Welcome to our blog. We have finally arrived at the cliff of computer technology, and have decided like all good lemmings to follow the lead of so many others and jump right in. Please excuse all the typos as spelling is no one's strong point at the Zoo.
Well it's "D" day at our house. (D stands for deployment) The beginning of another adventure. Tonight Pete left for 60+ days. So he is off to the desert for an adventure and while we have one as well. We are still in denial, but I am sure in the next week we will all realize it is really happening. As my parents used to tell us as kids when we pestered them about getting to use our agency, "Oh, you have a choice. You can do it with a smile or you can do it with a frown." So for this deployment I am choosing to smile...but that doesn't mean there won't be a few tears. (Hunny we miss you already!)
Its been a crazy 6 weeks since I blogged last and I can't even begin to sum it up without it becoming a meaningless grocery type list, so just know its been crazy. We are moved into our house...though we still have three bathrooms to paint, some caulking to do, shelves to put up, and more than a little organizing that needs done. But it feels nice to have almost twice the space and to have a garage too! The girls are doing well. Madie is mobile and weaned. I just finished reading Charlotte's Web out loud to Megan. She loved it. So now we are on the look out for another comparable book to read out loud at bedtime.
I really have so much to be grateful for, and am resolved to refrain from complaining while Pete is gone...or atleast about Pete being gone.
In other news I am gather address for Christmas cards, so please send me your address so Ic an have it for Christmas card time...which is coming quickly!!! Thanks in advance!
Today at 1:30 pm eastern standard time we close on our house! I am so excited and a little nervous...okay honestly a lot nervous. A little overwhelmed at how much work we have to get done in the next 8 days, but excited to have a bigger place... and a garage....and a tiny yard!!! I will post pictures later!!!
My sister and her husband Jeff are in Boston right now. They are seeing a DR for her unborn babies heart issues. Hopefully tomorrow they will have a procedure done that will save his little life. We know that God answers prayers and still preforms miracles. To know more about our little Maddox you can go to http://sweetheartmaddox.blogspot.com
So Peter gets home tomorrow and its been a busy couple weeks. I am counting down the hours until he will be home...probably 27 hours from now. Whoo hoo!!! But while he has been gone we have had a multitude of adventures, really too many to write about, but I will try to hit the highlights and the low spots for you... Monday July 20th Pete left early in the am. I got up early, woke the girls up and drop them off at a friends house then raced to the town home to meet the home inspector. He found a few little things and one moderate thing...the master bedroom floor, on the 2nd story sags in one corner. He said we needed to get a structural engineer or a contractor to come, saw the floor board open and take a closer peak. He said it may just be cosmetic or it may be structural. Bummer! Meanwhile Pete, was helping to load the plane that they would be taking to Alaska and in the process sprained his ankle. I never saw it but from the description it was a pretty bad sprain. Bummer! Wednesday, I went to the dentist and got a cavity filled. It took two shots to get me good and numb, but then I was numb for hours and hours. The rest of the week was spent taking care of my kiddos and trying to gather all the paperwork, and fill out all the forms for the mortgage company. I swear I have never had so much paper work to do in all my life. Sunday, my little sister, Ashlie was supposed to arrive, but flights looked horrible. (She was flying standby on a buddy pass) So we decided to wait for the red eye from SLC to Atlanta and then connect her to Tampa from there. Anyway to make a long story short...she didn't make the red eye. She slept in the airport and didn't make it to Tampa until almost 11pm Monday night. Bummer! The next day we went to the beach!!! Yeah!!!! The day after we went to Disney World. Megan cried through Snow Whites Adventure ride and sobbed clinging to my neck through Pirates of the Carribean. Hopefully she won't be tramatized for life. We all loved "Its a Small World" though. Otherwise we had a great time and the girls were terrific!!! The rest of Ashlie's time in Tampa we just hung out. We went swimming and to the mall, and had a lot of fun. Well come to find out, that weekend was an embargo weekend for buddy passes, so we had to wait till Monday to try to get Ashlie home. She had to be at work on Tuesday. We watched flights all day and it looked bleak, but the one direct flight out at 5:30 pm looked good...it looked good until we got there. Then it looked like it would take a miracle. And sadly this time...no miracle. We ended up having to purchase her a last minute ticket out...it was pretty expensive, but better than her loosing her job. Bummer!!! And then this week we were headed to the zoo with my Visiting Teacher Malinda when the alternator on my car decided to die. Luckily I was able to get off the freeway before it totally gave up the ghost. So there we sat on the side of the road, in atleast 95 degree weather, on the dodgy side of town. The tow truck was going to take an hour, so Malinda started calling ward members and found someone to come pick us up. My car got left there, all alone to wait for the tow truck. It spent a couple days at the car hospital getting fixed and the bill was anything but cheap. And as usual when it rains it pours so while I am coordinating the car issues, the bank we are buying the townhome from decideds that unlike they had previously led us to believe, they will not be fixing the sagging floor. Bummer! We are trying to work through this issue still, but will see what happens.
It has been exciting and so I am sure you can see why I can't wait for Pete to get home.(besides the fact that we love him and miss him) I need a little help.
I am decompressing after church today and wondering why God only gave me two hands?
Surely he must have known that two would never be enough. How am I supposed to hold a crying baby, keep a rambunctious toddler from getting killed in the church parking lot, juggle two bags, one full of diapers, the other with items that cannot begin to fill the purpose for which they were brought; (that to keep one toddler quiet for 1 hour and 15 minutes), while retrieving car keys from purse, open car doors, put children in carseats with only these two hands.. Surely he must have forseen the need for another set of hands when balancing the 7 month old sitting between my feet on the cold, dirty bathroom tile while helping the toddler do her business on the "big girl potty."
Maybe that is why he sent my visiting teacher to come and "borrow" on of my little ones after the sacrament, so I could listen. It sure makes a difference when someone lends a hand. Maybe that is why God only gave me two, so he could bless my life through someone else's two hands. Or maybe so I could learn to open my mouth, let go of my pride, and ask for help. Hmmmm...something to think about.
Pete is in Alaska for 3 weeks. Enough said. Thankfully, my sister, Ashlie, is coming to visit me on Sunday. Roo, as we like to call her around her is my little piece of sanity to get me through this spell of single parenting. Sunday can't come soon enough. But in the meantime we are staying busy. Tomorrow we brave the zoo in the heat. Send cool thoughts our way!!!
1)Peter was offered and accepted a full time position with his unit. This means that we will be here in Tampa for at least another 2 years.
2)So we decided to buy a place to live. On our first outing with tyhe Realtor, we found a town home we liked. Then we decided later in the week that we wanted to see it again and maybe put in an offer. But we learned it was already under contract. We were disappointed, but kept looking. We let our agent know we would be interested in that one if that pending offer didn't work out. I started to pray that if it was meant to be, that the original contract wouldn't go through. That Monday our agent, Dale, called and let me know that the contract hadn't worked out, so we put an offer in the next day. Then we found out there were 4 other offers for the same home. We raised our offer a little bit and waited. Tuesday we found out that our offer on a townhome was accepted and as long as there are no other glitches with appraisal and inspection we should be homeowners at the end of August. I'll post pictures of the place as soon as I can. So now I need to get cleaning, sorting and packing. But we are excited.
3)Meg's MRI came back perfect. She had been complaining about dizziness (the room spinning) since December so we took her to the Dr. and he ordered an MRI to rule out any tumors or anything. We had that done on Wednesday and got the results this AM. We are very relieved. Obviously we will continue to watch her and may pursue further testing if her dizziness persists or worsens, but otherwise we are a lot less worried than we were before.
4) Madie has decided she likes two naps a day and we are loving having some sort of schedule, even if it is always subject to change.
Here's hoping we soon have better news to post about our potty training efforts. Things were going really well for about three weeks and the last 5 days have been miserable. I finally had to go buy another package of panties, because we were going through all 10 pairs before lunch and I couldn't keep up with the laundry. Potty training has been an eye opening expereince as I have realized I am a lot less patient than I originally thought. A bummer, but we will keep pressing on.
This week has been stressful. And I am cranky today. I have tried to be a good sport, but I just can't "fake it til I make it today." Unfortunately cranky and irritable appear to be contagious at our house. Hopefully tomorrow we will all wake up happier and ready to face the challenges of a new week. I hope happy and obedient are also contagious.
Today has been a very low key day. The girls and I have enjoyed our day together. (Pete is on a short trip). We decided today just to stick close to home. After our fun trip to Target yesterday that ended with pooh running down Madie's left leg while I tried to get her and Megan out of the car and up a flight of stairs without making a mess; a day at home seemed brilliant.
We started our day with waffles, covered with blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream. Yummy. Unfortunaley that was just after 6 am. But today we all took naps. We watched Dora. We played with Megs princess dolls. Listened to music. Read stories. Cuddled. Looked at homes for sale online, and we did watch "Stranger than Fiction." Meg and I love that movie. She loves to talk about Harold Crick and his wristwatch. (I edit it for her. It is PG-13 after all) Tonight I taught Megan to play Jenga. She was surprisingly good. Madie practiced sitting and not reaching for the tower of Jenga blocks.
And today I decided to do nothing that didn't absolutley have to be done. I ignored the pile of laundry, I closed my eyes when I went into the bathroom I should have cleaned. I pretended the vaccum was broken and I enjoyed the under 36 inches population that seem to get the shaft when mom is trying to hard to get "stuff" done. Productivity ZERO, but I wish all Saturdays could be this fun and lazy.
We have been home in Florida for a little less than a week and all I can say is "It is good to be home." And it is even better to have Pete back from his deployment safe and sound. We are looking forward to a summer full of fun outings and good family time. I am also going to take a couple cooking classes and also continue my quest to get in shape. I have had a little set back...time in Utah was brutal on my waistline, but I am recommitted to my goal of being in the best shape of my life by October 25th, my 30th Birthday. I got 3/4 of my exercising done this morning before my girls woke up.
The girls are doing well. Madie is still pretty calm and sweet. Megan is still smart and sassy. They handled all our travels and time with family pretty well. And already Meg is asking when we get to go to Grammy's house again. This is good since we will be spending all of November and December there. I hope to get Meg potty trained this summer and wean Madie. We will see how it all works, I am hopeful, but flexible about it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Hmmmm... I hardly know how to write this post. I don't know how to begin or end. All I know is that it's been almost two weeks and I am still reeling over the loss of Pete's cousin and my friend, Natalie. Natalie would have turned 34 today. I can't believe she is gone. She was an amazing person. You know one of those people you meet and think, wow, my life is better because I know her. And truly she scattered sunshine and smiles wherever she went. Her life was a legacy of love. I am in awe of the example she left for me to try to live up to. She had four children and was a fantastic mother, sister, daughter, and friend.
I met Natalie early in my courtship with Pete and was at once welcomed into the family as if I had always belonged there, as if she'd been saving a special spot just for me, as if we had been friends all our lives. I miss her and yet I know where she is. I don't grieve for her, I grieve for me, I grieve for all of us who will miss her. I feel sad that my little girls will never know cousin Natalie, that Madie will never be held by her, that Meg will have one less cousin she shares her beautiful red hair with.
When I grow up I want to be like Natalie. I am sure she never knew what a profound influence she had on all who knew her. I am sure she never knew what a profound influence she had on me. I wish I would have told her.
To know Natalie was to love her. I feel blessed I am one of the lucky people who knew her in this life, and that I will know her in the next. I know that families can be together forever, and that my cheering section on the other side of the veil just got one sweet redhead.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
This weekend we had two visitors. Our friends Lael from Washington D.C. and Kara from Gainsville, FL. We knew them both at BYU. In fact they were both present the night we met. (Ahhhh) This weekend was a nice trip down memory lane, and it was nice to catch up with each of them and also hear updates on people we haven't stayed in contact with! Our girls were...themselves and I think that alone was enough to convince both our friends they never wanted children and might be even willing to pass up ever getting married. OK...maybe it wasn't that bad. But I failed to take a single picture. Sorry I am so busy living life I often fail to document it...at least that sounds better than the camera needed new batteries, eh?
Megan continues to entertain us with her amazing wit and intellect. Sunday during church as we were getting ready to take the sacrament. I was quietly talking to her about what we were going to do and why(mostly to hopefully get her to stop talking incessantly in her normal speaking voice...anybody know when kids learn to whisper?) And so I told her we were going to take the water to remind us of Jesus' blood and the bread reminds us of his body. And she replies, "We don't drink blood." She said it fairly loudly two or three times. Oh well, I am sure the sweet sister sitting in front of us was thinking why don't these people get a muzzle for their adorable child. Sigh.
As for my little Madie, she is a sweetie pie. Pretty easy going, sleeping almost through the night and already 17 lbs. She is already wearing clothes that Meg wore when she was crawling. She is a little cuddle bug and so smiley. She coos and babbles a lot, and even tries to sing if there is music on. She got her immunizations last week and was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. Now if we could only get her to take a bottle...tips anyone?
Yesterday we went to a strawberry patch and picked 5 quarts of delicious strawberries. Meg was very excited that we were picking strawberries like on one of her favorite episodes of Dora. I think we will go back Monday and get a few more to freeze or make jam or something equally domestic.
You know you have arrived when you have this conversation with your child. The other day Megan was not happy with us about having to sit in her high chair for meal time. So I was trying to get the screaming and crying to stop and in the process I said, "Megan we love you." And she said between wails, "No, you don't love me. YOU don't love me!" My jaw dropped and I just stopped and stared. It was said with all the drama and angst of a 13 year old girl. I thought we wouldn't have this one come up for another 10 or 11 years, but nope, at two she already gets how to really punish her poor mom.
She has been so funny lately. She assigns us all character roles from movies and then calls us by that name all day. Today is a "Matilda" day and I am "Miss Honey", Pete is "Ms Trunchable", Madie is Matilda's friend "Lavender" and of course Meg is Matilda. On other days we are all characters from Madagascar, Pete is Melman the giraffe, I am Marty the Zebra, Meg is Gloria Hippo and Madie is Alex the lion. She woke up on one of these days asking "Where is Melman?" It is pretty funny, but sometimes I forget who I am, and what movie I am in. Meg is happy to remind us.
Madie continues to be a happy and smiley girl, but does have a fussy time in the afternoon, usually between 3:30-5pm. Otherwise she is a darling girl and its nice to have someone else calm around here.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
This is not the post I intended to write this morning. But after checking out a few blogs and crying over the challenges of some, this is the blog I need to write today.
I am so blessed. I am so lucky. My life is good and full. I have so much to be grateful for and so little to complain about. I tend to forget just how good life is when there are toys and strewn all over our small space, when my toddler wakes up crying in the middle of the night just cause, when I find Pete has eaten the last of the ice cream, when our computer is infected with 26 viruses, when the folded laundry gets unfold for the 3rd time before I can get it put away, when Madie insists its time to eat only an hour after her last meal, when I look in the mirror and see the new wrinkles and the old lovehandles still going strong.
Life is all about perception and perspective. Today I am CHOOSING to see a home where the residents aren't afraid to live and make a little mess, where the toddler knows that even in the middle of the night Mom and Dad will come because they care, where my husband is supporting me in my weightloss goals by getting rid of all the temptations, where we have all the technology we need, where we are blessed to have a washer and dryer and the ability to do our own laundry, where there is a darling healthy chunky baby to cuddle, hold and care for, and where when I look in the mirror I see a daughter of God, made in his image, who gets to experience mortality and look forward to resurrected body.
I will write the post I was going to later. This is the one I needed to write for me.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Pete is enjoying his Hawaiian Vacation(or work trip) and I am enjoying my sleepless nights with my two little princesses. Seriously, we are having a grand time, but I could use a about a 36 hour nap. Last night Megan had such a hard night she ended up in bed with me...and I ended up sleeping across the bottom of the bed, without a pillow, because she was turned sideways and I couldn't handle the kicking and she had ALL the pillows. Needless to say when the alarm went off this morning I did not get up to exercise.
Wednesday late afternoon Madie woke up with pink eye, so I took her to the urgent care, because it is almost impossible to get into our Pedi on base the same day or even sometimes within two days(grrrr) and I didn't want to wait. Her eye was pretty swollen. They gave me erythromicin eye ointment and seriously by yesterday it looked 98% better. So far Meg and I are pink eye free...I hope it lasts.
While we were at the urgent care they weighed the little chunky monkey and she weighed 16 lbs 12 oz with her clothes on. I knew she was heavy, but come on...Meg didn't hit 16lbs until she was almost 6 months...and I thought she was a nice chunky girl...Madie is a sumo wrestler in comparison. I just don't understand how she can be gaining like this, and I am eating 1700 (very healthy) calories or less everyday, and I am still not really loosing weight. Oh well. Maybe when I wean her in a couple months, the weight will just fall off! I can hope right?
Can you say Budda Belly? The Monkey suit is size 6-12 months. It already fits Madie. Megan in her Cinderella dress from Delora and Grady! Saturday, Pete took Megan to her first Daddy Daughter Dinner and Dance. It was hosted on base. I don't know who was more excited Megan or Pete, but they had a good time. Here are pictures of the two of them all dressed up!
Lately we have been having some issues when it is time to pray with Megan...When it is her turn she talks so quietly you can hardly hear her, and when its anyone elses turn she talks loudly through the prayer and so you can't hear them. So the other night she had started to say family prayers..."Heavenly Father...mumble mumble.....grateful....mumble mumble...and so I stopped her and said. Meg, can you say it loud enough so daddy and I can hear. So the next thing you know...HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THIS DAY...etc...all at the top of her lungs. So yeah...who knew two year olds were such literalists.
Madie has had to move up to size 2 diapers. The 1-2's were just too small. This is one big girl. Last night I put a set of 3-6 month pj's on for the first and last time...just too small for our big little girl. She is a little cuddlebug and I am so glad for that. She is also starting to really coo and it is too cute. Madie has her three month check, with shots on Monday ( we were out of town for the two so we are already behind...swell)
Pete is heading off to Hawaii in the next day or so for a 5-6 day trip. Poor Pete. But he did promise to bring me a box of pinapples...I love fresh pinapple.
And I keep plugging away at my resolutions...progress on all fronts is slow but someone wise once said "Progress is not so much a matter of speed, as it is a matter of direction..." or something like that. So atleast I continue to persevere and I have 8 months left on the get in shape one...plenty of time right?
Yesterday we hit the milestone of having been married for 4 years. Its hard to believe its been that long. How did we celebrate you might wonder...we spent all day unpacking, rotating clothes for little girls,(Madie has out grown EVERYTHING) and ended with a family trip to the commissary for groceries. Thanks to my parents baby sitting we were able to go out to lunch without children on the 17th. But before you think we are too lame...Pete just got back into the USA on Sunday...arrived in Missouri to pick us up late Monday night. We flew out on Wednesday...arriving at 7pm that evening. It's been busy!
Pete rarely reads my bloggings, but I just want to say I love you!!! Thanks for 4 fun fast flying years...heres to at least another 46 more!!! I love you enough to do a feat...even Everest!!!
So much for writing more often, eh? Oh well I am working at my resolutions slowly as not to burn out and quit! ; )
Yesterday afternoon an Ice Storm hit our part of Missouri...there is atleast an inch of ice covering everything outside. Thankfully we are warm and safe inside. We continue to pray that the power doesn't go out...which often occurs with ice storms. School and work are cancelled for today for my brothers and Dad, so we will get to enjoy a little down time together.
Megan and Madie have been playing tag team with their poor mother at night. It seems as soon as Madie finishes her midnight'ish snack and mom slips back to sleep...it's Megans turn to make sure mom knows who's boss. Don't worry...it only took a few nights to figure out who's in charge and I know it's not me!!! I am at the mercy of my two darling monsters.
Megan is such a kick in the pants. She heard me talking to my mom about how it would be fun to go down to Puerto Rico and see Peter's Aunt Flo and Uncle John. The next thing I know she is walking around saying "I want to got to Puerto Rico." I told her to tell Pete that when she talked to him on the phone, so for the next 24 hours she would say "Call Daddy. I want to go to Puerto Rico." When Pete finally called she said "Hi daddy. I want to go to Puerto Rico." He of course thought I had been coaching her...not necessary...she is a two year old who knows what she wants! AND SHE WANTS TO GO TO PUERTO RICO!!!!!
Peter is doing well. We miss him, and can't wait for him to come home. But we are so blessed in that he calls almost everyday and our deployments are more or less voluntary and of short duration.
Madie is not quite as calm as I previously blogged about and appears to have a bit of a temper too. Meg hit her for the first...(and better be the last) time yesterday. But at the rate Madie is growing..(according to my parents scale she is already 13 lbs at 8 weeks) Megan better watch out. It won't be long before Madie can hold her own in a sisterly fight!
So I have decided to post some of my New Year's Resolutions in order to increase my accountability, and therefore hopefully my success.
So here they are in no particular order: 1. Get back in shape...I turn 30 this year and want to be in the best shape of my life by my 30th Birthday. This goal will take a lot of work, but I am committed to it! I won't list how much weight I want to lose, but lets just say it is enough to keep me working hard til I turn 30 in October.
2. Read my Scriptures EVERY day... this goal has alluded me since children came on the scene, but 2009 is the year for greatness.
3. Blog more. I am so impressed with the depth of some of your blog entries...mine are usually just about daily events and vomit, so my goal is to include more of my thoughts and feelings about daily events, not necessarily my thoughts and feeling about vomit because that shouldn't be necessary...who likes vomit?
4. Get more organized...we have 4 people in 980 square feet of space and it is a little tight, but I know it will feel less small and confined if we get organized. I like our place, its just small, so I think if I minimize the "stuff" factor, it will feel bigger.
I think that will keep me busy for the year...don't you??
PS. Peter made it safely to Qatar, and I will write updates on him, as I receive them!!!
The December Recap... We had a great Christmas...of which I will post pictures later. It included a new kitchen set for Megan and Madie, a new flat iron for me, new running shoes for Pete, a trip to the beach and friends over for dinner. It was a great, laid back day! Then Pete took a check ride on the 30th, and then we got up at 3 am on the 31st so we could make our 6am flight to my parents house. Though tired, we enjoyed our first day with my parents very much...
Embracing 2009 ...the next day (Jan 1st)Megan vomited while jumping on the trampoline with cousin Zeta and though we hoped it was just due to being jostled...it was the stomache flu. We blessed Madilyn that night while my brothers, Nicholas and Seth and sister Ashlie were still in town. It was a beautiful blessing and my dad and his dad were also able to be in the circle while Pete blessed her. Pete's mom, made Madie a very pretty blessing dress of which I will post pictures later.
Megan vomited all through the night on the 1st, throughout the 2nd, and the morning of the 3rd. While my mom took Pete to the airport so he could head home to prepare for his deployment, my Dad and I ended up taking an increasingly more and more lethargic, dehydrated Megan to the ER. We spent 4-5 hours there while they drew blood, did x-rays, gave her some Zofran, and started orally rehydrating her. So our last few days as a family were not quite what we had planned, as the last night before Pete left he spent the night taking care of a vomiting Megan and I took care of a hungry Madie in different rooms. Kind of sad, but that is just the way family life is sometimes. Megan woke up Sunday the 4th back to her sassy self and has been doing fairly well since. I got feeling sick Sunday night...and now am feeling better.
Gratitude I am grateful Madie has so far, stayed well. I am so grateful for a husband who is a hands on dad. I couldn't do this by myself. I am also grateful to be with my parents while he is gone for a 5 weeks. So we are out in Missouri for a while. I plan to try to blog while I'm here (one of my new years resolutions), but it depends on my parents internet connection which is only good between 2-6am, most days! Hope everyone else had a less eventful and more enjoyable way to usher in the new year. Welcome 2009!!!
Peter and Aimee were married February 19, 2005 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Megan Grace Olsen joined the family in December 2006. Madilyn Faith arrived in December 2008. We are so blessed!
