Kids Say the Darndest Things!

SMARSH MELLOWS?    You may ask yourself what is a smarsh mellow...Well it is exactly how my little precious darling handsome boy says Marsh Mellows.  We were visiting Daddy at school in Virginia a couple of weeks ago.  While we stayed in the camper Brad got this wonderful idea to build a campfire and roast smores over the fire.  Easton got so excited he ran around the camper almost knocking the stabilizing jacks out from under it with all the excitement.  He kept yelling, MAKAYLA! MAKAYLA!  we are going to eat SMARSH MELLOWS tonight.  I thought it was so stinkin cute that he kept trying so hard to enunciate the word that he kept tripping over his delivery of it and it always came out SMARSH MELLOWS.  I don't have it in me to correct him anymore...plus it is so incredibly sweet.  Reminds me of what a great little guy he is.  Trust me, he tends to find ways to make me forget...Like unfolding each and every flipping set of PJ's before he figures out which ones he would like to wear.

Makayla makes me grin from ear to ear from time to time too...I mean the kind of grin that hurts when you are done.  She insists on calling "yesterday"  her version- "LASTERDAY".  Translation I guess is Last night plus Yesterday!  There you have it...and by no means should we try to correct that little girl.  She will be the first to tell you that it is not last night or yesterday...its her way or no way.  LOL...Boy does she have a rude awakening coming.  LOL..

Still, though I have to remain proud becuase Friday on the way home, my little precious girl said the most honest, sweetest, and smartest thing most adults seem to forget.  I will proceed to tell you the story...

Most every day I pick the kids up I always ask how their day went, what they learned, and how they behaved.  I also ask them random questions like what do you want to be when you grow up and why.  It makes our trip home meaningful and rememberable because everyday there is something new.  This past Friday however was the best YET...HANDS DOWN!

So my question to Makayla was this "Makayla, when you grow up sweetie, who do you want to marry?"  She looked at me puzzled and said "huh?"  I proceeded to explain to her that "Daddy married Mommy and Mommy married Daddy.  We love each other very much and we decided to get married so that we could show each other every day how much we love one another".  She engaged me with a response like many of you could understand and many of you will joke..."Mommy, I'm going to marry Easton."  I quickly answered back "No baby, you cannot marry your brother."  She asked "why?"  I explained that brothers and sisters cannot marry one another that she should marry someone that is more like her "boyfriend"  such as her long proclaimed boyfriend Buddy.   She replied sternly "Well mommy, then I am not going to get married!"  I of course told her that it was okay if she decided not to get married.  Not without asking her if it would be okay to tell her who her Daddy and I would like her to marry.  She agreed to listen.  So I began to tell her this..."Well sweetie, your Daddy and I would love very much for you to marry A MAN who will love you, take care of you, support your dreams, treat you like a queen, protect you"  She QUICKLY...and I say and mean QUICKLY....."GOD, I AM GOING TO MARRY GOD MOMMY!"  Again, smiling from ear to ear, proud Mother of Makayla Hamrick....I said "Ohhhhh...You are..."  She surprised me again with a response like this..."Yes Mommy, because I LOVE HIM."  I was fully prepared for her to name off her little fellows at school, Russell and Joshua...but hey, a mom couldn't argue with a response like that.  Those are going to be some tough standards for sure.  I almost feel sorry for the kid.  LOL..

Funny how a 4 year old can recognize who the only perfect Man is.  I was elated with joy, I called my Mema, my Aunt, her Daddy, my Uncle, HER TEACHER....Told her Pop and even went into work this morning first thing and found the Chaplain to tell him.

Kids are sometimes brutally honest...but other times they are just HONEST AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES...

I will most certainly be telling this story at her wedding rehearsal dinner!  And because I will be TOO busy to take the photos myself...I will just have to call Candace Arnold to come take them for us.  Shout out to my TERRIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER....you can check her website out here.  She lives in Stedman, NC pretty close to here...Eastern side of Fayetteville and she is so flippin Awesome!  She is also CitView's  (Fayettevlle's Magazine)  free lance photographer and was featured in February/March Issue.  Complete and utter awesomeness...Maybe one day we can get together for a play date with our cameras and she will let me pick her brain!

Until then....Thanks for reading!  More to follow next time, hopefully sooner than later!

SOMETHING TO PONDER...

So I was in conversation today with my wonderful husband while watching ESPN.  We do this quite often together...however mostly I just pay attention to the Top Ten Plays list.  He more or less follows all the other headlines. 

While watching this, he was complaining "for lack of a better word" about the fact that there was a female commentator.  He and his father don't believe that females should be able to be commentators of football, or any other sport for which they themselves have never played. 

In a very passionate defense, I began to defend all female commentators becuase I disagree with them.  Strongly disagree.  Do we not allow women to be journalist, commentators, reports of such things that they themselves have never experienced?  No, that would be discriminatory, and completely absurd.  Most reporters, journalists, or commentators haven't experienced many of the the things they are responsible for commenting on...interviewing about....commenting on...and so forth.  Its the gathering of information...or how about this one...Maybe the female had 2, 3, 4, or more brothers that she grew up with playing football...or a father that was a professional football player...or whatever the case may be that has made her so passionate about it.  Why shouldnt she be able to comment on the very same things that any male comments on while on the sidelines?  Or while on camera...I am baffled by my husband's and  Fain's point of view on this, however am intriqued as to what some of you may think.  Please share your views...so that I may better understand this point of view...because no matter how they explain it and no matter the conviction they express while in conversation, I still find it rather disturbing. 

What do you think?

FAMILY

Its been really busy lately in the Hamrick house.  Trying to prepare for Brad's Career Course.  He will be taking the camper down there.  That should be fun for us.  We plan on taking the kids up there on the weekends to go fishing.  I think they will enjoy it for sure.  I know Fain and I will.  I will be sure to take lots of pictures.

We had someone to come take a look at the house.  They said it showed well, which pleased me.  At least it was positive feedback.  The only fact that deterred them from making an offer was that it was not quite big enough...

What I have to say to that is....Is can't change the square footage of the house (with more money I am sure I could but we wont go there). So their reason was both justifiable and excusable.  If for any other reason....we would have had some leg work to do to help along the next showing (whenever that would be).   All in all, I think it went well.  Power of Positive thinking, Right?

My Mema, Aunt Marie, and Uncle Wendy came over for dinner last night.  It was really nice to see them all.  We had Chicken Cordon Blue....courtesy of myself....LOL...a rare occasion.  Don't laugh at me!  I made cabbage and curry roasted potatoes...Fain made some brownies and we put some vanilla ice cream on top.  Only Mema and I got cherries on top....That's just because we are special.  Mema and Aunt Marie brought over banana pudding for us too.  It was made at Smithfields....It was great...it just doesn't hold a candle to my Mema's home made.  I love you Mema!

I was able to finish my Aunt Marie's handbag too!  I was so excited....It only  took me 4 months to finish...With Christmas and many other things...hers got put on hold.  She is understanding and I think maybe after seeing it finally she was forgiving.  Maybe......Cross my fingers anyhow...I love you too Aunt Marie!

I am not very good with zippers.  In fact this is only my second time making a bag with one.  So...excuse any flaws you may be able to point out....Over all I think it turned out well.  Also the pics are taken with my phone...so they may be a bit blurry.

These bags take more time to make.  Time is something I don't get a lot of, so.  I would love to be able to make one for everyone that asks...but the fact is...I do it in my spare time.  This means it could take me a long time to finish one or two...Its hard to keep the kids out of my shop too because they are so interested in scissors, markers, paper, fabric, and even my sewing machine (WHICH IS OFF LIMITS)...FOR SURE!....  I try to include them as much as possible, but I am left with the fear that they are going to injure themselves or each other...

....or cut 7 inches of curls off....those of you who know me...know exactly the little bossy pants I am referring to.... ARGH!!!

Though it has been a crazy busy week,  it has been filled with family visits, productitivity, and progress, so I am happy about that and look forward to next week.

Next week, I go to visit Amanda for her birthday...Remember the SURPRISE.....the one my lovely husband decided to give away.  More to follow on that trip.  We plan on making a few little things...So more productivity.  We will see....LOL...

SUPRISE !!!

Its my friend Amanda's Birthday on February 3rd and we haven't spent one together in  quite a long time.  So, I had planned on surprising her by driving to Augusta, GA for a visit.

Well, she just left today from a visit with me here in Fayetteville...and while here, my husband who is always getting onto me for spoiling my surprises....decides to let the cat out of the bag and tell her I was coming up for her birthday!  RATS!  I was so irritated...but it was pretty funny at the same time. At least Amanda thought so....Argh!!  This way now maybe she and I can plan something really fun together to do.

Until then,  I am going to continue to work on the photos I took of her baby, Clay and get them ready to save to disc for her.  Hopefully she will like them all.  Like I said I am not a professional.  It was a great learning experience though to have such a  wonderful little baby to work with.  He is the most content baby, full of smiles, sweetness, and coos.  It was lovely to get to cuddle with him, play with him, and get him to smile back at me.  You can truely see how much he loves his mommy.  There are a couple of the photos where I was able to capture that and how much she adores his little grins.

I love this picture of Amanda and Clay.  The sweetness that they share.  It's just so pure.  She is such a great Mommy.

Its funny when they are so small how soon we forget the little things they do that light up our world.   I was happy she was able to come up and share that with me and my family this weekend.

Lets not forget Addison.  Like Amanda said, "I have never seen trains played with so much until this weekend".  The three children were glued to train tracks, enough to travel from our bedroom down the hall and into Pop's bedroom and around again...even enough to make a pit stop through Makayla's room.  It was nice to see them enjoy each other and the trains so much.

Brad was such a big help this weekend too.  He took the kids to Monkey Joes.  For those of you who do not now what that is...its a indoor Bounce House.  The kids love it and it wears them out.  They were gone for a couple of hours, just long enough for me to get a few shots in of Clay on my camera.

When they got back, they had pizza and crashed!  So even after taking the photos, there was enough quiet time to work on editing them.  I still learning a few tricks with editing photos too.  Check this one out of Clay.

I added a blur because I like the softness it added to the picture.  There is a bit more blur than I like to use usually.  I did this because the backdrop we used wasn't hung very well.  I love him in this photo...He is such a HAM.  Loves to smile a lot.  Amanda and I made this woven blanket for a photo prop out of yarn.  It turned out well with hers and mine layered even.

I like this one because he was sleeping so peacefully.  You can see the texture that the semi woven blanket of yarn adds.  I am sure if I knew what I was doing completely, I could have really captured more with my camera.  Either way, He is a beautiful baby boy wrapped up in the comforts of something homemade and Amanda and I both know it!  LOL.

How about these feet?  I left a copy in color too....I just had to have a copy in black in white.  His feet are so cute.  Makes me wish I was as inclined to learn how to use my camera when my own two kids were babies.  Again...ARGH!!!!!

I hope you have enjoyed the photos.  I am working diligently to improve on taking them.  Thank you Amanda for allowing me to practice with taking these photos of sweet baby Clay.  I really enjoyed every minute of it!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.  I am off to a good nights sleep for another week at work.

BEST FRIENDS

So,

My friend Amanda came up to visit me yesterday.  She brought her newest addition, baby Clay and her middle son Addison.  Her oldest, Beau, is at home with Daddy getting some one on one time.  I am thrilled that they decided to come up to visit for the weekend.  We stayed up late last night trying to you tube how to crochet a baby cap.  It must have taken Me a hundren times just to learn the center turn.  And I am still not 100% convinced I did it right.  While Amanda caught on much quicker, she waited paitently for me to catch up...LOL...I stress the paitenly part.  LOL....

Once we made the center turn we tried to watch this video which was completely too fast for us...so we were pausing left and right.  fliping the center circle and threading in and out before I knew it, I had almost finished my first cap.  LOL...let me rephrase....I almost finished my first BARBIE CAP.  I must have made a wrong turn or gone throught he wrong loop too many times, becuase what was supposed to be a flat and gradual shaped hat took on a turn of its own and cupped inward turning it into a very tiny doll cap.  LOL...So I pulled it apart and started over...

Much to our demise, should I say Amanda's...bless her heart for her paitence....our eyes fell heavy and our beds began to call our name.  So off to bed we went, not before sharing one of Fain's cookies though.  Just what the doctor ordered for our tired eyes...COOKIE.  I hope Brad is not reading this.  LOL. 

So up and at it this morning, I came into work to clear the inbox and much to my suprise, there was only one duty.  so I completed that and thought...Mmmmmmm, I think I will make a quick post while I have some quiet time and then head back home to my dear friend. 

We have plans today to go to Jo Anns.  We are going to buys some fabric, some yarn...and then head back to the house to get to creating.  I will be taking some photos of her cutesy tootsie little baby boy Clay.  I cannot wait. I will post one with her permission later.

Did you know that Jo Anns has a new App for your phone?  Its the coolest thing ever!  I say that becuase my husband forbid me to get it.  I was like....ARE YOU CRAZY?  Of course that is what I am going to get.  So I tried to download it and what do you know, my nifty iphone 4...the latest and greatest, needed to be updated.  So I tried to update it through itunes and what do you know, itunes needed updated.  Of course our internet is slow these days at our lovely home, courtesy of my husband (that will take another post to explain).  So it took over 3 hours to update the itunes.  Then another 4 hours to update my iphone.   Then low and behold, I was able to download my Jo Anns app.  LOVE IT!  It was worth it.  I can manage my online coupons.  I can shop online...I can use my coupons in the store from my phone.  All the cashier has to do is just type in the code my phone provides in my coupon folder.  Isn't that GREAT.  So, no more going to Jo Anns and forgetting my 50% off coupons.  I will have my phone to back me up! 

Can you tell I am just a little excited?  No...really...I am not at all.  Just kidding.   You're right...I am just about to do cartwheels.  LOL...

Well off to the house to go pick up my lovely friend who I love to death and get to Jo Anns to use my coupon.  Again, I hope Brad isnt reading this.....LOL...else he will know I am spending money.  

Enjoy your day!  I know I will.

BACK TO WORK

I am headed to work in 4 hours!  I have lots to do.  Reports to pull, emails to send out, and people to call.  Lets not mention the phone calls I am sure to receive.  So, busy busy busy work.  It will make my day go fast.   Its all okay though really, becuase I really love my job. 

I am going after work today to pick out a comforter set for Fain's room.  The one he has now is pretty lumpy and with trying to sell our house, I want it to look crisp and clean in there. Staging a house is not as hard as most think.  Its keeping it that way that is tough.  When people ask me how many children I have, sometimes I answer two....

Then there are the times that I answer 3 and other times 4.  Fain and Brad sometimes count as my children as much as I clean up after them.  LOL.  I am making it sound worse then it really is.  Brad has become quite the domestic diva lately.    I am so fortunate to have both of them.  So I cannot complain too much you know?

Fain is terrific with the kids, they ABSOLUTELY adore him.  He reads to them, takes them to parks to play, builds train sets with them, brings them surprises, and says prayers with them each night.  Each night we put the kids to bed, Brad, myself, and Fain all three must say prayers with both kids.  Its a nightly routine that cannot be broken.

Another routine is In-flight commands.  You are asking yourself what that is.  Well let me explain.  Brad is a Master rated Jumpmaster.  When he was studying to become a jumpmaster, Brad had to recite in-flight commands on a regular basis.  If you would have asked me a couple of years ago when he was going through the course to recite it, I probably could have spilled out the entire thing word for word.  Now, Brad thought it would be cute to recite them with our son.  So for the past couple of months Brad has made it routine for both of our children to perform in-flight commands (modified version) before their heads hit the pillow.  It so cute that I decided to youtube it.  Check it out below. 

Is that not the cutest thing ever?  Again, I am twisting your arm here.  Just kidding!  

Between Brad, Fain, and myself, the children get plenty of entertainment, but not near as much as the two of them provide us.  It is such a pleasure to see them both smile.

One of them now is calling me downstairs to build a BIG BIG train track.  So before I head off to work, I better get down there and get busy.

Hope you enjoyed the video!

NEGOTIATIONS

Today has been quite rewarding so far.  I managed to negotiate with my husband to get exactly what I wanted.  A new mouse for my MacBook Pro.  And a fan....geesh this thing gets hot sitting in my lap!  I have been playing around in my Photoshop Elements 9 version learning the ropes.  Expecially since I am so used to using Corel PSP X2 on my PC.  So it is suffice to say that my track pad on my laptop is just not cutting it for me.  I have been itching to grab a new mouse, but the thing is the one I want is a bit pricey.   So I thought....Mmmmmm....I bet I could get Brad to get it for me if....I promise to do P90X with him today.

IT WORKED.  And boy am I sore from it now.  Of course he picked the hardest workout for us to do.  Plyometrics.  Argh!!!  Can we say JUMPING JACKS!  So in the end,  It was a win win for me.  I am tired now, I get to take a nap, I get my mouse  (and a fan for my laptop to sit on)  AN EXTRA BONUS FOR ME, and I got a good work out in.  Boy am I great negotiator.

Since I have opted to work on my computer the last couple of snowy days and take photos instead of taking advantage of a nap...I am planning on getting one in for sure today.  My body tells me its time...That work out smoked me.

Before I lay down though I wanted to play on my computer AGAIN to try out some things I watched on youtube with photoshop elements.

I wanted to share them.  The picture is too beautiful not to.  Well Makayla is too beautiful, my picture taking abilities are still lacking in the professional department.  I am working on it though.  Trial and Error...Right?

In this photo I changed it to Black and White and enhanced her blue eyes, by making them a bit bluer.  I also layered it so that  I could add a blur effect to the picture and some pinkness in her lips from the original layer.

I love the photo, I could have done it better I presume, had the fact that I get to take a nap not influenced the amount of time I wanted to spend on it.  I just had to get this photo on my blog though.  I thought she looks so angelic like.  RIGHT?  Now I am twisting your arm to get you to agree.  LOL...Hope it didn't hurt to bad.

Well off to my pillow and then to Best Buy to get my mouse, provided they are open due to the weather.  I sure hope so...

PLAYING WITH MY NIKON

I should name my camera.  I say this because...well...I have had it for a couple of years now and I am just now playing around with it.  So, It deserves a name.  I am trying to do something today other than just lay around and watch TV.  So far I have managed to post this Blog and one other...which is nothing really. 

While Makayla actually fell asleep for her nap, Easton insisted on fighting it.  So, I whipped out my camera and started playing with the Manuel setting.  Since it is a really cloudy day and the house is sort of dark, I thought it would be  great time for me to learn a bit about how to take a photo without flash indoors.  Maybe I could get at least one good shot.  I learned quickly that was tougher than it seemed.  I also learned how hard it is to take a photograph of a MOVING kid with a low shutter speed.  But how else will I learn if I don't start clicking away with the 1000s of settings that I am sure my camera has. 

Maybe now that I have slap wore Easton out and he is  asleep, I can give my camera a break and move onto another project.  Or....I could try and nap with him.  The house is as quiet now as it has ever been...everyone is sleeping but me...THERES A CHANGE....LOL.  I usually pride myself in taking advantage of a nap.  Its the only time I feel like I get rest.  Sleeping through the night for me is sort of a rare event lately. 

Well I guess I could get started on a handbag I have been meaning to finish.  Theres a thought.  In the mean time, here is a shot I was able to edit in photoshop.  Its pretty decent, but not near as great as Candace Arnold could make it with her mad skills.  She is a wonderful photographer.  You can check her site out just by clicking on her name.   Enjoy the picture.  He sure is a cutie (not that I am biased or anything)!

SNOWY DAY

So this morning I wake up to a couple of inches of snow in our yard.  Just as predicted, our yard is covered by a beautiful white blanket of snow.  I am not a fan of cold weather and don't much like cold rains.  Snow is not a favorite of mine either, however its beauty is well worth the chills I feel when I open the back door and the cold air seeps in.
 

It snowed the day after Christmas this year here as well.  That snow piled up to almost 8 inches in some places in our yard.  It was perfect snowman material.

Today's snow however I am not certain will make for a good snow man.   I am certain Makayla and Easton will want to test that theory.  We will see.

You want to know what I don't like about the snow?  Well as crazy as this sounds...I am annoyed that I see foot prints in the snow.  I think of the gorgeous white blanket as perfection.  When people start to walk in it and then Cars start to slosh dirt with their tires, it becomes dirty and flawed.  Its almost like I want to correct it somehow and I know I cannot so...I rather not see it on the ground at all...I TOLD YOU IT WOULD SOUND CRAZY.  But that is just how my mind works sometimes....LOL

Another thing that baffles me is the reactions people have to the weather.   A couple of weeks ago before Christmas, weather threatened for sleet, rain, and ice.  There was a 2 hour delay for every school in the county and for Ft Bragg!  The exclamation of it is....there wasn't much of anything on the roads at all.  This morning  comes and there is a couple of inches on the ground...roads are covered in snow and ice and it  looked as though they didn't even salt the roads (I could be wrong).  It took Ft. Bragg until 8 am to decide whether or not they would shut post down.   I fishtailed the whole way there.  North Carolina rarely gets snow so often...unlike up north where they are used to driving and plowing through snow...we usually shut down everything.  Much to my surprise and not until I actually made it to work do they decide to tell us to turn around.  Post is closed.

Geesh....So...now...I am back home and relaxing in my bed with a hot cup of coffee and enjoying the not so perfect blanket of snow outside my window.

All jokes (complaints) aside.....The smiles on my kids face when they see the snow is well worth any crazy obsessive compulsive thoughts of imperfect snow.

PRODUCTIVE DAY

Today has been really productive.  Since I couldn't sleep from pure excitement about the fact I was starting a new blog, I  spent most of the night looking for ways to personalize my blog page.  I really could get lost in all the new graphics and gadgets available.  I absolutely loved it.  So, needless to say, I am exhausted today.  Still  yet, I managed to get laundry done, both kids down for a nap (thats good for a 3 and 4 year old to still take naps)  Can I get an AMEN?  Bite my tounge now, I am sure i just jinxed it forever now!  At any rate, I also was able to get my floors mopped which is  a huge feat, since I have two grown men in the house who love to track dirt in from our back yard, a little beagle who loves to shed hair, and the gosh forsaken PARROT that Fain, my father in law has, plucking his feathers out!  LOL.  Another day, another story for that subject.  We will leave that one alone for now.

So I also found some really fantastic freebie printables from this designer online at http://www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com/.  I told myself that I was going to start preparing for next Christmas now so that when it arrives I will be ready and not trailing behind all the other procrastinators.  LOL.  I really shot myself in the foot when I didn't stick to last years resolution to start preparing early for 2010 Christmas.  Oh well...It came and went and now I am in 2011 tackling small tasks one at a time, such as the Christmas tags I found on Leelou's website.  They are so stinking cute.  Especially when you punch them out with a shaped punch out, such as the 2 inch scalloped shape puncher.  LOVE It......  Goodbye black sharpie to's and from's written on the wrapping paper, HELLO cutesy tootsie Christmas TAGS.  THANK YOU Leelou!

Easton just crawled in my bed beside me and is sound asleep again.  That boy knows how to steal my heart!  His rosie red cheeks and sweet little nose.  Kids are so darn adorable when they are sleeping.

....And then they WAKE UP!  LOL.

Brad and I are doing something tonight we havent done in  a while.  BOWLING.  How exciting.  This should be fun.  Last time we went bowling Brad got mad becuase he didnt bowl enough strikes.  The guy is a pretty good bowler too.  But first came the look and then went the hat.  He reminds me so much of our little Makayla.  LOL..  Perfection is good enough!  To them anyhow.  We are going with a couple of 3/ 73 pals of ours.  So I know we will have a  great time and maybe Brad won't pout too much.  LOL.  Just kidding.  I know he prides himself on being GREAT  at everything.  Thats why I love him so much.

Brad is golfing now in 30 degree weather.  Nothing will keep him from 18 holes and a Sunny Day, except a RAINY day and Snow...which weather threatens by Monday or Tuesday of next week.  So, its good he got in the 18 today.  Now he will be a much happier camper next week for sure!

Well off to shower to get ready for our company to come over.

Ciao'

MY FIRST BLOG!

Hello everyone!  I am excited to start this blog.  It's sort of funny though since not too long ago I remember asking some friends what a blog even was.  LOL!  I don't think I even ever got a real solid answer.  So that brings me to... tonights blog. Why I am now deciding to take on this venture?  For those of you who know me and are reading this, you might be saying, where is she finding the time to blog.  She doesnt even hit up facebook on a regular basis.  Well my friends, I have made it my new years resolution to turn a new leaf and become better at writing down things that matter to me.  I am planning on keeping those who I hold close to my heart updated on the Hamrick Family events.  And....for those of you who don't know me....After a few posts...I am certain you will feel as though you have for your whole life.  You see I am what most call a CHATTERBOX.  Recently I told my dear husband, Brad, that I wanted to write a book.  Before I take on such a journey, I THOUGHT I WOULD BLOG.  I have a lot to say and well a lot to write about.  So after tonight, It is my goal to update family and friends, but most of all...just write down those moments throughout my day that make me smile, cry, laugh out loud, and yes even those that embarrass me.  I hope each of you enjoy the colorfulness that I have been told I bring.  I hope that I will find myself an outlet of some sort to channel all that I have going through my head at night.  Heck!  Maybe I will get some really good sleep after all.

So to start my first blog off I would like to give those that don't know me a piece of history about me, my family, and my friends.  You will soon see why I feel the need to finally articulate myself through blogging.

Well, Childhood was no cupcake, but could have been a lot worse FOR SURE.  So for that I do count my blessings.  Having said that, I will say that I have grown from those experiences and I have tried to embrace them as tools to use while raising my own children.  I married at age 21 to a wonderful man, named Brad.  We met at Western Carolina University where we both eventually graduated.  Go CATS!!!  Just 3 days after we married, he joined the United States ARMY.  He left for basic training literally on the 3rd day post wedding...LOL.  Over the course of the next 6 months, he finished basic, AIT, and Jump School.  For those SKY SOLDIERS & 82nd DIVISION GUYS and GALS reading this.....AIRBORNE!!!  Our first Duty assignment was none other than Vicenza, Italy.  Yes, you read right...How lucky could we be.  Well read on....

After arriving in Italy, just 7 days later, Brad was a part of the SKY SOLDIERS who jumped into Iraq.  So I spent our first year of marriage in Italy, some would say alone.  Scared, worried, and Sad, that my husband was in a newly declared warzone....I managed to obtain a job as an accounting technician at the local department on base.  There I met some really terrific friends who will later turn out to become THICK AS FAMILY.

After a year in Iraq, Brad returned home safe, we spent the following year preparing for Brad to attend OCS (Officer's Candidate School).  We returned back to the United States in April of 2005 where Brad spent the next 16 weeks in Ft. Benning, GA.  I waited for him at his soon to be new duty assignment, Ft. Bragg, NC.  We have spent the last 5 years here in Fayetteville, NC.  Well I should say I have.  Brad has since been deployed 2 more times totaling 3 tours to Iraq.  Somehow, he managed to work his magic and we now have two beautiful children to show for it.  Makayla who is now 4 and Easton is now 3.  Yes once again, I am not playing a trick.  They are exactly 12 months and one week apart.  Am I crazy?  ........  Maybe.  But Happy none the less.

Recently, before Brad returned home from Iraq, we found out our little girl had a brain tumor.  Makayla is such a miracle to us.  The tumor was just about the size of a racket ball!  She survived an almost 7 hour brain surgery.  She is walking talking and priss-potting around like no ones business!  We are so greatful to the staff at the University of North Carolina Children's Hospital.  The 3 teams of neurologists, brain surgeons, and oncologists that followed her are by far the fondest heros in both mine and Brad's life.  Becuase of them, and all the prayers that surrounded us, she pulled through in no time and has without a doubt blown us away with her recovery.

We also have some pretty terrific friends who stood by me while I waited for Brad to fly home from Iraq.  He arrived just the morning after the surgery.  Poor guy, had to fly 15 hours without knowing if his daughter survived the procedure.  As if finding out your 4 year old baby girl has a brain tumor on skype isnt bad enough.  Although, I must say this...thanks to skype, he was able to speak with the doctors some what face to face and have them answer the 1000 questions he had running through his head at the time...so....a HUGE thank you SKYPE!!!! 

Those pretty terrific friends I was mentioning just now...did I say terrific... I MEANT PHENOMENAL!  Amanda drove 5 hours to come help with my son, and took him home for about a week while we got things settled and arranged.  That helped tremendously because we weren't worried about how to answer some pretty difficult questions he would have had.  That kid is
IN-QUIS-I-TIVE!!!  Kristy flew from Louisiana to be with me after the surgery.  Chiara sat with me through the surgery, Sherry, Danny, Eddie, Shelley, Zee, The Curry's, Buddy, Kevin, Charlene, MYAH MASON...my own personal connection to GOD.  (she the wife of a ARMY CHAPLAIN)  So special requests were made on our behalf.  Just Kidding.  I do know that there were an eplithera of prayers going out.  The list of friends goes on and on.  FAMILY....just count each of them there...you couldn't have pulled them away even if they were told they were in danger of being exposed the highest radiation levels ever.  THEY WERE there!!!!  And we are are so grateful of that.

Easton is such a special little boy to us.  Of course, he is our son....we aren't biased in any way right?  LOL.  He has such a big heart.  He stayed close to his sister thought out  her recovery. You know, he's going to be a famous golfer one day.  He's been hitting them into our neighbors yard across the street since he was still in diapers at a year and half old.  He could clear his daddy's jeep at 2 years old.  FIRECRACKER!!!  That is what he is going to be.   LOOK OUT TIGER...or PHIL...our child prodigy is making his mark and is bringing his sister along for the ride! Where he goes she goes...and vice verse.

Anyhow....if Brain Surgery wasnt enough, Brad returned to Iraq just 2 weeks post OP and the day after he boarded the plane...our house flooded due to a refrigerator malfunction!  So 3 months later in a hotel, our house was renovated downstairs and we are now back inside.   Brad is home now...He is attending Captains Career Course in February for 6 months.  Then where ever the ARMY takes us we will go.

So...not so much in a nutshell...but that about sums up the most history in detail you will get from me.  So from here on out...All my blogs will be short, sweet, hopefully FUNNY...because...there usually is something silly going on...my two kids are awfully entertaining.  So...check back again....I will most definitely have something to make you smile.