, bottles and drinks in case we have to wait a while. It's 11:00 by now and I know that's about the worst time to ever go near any kind of doctor office. We pull up to the hospital and Christopher's response is, "Daddy's house!!!" My first thought is, how sad. We get loaded into the stroller, poopy diapers, snacks and all and start walking inside. Thankfully since we have the "samples" with us we don't have to take a number and find an empty seat, of which there aren't very many, and just wait off to the side until the unpleasant man working the desk tells us it's our turn. We finally are helped and he grabs the kits that are used for this "situation" and begins to tell me what I need to do. Here's how that conversation goes:

Man: "Take these bottles, place stool samples in each one......." (I'll spare you the rest.)

Me: "I'm sorry, you want me to do what?????? I was told I just needed to drop the diapers off."

Man: "The bathroom is that way. Turn it in when you are done."

So, off to the bathroom we go. I have no clue how I'm going to deal with getting stool samples with a 2 year old in a bathroom and a 7 month old who is quickly coming up on bottle time, but we go ahead. My saving grace was that the toilet had a lid and the bathroom actually looked clean, so Christopher starts climbing all over the toilet and then decides he wants a snack. I tell Christopher he's on his own, I'm going in. He's all over the place and I'm wishing I wasn't a mom at the moment. Sophie starts to fuss and spits her pacifier onto the floor. I can't get it b/c I'm dealing with poop. Christopher wants his milk. He decides to rest it on the railing behind the toilet. I'm dealing with poop! I've got Sophie's samples taken care of and move on to Christopher's. Here's what happens:

Christopher: "My LIGHTENING QUEEN diaper!! My POOP!!!! Mommy, me see my diaper! Me see my poop!" (In case you didn't pick up on it, he's yelling this as loud as he can.)

Me: "STOP!!!! Get down!!!!! Don't touch anything!!!! FREEZE!!!!!"

Christopher: "Whatcha doin' Mom?"

Sophie: "Waaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"

Me: "Don't bother me right now. Don't touch that!!! Sophie, you have to wait, I'm sorry."

Meanwhile, the door where you put the samples keeps opening and closing on the lab side and I know they are wondering what in the world is taking so long. They have no idea. It sounds like people are gathering outside the bathroom during this too, waiting for their turn, but I only have about 0.01 second to think and care about them at this point. We finally finish, gather our things and wash mine and Christopher's hands with the hottest water we can stand and tons of soap. We turn to leave and I just keep repeating to him, "DON'T touch anything!!" We go sit in the waiting area, feed Sophie her bottle and then head home for lunch. Which I don't really feel like eating anymore. I feed the kids, put them down for naps and crash on the couch hoping the rest of the day goes cleaner and smoother. We do more laundry, change more diapers and by some miracle Brandon comes walking through the door at 5:00. I haven't even started dinner b/c he usually doesn't get home until almost 7:00 and there wasn't any point. He fixes dinner (b/c it was his idea, not b/c I didn't want to) while I push Sophie and Christopher in the swings and then we all sit and enjoy a nice meal together as a family. We never made it to Lowes and I only got halfway through the laundry, but it was a good day overall. Maybe next Monday will be a little less eventful. Doubt it!

Brandon's parents came to visit for the weekend. They were supposed to come last weekend, but told them to not bother since we (and the rest of the panhandle) might be headed their way instead. Tonight we decided to head towards Sandestin and get some seafood and then head to Baytowne Wharf to hear our favorite band. The best part of the night was when Mimi pointed out the fish tank near our table with a fish that looks like Nemo in it. Christopher about jumped out of his seat to get there, so I took him to see the "Nemo-looking" fish. He was practically shaking with excitement as he saw "Dory" swimming around with "Nemo" and his dad. (We watched Finding Nemo in the van on the way to dinner so I think this is why it was all the more exciting.) He starts waving and yelling, "Hey Dory!!!" and then starts hitting the tank with his hand and telling me that he just touched Nemo. It was adorable!!! Later Mimi comes to join in the excitement and he starts to yell back at Brandon and Papa John about the fish. Then she gets to laughing at how happy he is. Thankfully he got distracted with the beach outside the window and we were able to contain him long enough to eat dinner. I love our little man. : )

Ok, I'm not sure what kind of message God is trying to send with all the storms that keep coming up (other than the fact we are completely safe every time one hits), but I'm starting to get curious. First of all, the other night everyone had gone to bed, but I wasn't tired and so I decided to go back into the den to watch television so Brandon could go to sleep. I walk into the room, turn around and see a lizard sitting on the arm of our couch. It took all I had in me to not scream at the top of my lungs in horror and wake everyone up. It wasn't your typical green lizard, it was clear. It was small and clear and disgusting!!!! I've never been one that was ok with seeing bugs crawling around or anything that wasn't a dog or larger, but this beats a roach to me. I started freaking b/c I had no idea how I was going to get this thing off the couch and outside. I called my friend Kara and she said she'd stay on the phone with me until I got it taken care of and she's a great friend b/c she didn't laugh at the fact I had to call someone to get rid of something so small. Thankfully Brandon came out b/c he thought one of the kids was crying (no, it wasn't me) and he got rid of it.

Then tonight, while I was in the shower, he came back to inform me that a tree frog was sleeping on our couch. Now, if I believed in fairytales I would think he was waiting for a kiss from Sophie to turn into her prince, but I don't, and she's only 7 months old, so it had to be another reason. I just start laughing and realize that I am officially living in Florida. Roaches, lizards, crabs, frogs, snakes and you name it are all around me. And I hate them all! Ok, some frogs are cute and crabs are fun to watch in the sand, but they are meant to live OUTside, not on my couch! Let's just hope God isn't sending me a sign and that I should start building an ark anytime soon. Although I wouldn't have any trouble getting Christopher to help, he loves to hammer!

So here are some photos that have been taken recently. They aren't in any particular order. Sorry about that! Just trying to get new photos on here the best I could right now! (The older ones are at the bottom.) Oh, the hurricane thankfully went to the west of us. We got lots of rain and wind and some tornadoes in the area, but no serious damage, not even a branch in the yard!

We have a tradition of pulling out the tunnel that Mimi and Pa John gave Christopher for Christmas whenever we have severe weather. I know, most people are hiding in the bathroom with a mattress over their head or crouched down in the hallway, we are playing with a tunnel spread throughout the house! This was the first time that Sophie was able to crawl through it. She's not crawling on her knees yet, but does a very funny worm-Army crawl that is just as productive.




We called our friends that live behind us to come play during the storm and once the rain stopped we decided to grill burgers. This was what it looked like once Brandon got the grill working. We had to keep going b/c we'd already started fixing the food and Matt was making some awesome fries to go with it.





Here's Christopher and Sophie playing together. They get along really well and I am so thankful! Last night we went to see Kara and Philip and the kids played chase under their dining table. It was adorable! They both got to laughing really hard. One of those times you wish you had a camera with you.



I found Sophie with evidence on her face of her brother and daddy's favorite snack: Doritos. Christopher had been eating some and he wanted to share with her. Very sweet, but she's not quite ready for them yet. I think she feels otherwise.



Here are the kids having lunch one day. We go to get our neighbor every now and then to come play with us. His poor mom broke her foot and can't move around too well with a cast and crutches, so we like to help her out when we can. The kids love playing together so we love having him around!


Here are the kids before church on Sunday. Aunt Caroline had sent Sophie this dress in the mail and it was so cute that I just had to get a photo. Don't they look like Easter Sunday? I love it! She was the cutest little girl in her class that day!



Ok, here are the much wanted photos of the trampoline. It's kind of hard to get a good one, which I have to admit is why I haven't put them on here yet, but I gave up on caring and did it anyway. The only problem is we have it under a pine tree and it gets covered in needles so I have to sweep it off. But it definitely provides lots of entertainment and exercise.




Christopher found an empty diaper box in the house (imagine that?) and wanted to climb in it with Sophie. She didn't love it as much as he did and the box wasn't strong enough to hold the weight, but they lasted long enough for a photo.



We had to return something to Lowes the other day and didn't need enough stuff for the credit I had and so we wandered around to find things to spend it on. We found these Diego garden gloves and had to have them. Christopher put them on in the store and didn't take them off until he could pull weeds with them.

So, apparently ANOTHER hurricane is headed our way. Ok, the other one was a tropical storm, but the only difference is how strong the wind is, they are all bad storms. We were very thankful and quite surprised that Fay never hit us. That's right, I can see the mid bay bridge from my house and the storm never hit us. It went completely around us. If you watched the weather it looked like it was right on top of us, slamming us, but it never touched us. I think we got maybe an inch of rain the entire 4 days. It was crazy!

Unfortunately that means this one is probably going to slap us up side the head! (Don't you just love crazy sayings?) I was very smart and loaded the kids up to head to the base grocery store and get ready for my in-laws coming to visit this weekend and rushed through the crowded aisles trying to hurry before either child lost it. I get home, and bring the first bag of groceries in when the phone rings and it's Brandon telling me that we may have to evacuate b/c of the storm. You can imagine how thrilled my car loaded down with groceries was to hear that!

Then my dear friend Kara called to ask me if she would be stupid to go grocery store since we may have to evacuate and I told her not any dumber than I just was! I tell her I don't understand why we have to leave. Our house has obviously lasted through numerous hurricanes and survived. After all, it is made of concrete and steel and was built 40+ years ago. She reminds me that the bay is practically in my backyard and so I agree with her. But I just bought groceries!!!!

Oh, and did I tell you that my surprise was that I completely redid our bedroom for Brandon? I kept the furniture, but got new bedding, curtains/rods, paint, lamps, pillows, plants, everything and now a storm is threatening to possibly ruin it all! I DON'T THINK SO!!!!! As far as I am concerned, Mr. Gustav, you can just turn your pretty little self around and go back to where you came from. I may not have the hormones of a pregnant woman anymore, but I just fixed up my house for the first time in 5 years and you are not about to tear it down! So there. I guess I'll just see you guys up on Alabama this weekend for shelter.

If you are wondering why I haven't written anything lately or posted any new photos it's because I haven't had much to say about what's going on here. Not a whole lot has been happening. The most exciting thing that has happened recently is my parents did visit last weekend for their anniversary (thanks for that too! not many people would go away to visit people when they are celebrating themselves!), so that was a lot of fun. We played on the new trampoline (in case you haven't heard, we got a trampoline), made a trip to Lowe's, worked on a project, went out to dinner, went to church and then it was time for them to go home. It seemed like it was a really quick trip, but it was just what our family needed. So again, thanks for visiting! We live for company. We love having people over and enjoy each other more when we are hosting someone in our home. Don't get me wrong, we like each other, a lot, but we get bored doing the same old thing all the time.

Now about the lack of photos on here, Brandon's computer has been acting up and so he cleared everything off and restarted it and so I haven't been able to go through the ones we have on the camera. What about my computer you ask? Well, if I had 30 hours to do the job in, I would, but it takes too long. Even if I had the time I definitely don't have the patience.

Oh, here's something exciting! Brandon bought me Wii Fit, and just because he loves me that much! No holiday, birthday, anniversary, just because. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to get a Wii, so I was very excited! I can't go workout because I don't have anyone to watch the kids and it's too hot to get the mail, much less do anything active. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the first night I used it I was practically crawling to bed. Of course we had walked up to the splash pad on base and pushing a double stroller up a hill certainly had something to do with it, but still. We aren't very good at holding onto or keeping surprises from each other, so we tend to give them right away and then we don't have to bother with buying anything for holidays or birthdays or anniversaries come around. I know, I know, to most women that doesn't work, but we like to spread out the fun instead or bunching it all together.

I have a HUGE surprise for him that has been in the works for 2 weeks (probably why I got the Wii Fit) that he will get on Saturday when he gets home from being on call and I can't wait for him to see what it is. I just hope he likes it. (NO, we are NOT pregnant! And it's not a dog either.) I'll try to put photos on here so you can see for yourself. I just hope I can pull it off and I hope even more that he appreciates it as much as I want him to. Is that bad? It's too late now, so we'll just have to see. He is about IMPOSSIBLE to surprise and I've NEVER been able to pull it off in the 6 years we have known each other. NEVER! He either finds out or ruins it by buying it or doing it within days before I was going to surprise him with whatever it was, so this is huge for me. It's a big gift and probably a bigger deal than the gift itself. Ok, now I'm getting in over my head. He's probably going to hate it and it's going to seem stupid once it's revealed. Oh well. I'm going to bed.

Not much happened over the weekend. I take that back, I got a lot done, but nothing exciting. In honor of the Olympics starting Friday night I taught Christopher how to play volleyball. He always wants to hit things in the air so I figured we might as well get him focused on another sport. As soon as he can start playing anything we will have him signed up for sure! If the kid doesn't play sports I don't know what he'll do because he's too young to start working construction any time soon. On Saturday I finally got to organize the kid's closets, a task I have been wanting to do since we moved in over 2 months ago. Sophie is outgrowing clothes so fast that I haven't been able to keep up with the turnover. Plus, it's hard to clean out and clean up anything with a 2 year old who wants to take out and see how far he can throw anything he can get into. Nap time is the ideal time to get anything done, but when the work is in there room there is nothing you can do about it. You say, "Just put the kids in your room," well, that would work for anyone but my kids. It's too exciting to sleep in our room for Christopher and Sophie HAS to sleep in her bed for every nap. Saturday night we went and had dinner at our neighbor's house and the boys hadn't seen each other in over 3 weeks so they were thrilled to be together again. Sunday we went to church, which thankfully is a pleasant experience for us, and then came home to fix ribs Brandon had bought. The kids took very, very short naps and so we didn't get anything done while they were sleeping. Once they woke up I figured I might as well make another mess to get something in order and dumped out the 3 bins of toys that were in the den and let the kids play while I organized them. We are finally down to one box in the den, one in each kid's room and sent more stuff out to the storage shed. Thank you Air Force for putting 2 storage sheds in your homes!!!!

On a more interesting note, Sophie's teeth are finally cutting through and I'm guessing by next weekend they will have both broken completely through the gum line. We are also working on standing up. She will pull up while holding my fingers, but it hasn't crossed her mind yet to pull up on anything around her. I stand her next to the exersaucer and she got really excited until she fell down and then she spun around and started reaching up for what she was just holding onto. Problem was she couldn't figure out how to get there. In time, my dear. Most people don't want to rush their kids into crawling and walking, but I encourage it. When they start weighing over 20 pounds it's time to get around places on their own! She started to scoot forward a little this weekend too and gets frustrated that she isn't getting places fast enough, but she'll get there soon enough. So, it may not have been an exciting weekend, but it was a really good one!