Wal Mart & Carving Pumpkins

So Kiley has a Book report on Monday (Halloween) she is doing over Repunzel. I bought my kids costumes quite a while ago...so when I found out Kiley had to do a book report and dress up like Repunzel I was Royally annoyed...Costumes are not cheap and those of you thinking..."Well make one"...I had to borrow a needle and thread from a friend of mine to sew something on something I was selling on e-bay...so sewing...NOT my thing!!! SO anyway, we went to Wal-Mart yesterday in search for a Repunzel costume...struck out at both Target and Party City first...It was a LONG day!!! SO we found the LAST Repunzel costume on the costume aisle and before I had left the store...TWO HOURS LATER...I had been asked THREE times if they could have this costume, out of my shopping cart! Seriously People?! Who does that!? Obviously I am buying it if it's in my cart! So 2 hours and LOTS of dirty looks later we got home and started carving pumpkins. Well we haven't carved pumpkins in YEARS, so I had forgotten ALL it entailed. 1 Adult, 3 kids and knives and cutting utensils is not something I would recommend, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The kids had fun and were throughly disgusted with the inside of a pumpkin, lol. But we all had a good time with it. Kiley wanted a "bat" cat, so she helped me with that one, Brendan wanted a Ghost and Bailey's pumpkin was too small to do any of the big ones, so we had to free hand a face, lol. Mine is Supposed to say "Welcome" but I messed up, but Im pretty sure I was destined for failure by the end and trying to do that one, lol. My hand was shaking and I had broken all little knives by the end of the night! But we finished them and lit them up! MAN...Those things smell terrible! Burning Pumpkin insides, lol...It's supposed to smell right?! I went out to turn them off and their were snails ALL OVER THEM...GROSS!!! I HATE Snails! I have salt on hand just for those disgusting little creatures! BLEH!!! So I moved them up by my door and put salt all around them...so if they try to get to them, they will die...sorry! So it looks like I have some sort of ritual going on, lol...Kinda weird, but it worked. No More snails on my Pumpkins this morning! YAY!!! I WIN!!! ;o) So ANyway. I hope everyone enjoys their last week of October! I am ready for November!!! :o)

One Month to Go...

KORRY WILL BE HOME IN A MONTH!!! It seemed like this last month would never get here, but alas, here we are! September crawled by and October has gone relatively quick, and I am hoping since we have a BUSY month ahead of us, this month will go by fast as well! It has been a long, overwhelming, stressful and crazy journey while Korry has been gone and I am SO ready for him to be home with us! I know this next month will be insane and I am going to feel overwhelmed and extremely Anxious!!! I am far beyond anxious!!! I miss our daily day to day crap more than I can explain!!! I just miss "our normal"...lol. Anyway, this month is going to be insane and im thankful for this, because im hoping it wil go FAST...SUPER FAST!!! :o)

First "Official" Photo Session

So I finally got out there and had my first official photo session! I did Lindsey Wishum's Maternity/Family photos and it was a BLAST! They made it so easy and it was just fun! I learned a LOT and got some good ideas of what I like and definitely some things I need to work on! BUT I now have a little experience and am looking forward to getting MUCH MUCH more!!! I am thrilled that Lindsey asked me to do her new bay boy London's newborn pictures as soon as the little guy comes! I am SO excited and looking forward to it! Anyway, here are some of the pictures from their photo-shoot and I hope you enjoy them! Have a Great week everyone!!! :o)

Korry's Stories...

So here is one of the interviewers Korry showed around Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. He was there and got to talk to these people after the reporter interviewed them. I can't even explain how proud of him I am and the whole Military as well! They really do so much over there that we will never hear about! It's so Frustrating!!!





He also was on this air Drop of supplies for men out in the field to get fuel, ammunition, food and water. Here is the video from that one too.

Day by Day...

I have been wondering why somedays are good and somedays are bad, even when somedays are practically identical, but somehow one is bad and the other is not...This boggles my mind. How much does emotion and overall mind control make or break your day? THis sounds so strange, but I have been thinking about this, probably too much, lol. I know that my days are more stressful and not as tolerable when Korry is gone because I am just overall more stressed, more tired and Definitely more emotional, but when the circumstances are the same and the days go pretty much the same, why is one "Bad" and another "good"...LOL...Im sorry this is my thought process this morning...My mind has officially turned to mush, lol! I am going to try to WILL my days to be good! I want so bad to not be stressed and not be worried or overall emotional...I know I will more than likely fail at this task...LOL...this is NOT good mind control already!!! Anyway, this is the goal! POSITIVE THINKING!!! :o) Wish me luck on this journey! ;o) This is gonna take a lot of prayer in my end!!! ;o)

One Month Down...

Yes it has ONLY "Officially" been a month since Korry's feet landed in Afghanistan and it KILLS me that that's it!!! He was gone a while before that for training, but that doesn't count! :o( It feels like it has been forever! But for the sake of trying to stay positive ONE month down a little over 5 to go! I refuse to do a countdown for days, because at this point that's just depressing!!!

But the kids have been out of school for about 2-3 weeks and things have been INSANE!!! Kiley had a Cheer/Gymnastics camp and now Brendan is playing t-ball and Kiley is playing Coach Pitch, so needless to say...we're CRAZY busy!!! And I think after these are over Kiley will start cheerleading in August and I think they will Both start doing weekly Gymnastics along with school starting in August...WOW...3 kids in insane, LOL!!! ;o)

Brendan will turn 5 in less than 2 weeks! How Crazy is that!? I can't believe he is almost FIVE!? Time really does just FLY when you have kids!!! He wants a Star Wars themed party and I'm still trying to decide exactly what we're doing...It's creeping up on me though, so I need to get myself going! He is so excited! It's fun when they actually get what Birthdays are and know dates and all that stuff! It's fun!

Anyway, I hope everyone had a Very Happy Father's Day and has a good week! :o)

Last Day of School...

SO Kiley's last day of school is tomorrow! The end of the school year is Craziness!!! Brendan's last day of Pre-school was Tuesday and they had a Program that night we went to. That was Adorable!!! And then Wednesday Kiley had her Awards Banquet at school! She was on the A-B honor Roll all year! She was upset because she had all A's and then when she changed schools in January she got a B in spelling, lol! But she had all A's on her last report card! We're so proud of her!!!

Kiley starts her Gymnastics and Cheerleading camp on Monday! She is SUPER excited because her Best Friend decided to do it with her! So they will have fun and learn a lot! :o) Brendan & Kiley finished up Soccer this last week! They both really enjoyed it and are excited for T-Ball and Coach Pitch coming up in June! It will be fun!

Last weekend we were invited to go on our Friends boat! The kids had never been on a boat like that before and they had a BLAST!!! We got to Tube and we parked the boat and they played and swam for about 3-4 hours with NO FIGHTING!!! It was HEAVEN!!! ;o) But we really did have a Great time!!! WHen Korry gets back we just might turn into Boat people, lol! ;o) Although I would rather have a couple of Sea Doo's!!! ;o)

Korry made it to his Base in Afghanistan and is Definitely in another world!!! He lives in a TINY room with 3 other men and they sleep on Bunk Beds! He said the food is disgusting and it's very dirty facilities!!! This might sound petty, however when you're working 16 hour days 7 days a week, you need something to keep you going!!! At least good food! So I have my work cut out for me!!! ;o) So please keep him in your prayers! I know the lack of Privacy will get Old really fast and it will be a long 6 Months!!! :o(

Anyway, I am off to bed!!! I hope everyone has a Great weekend!!!

:o) HAPPY SUMMER!!! :o)

Picture Time

So yesterday a friend asked me to go to the park with her! It's a park I had never been to and let me just say I'm so excited about finding this park! It's awesome and the kids had a blast! I finished up my Professional Photography courses and am now officially a Certified Professional Photographer! I still need practice, but I am one step closer! So I took this opportunity and took TONS of pictures and they turned out pretty good! Anyway, I will share them and I hope you al have a Great rest of your week! :o)

Saying Goodbye is Hard To Do...

So this last weekend we were in South Carolina with Korry for about 3-4 days. We all had a Great time and got some Great Family time together! There was a pool at our hotel, so we spent a LOT of time out there! It was Gorgeous weather!!! But the goodbye was inevitable and was hard! Anyway, we're home safe and sound and now back to the normal day to day...just a BIG HUGE Chunk missing! Here are some pictures of our weekend...

This is of the kids Swimming...

Saying Goodbye At The Airport...

Terrifying Facts...

So this last Sunday was just like any other Sunday. Went to church, ate with friends, spent time with my kids and then had Small group at our house on Sunday night. After Small Group I was sitting in the floor in my living room and I got a text from a friend saying that Osama had been killed. I had my phone near me so I turned it on and it went to Facebook and I turned on the news. Facebook was LIT Up with people saying their opinions on what had happened and I was also watching the news where people were cheering and waving flags, dancing and singing our national anthem.

My thoughts were not "OH YAY", but they also weren't sadness for this evil man either! I feel like 9/11 was such a difficult day for this Country and he was the reason for this! But I was confused with my emotions, because I was scared! I couldn't put my finger on it, but my stomach started hurting and I just felt this sick feeling! Korry called a few minutes later and asked if I had heard what happened and then proceeded to tell me that what just happened made him deploying much more dangerous and then it hit me like a TON of Bricks! These people HATE Americans! And all their seeing of us right now is exactly what we saw on our news channel the day of 9/11! Cheering, singing and dancing in the street!

People keep saying, but that was different, that was them killing thousands of innocent people! We just killed a huge Terrorist threat to our nation! Let me first clarify this...I am 100% positive this SHOULD have happened. The men and women who are fighting for this great nation did their job EXACTLY right!!! But the part that is upsetting is what we did next...in THEIR minds... we are celebrating one of THEIR people being killed! And you may say, I don't care if their mad, we are celebrating and "honoring" our military members...when in fact you're NOT! You are putting a HUGE target on their backs! They are SO mad right now, and we're just rubbing salt in that wound by our actions! It makes me Absolutely TERRIFIED that Korry will be going over their in just a few short weeks to a Country with a lot of people who Hate Americans with a ton of vengeance in their hearts!!! I believe we are better than this!

I think as Americans, we love to talk about our"rights" but rarely our responsibilites. We have reason and even the "right" to celebrate but I think it needs to be done with dignity and in a responsible manner. For every action there is a reaction and we need to consider the reaction and if it will put our military at greater risk. Why fan the flames of their fury? We got what justice we could...he can't pay a higher price than his life. Why mirror their actions on 9/11 and rub their noses in it? Freedom isn't free...it ALWAYS comes at a cost and we need to put the military who is actually paying the price first and do what we can to keep them as safe as possible until they are back home!!!

‎"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." ~I dont know who wrote this, but I think it fits and is a Beautiful Quote! :o)

Setting in...

So this deployment is starting to become a reality! I guess my mind has been pushing it back and back and it was there, but not really real...and now it's real! I feel like such a baby, because my emotions are going insane! Just when I think everything is good all of the sudden I will just have to take a minute and I just start crying!! It's Absolutely Ridiculous and I HATE it!

My Best friend, the person I share everything with, the love of my life, the person I spend my life with, my children's Daddy will be gone in a combat zone, fighting in a WAR for six months! Half a YEAR!!! So all this is setting in and I'm SO not looking forward to saying goodbye to him in South Carolina! My mind feels like its running in 20 different directions. I feel crazy, I feel 100% crazy!!!

This is just one of those nights I needed a vent, so I'm sorry! Tomorrow is a new day! :o) Please keep all of us in your prayers! Peace and Safety for Korry. Patience, sanity and Wisdom for me. And obedience for our children! ;o) Thank you I appreciate all of you!!! :o)

Two Weeks

Korry left for his first training yesterday! He will be gone for 2 weeks and then be back for a day and a half and then leave for his second training and then he leaves from there to Afghanistan. His second training is only 2 days, but since there is not enough time between the 2 they are keeping him there until he flies out to Afghanistan. Since he will be in South Carolina for a few days and it's only 6-7 hours from here, the kids and I are going to meet him, spend a few days together and then be able to take him to the airport to see him off! I feel like we're having groundhogs day! I am glad he is getting to come home, believe me, the more we get to see him the better, however saying goodbye three times is going to be hard on the kids! So we didn't make a big deal about him leaving yesterday and we're not making a big deal about the flight to South Carolina either, Kiley and Brendan have school, so we're not taking them to the airport for either one. But they will be able to have their goodbyes in South Carolina when he leaves for the 6 month long one. So I think this is best! I am Hating the anticipation for this craziness! I feel like we're in limbo right now...

Kiley and Brendan have 23 days of school left! I can not believe it's almost summer! This year feels like it has FLOWN by! This summer is definitely going to keep us busy though! Kiley & Brendan are both in soccer every Tuesday & Thursday right now and LOVING it! Brendan had his first "official" game Thursday and Kiley's is tonight! This is Brendan's first competitive sport he has played on a team and he is doing really well and looks forward to EVERY Tuesday and Thursday! It's fun to watch!!! Kiley will start cheerleading and Gymnastics camp as soon as school is out for a week and then starts Baseball, well T-Ball for Brendan and Coach Pitch for Kiley. They are both looking forward to that too! And I think we're going to have swimming lessons too...lol...so it will be busy! But I'm pretty sure this is how life will stay with 3 children that Love being involved in things...in fact it will get worse because I only have 2 in sports right now! ;o)

Last weekend was Bailey's Birthday party and we all had a BLAST! We had some friends over and rented a 21 Foot inflatable slide in the backyard! It was a good time for the kids AND adults, lol! ;o) Then Sunday we had a nice relaxing family Easter! It was a good weekend, it just went by too fast!!!

Well I hope everyone had a great Easter and enjoys the week to come! :o) God Bless you All!!! :o)

Bailey is TWO!!!

I can't believe tomorrow my baby boy will be TWO years old! It seems like it was yesterday I went into labor, my water broke and I decided to clean my bathrooms and 45 minutes later he was here, lol! It has been a CRAZY 2 years! and seems crazy that Korry was gone right after he was born and now he will be gone again in just a few days!

Anyway, we are having Bailey's birthday this weekend before Korry leaves for his training in New Jersey. So it should be a lot of fun! Lots of friends, food and fun! :o) I LOVE Birthdays for my kids! They're SO much fun! We're having an Elmo themed birthday with a 22 ft. blowup slide in the backyard for all the kids, so it will be fun! Im sad that we're not close enough for any family to come, however I am very thankful for all our great friends and support system here and VERY thankful Korry will be here for it! :o) I will make sure to post pictures and keep everyone posted while Korry is gone, as much as I can!

We had ourselves a mini vacation and drove to Atlanta and went to a Hockey game! I got Korry tickets and we had been waiting since bfore Christmas! Then We went to Dallas then San Antonio for a few days to get away and went to Sea world! We went to Korrys Grandparents house first and visited with them! It was a lot of fun. Then went on to San Antonio and Korry's parents are in Germany visiting Kelly, Lacey and the boys, but they let us come and stay in their house while we were there! THANK YOU SO MUCH! It was wonderful to have a few days to relax and just be! It was a little crazy, just because Korry and I both knew HOW crazy the next few weeks were going to be! But the kids didn't notice and they had a Blast!!!

I hope everyone is doing well we love and miss all of you not here!!! I hope you all have a GREAT weekend and a Blessed Easter!!! :o)