See ya.

Baby K and I...



well, we're blowing this popsicle stand. We're headed to greener more colorful pastures. Where are we going might you ask?

Well, we're not tellin'....

But I guess we'll take Daddy, too.



He IS pretty helpful when it comes to holdin' the paci.

See ya in a few days ;)

Love,

Mrs. K and Baby K

Sickos.

When I started this blog, back when we lived in Alaska, I could regale you with all sorts of tales of the land. I could discuss things that intrigued you about Alaska, like sixty below zero temps or how for fun, Alaskans build outhouses and race them down the street. I could blog/vlog about our adventures in hunting in The Arctic Circle. Perhaps you were surprised when during a bonfire with friends, a moose walked right up to our party. Now, that was entertaining. There was always a bear, dall sheep, or something to write home about.

Here in Louisiana...

There are the love bugs.

[caption id="attachment_3452" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="(Not my image)"][/caption]

Not nearly as exciting.

But this is my life now and I should document it.

Is anyone else offended by these nasty little creatures? I mean, could you procreate somewhere other than my car, front door, and mailbox please?

They. are. everywhere. Just the other day, I endangered my life as I drove to Lake Charles because of one (err, TWO) of these suckers. They were on the driver's side window, just enough to where I could see them in my peripheral vision. I tried to ignore them, but...

umm...

GRODY!

I pushed the pedal to the metal, aiming to get those little black bugs out of my sight. I even gave them a pep talk about going to fly with their friends (who were mating nearby, the sickos). They just wouldn't leave and I was inching close to 80 mph and I wasn't on the interstate. Luckily, they let go and left me to finish my drive in peace.

For such a sweet, cute name they are some ugly creatures.

 

Bananas.

This week was bananas-

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Little man decided to go completely insane for a couple of days. Bless his heart. I think I was poisoning him with my coffee habit. Remember how I told you I had to cut back to decaf? It was terrible. But now, it's terrible awful because I can't even have that anymore. I had a hunch that the coffee was upsetting his tummy and it wasn't just the caffeine that was the culprit. I think I was right. When I quit drinking coffee and it got out of my system, he started complaining a little less, spitting up a little less, and smiling a little more! I hope these changes are here to stay for more than twenty four hours. Wish me luck.

On Saturday, my dad and step-mom came into town to visit Baby K. It was so nice to be able to spend a couple of days with them. Baby K has met all but one of his grandparents!

 

They graciously watched him for us while Captain J and I had a date night day. If we're facebook pals, you know that I checked into the local movie theatre with my love to finally see The Help. Since then, I've told Baby K - You is kind, you is smart, you is important- like every day. I love that book and the movie was pretty great, too! We had planned on going out to eat afterward, but we missed our sweet little boy so much that we just came on home.

"Pap" and "Ju-Ju" s visit just didn't last long enough and before we knew it, they were pulling out of the drive way.

And before I knew it, I was up to my head in laundry and homework again. On one particularly fussy day, I decided I'd drop one of my classes for next semester. If I'm barely getting my work done in one class, I'll never get anything done in two. So, go ahead and tack on another semester at least for me to graduate and people to call me Master. (Oh, people don't do that when you get your Master's degree?) Boo hoo.

Luckily, this little one is worth it.



He's great. He's really great. Have I said that recently? ;)

Anywho, I've been feeling creative lately. Unfortunately, I've had little to no time to create. But last week, I pinned two things on Pinterest that you might try to do, too...

 You've probably seen other people do this easy little craft, but in case you haven't I wanted to show you my version. I got the picture frame for 3 bucks at a thrift store. Next, you have to have a printer. Now, this is where it gets really difficult (insert facetiousness)....Type out your message, leave a little space for you to write, and then print! Voila! You have a sweet way to let your husband (or child) know how much they mean to you each day. Just use a dry erase marker to write on the glass of the frame and you've got yourself a craft. Woo hoo!

Then there's this purdy little necklace (Note: I didn't make this). It would be too easy to do for those of you who have access to jewelry making stuff. Here in back woods Louisiana, there's no such store. Ok, maybe there is but it's 45 minutes away and my last trip there was a bit of a nightmare so that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Leesville, LA you could just stop by this cute little store and pick up one for yourself.

I'm going to go check up on all of you now. My google reader is getting out of control! #totalblogstalker here. Adios amigos.

Wordless Week?

I've been MIA this week. Did you miss me?

Well, you'll probably have to miss me a little more...

Because I can't stay. I'm just on my way to bed.

But here's an update (in pictures) of my week thus far-

There's been lots of this:

And some of this-

Then I contemplated fixing my mop (on my head)-

And I waltzed into the hair salon today and just did it!

There's much more to say,

but try as I may

I can't seem to stay,

I must hit the hay.

Believe it or not, that's original. If my lyrical words don't keep you comin' back for more, I just don't know what will. Join me tomorrow for a more in depth post? I'll tell you all about my family visiting me, date night, and other fun stuff.

XOXO,

Mama K

 

Princess dreams

If I happened to be a princess, I wouldn't ask for much. Just a wall full of books and loads of time to read them. Since J and I have been married, it has been an ongoing joke between us that he would never buy me shelves. I asked for them once and he said that 'Army families couldn't have shelves because they'd just get damaged or broken in the various moves we'd have to make and no one makes a good, sturdy shelf anymore so we'd just have to wait until we got out of the Army'. I'm paraphrasing here, but I'll tell ya- that's pretty spot on to what he told me.

Naturally, I thought he was joking, but as the years go by, I'm starting to believe him. The man won't buy me bookshelves.

When we arrived at Ft. Benning and began house shopping, I immediately fell in love with the built in bookshelves in the house we ended up renting. I walked in the front door, saw the lovely, tall shelves, and whispered in awe, "this is the one."

Remember them?

They were fabulous. So much room for literary geniuses (and ok, let's be honest, some delightful vampire novels)! So much room for little knick knacks.

But now I've got this:

(Not the baby bump- praise the Lord!)

Those awful little cube shaped shelves. Now, I know they have their place. I have this one because it was originally in my very own craft room that no longer exists due to lack of space. And I'm sure it will look sweet as pie when I move it to Baby K's room to organize his toys later on in life.

But really...

It's no place for books.

I mean, they need room to breathe...

Like here:

or here:

One day, when I grow up...

I'll have bookshelves.

Or maybe I'll wait until Captain J goes out in the field and sneak them in then. Either way,  "it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine!" (Name that movie for cool points.)

Anyway, thanks pinterest, for letting this (wannabe) princess dream.

XOXO,

Mrs. K

Vloggin' Again

To play along, link up with Mama M!



*I don't know why youtube likes to cut off my audio, but I basically said "bye, gotta run, the baby is calling!"

but now look who is just as happy as a lark...



And guess whose shirt is covered in spit up now. If you said his, you're correct. If you said mine, you're also correct. Now you know why I didn't bother to change out of my PJ's.

See ya on the flip side.

Love,

Mrs. K

It's ok.

It's ok...

...that I already have a large part of our paycheck dedicated to this lady due to her scentsy business and her Vlog Blog Sale!

...that I just referred to my husband's paycheck with the Army as "our" paycheck. ;)

...that I did absolutely nothing yesterday and then rewarded myself with a trip to Sonic.

...that I would rather play with our sweet five week old instead of doing school work.

...and it's also ok that I typed up a big, long post about my goals toward losing the last 10ish lbs of baby fat and I have failed to publish it because I've only worked out once this week.

It's ok. Not gonna sweat it! Today anyway.

Wanna play along? Link up with Amber.

I am weak.

When you're up to your eye balls in diapers, laundry, and homework, what do you do?

I'll tell you what I do.

Absolutely nothin'.

Last night my sleep was less than restful so when little man woke me up for the gazillionth time this morning, I decided I wasn't getting up and doing anything productive. I was finally going to follow the wise words- "You sleep when he sleeps". I fed him and then put him down in his crib. I laid down in my own bed and waited for the next high pitched screamed to drag me out of bed again. Imagine my surprise when it didn't come until 10am!

Baby K slept in his crib for the first time ever today. Such a big boy!

For the rest of the morning, we hung out and watched Teen Mom while I fed him and he dozed off. Part of me feels slightly panicked for not doing a darn thing. The other part of me knows that this is something I needed.

The other day during my personal bibly study, I had Pandora on in the background. A song came on and the words really spoke to me. It was something I already knew, but a good reminder just the same...

Half the time I'm wandering around the house like a zombie. I'm going through the motions- changing diapers, feeding, trying to figure out why Baby K is upset, trying not to get an attitude with Captain J because of lack of sleep, trying to make the boys in my life happy. I'm not broken, but I am weak. I'm pretty tired most days. I'm in a strong current, treading water, but just barely, trying to stay afloat in school.

Many times, the last thing that is on my mind is how I can serve God. I talk to Him and ask Him where he wants me, but I rarely listen or hear Him when He speaks. After all, when do I have the time to further God's kingdom? I don't even have time to sleep.

In 2 Corinthians, I found:

"For though he was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you." - 2 Corinthians 13:4

Then I remember how weak Jesus was on that day. I remember how God used Him, even at his weakest point. And I think, I can surely find time throughout my day to serve God. Even if it's just in the little things...

* Like telling my husband how much he means to me and how he is appreciated

* Like taking care of my sweet son while remembering that I'm going to miss this stage of his life when he's older

* Like taking time out of my day to truly talk and listen to God

So what if I'm tired and weak? God uses the unlikeliest of people. I have so many blessings in my life to be thankful for- my family, my friends, my health, the church, a roof, water, food...

and this little guy who I can't imagine loving any more than I already do. I'm so so very thankful for him!

Here's the song. I hope you all have a blessed week!

weekend

This is the ole 'I didn't do much this weekend but I'm going to tell you about it anyway' post. Ye be warned!

On Friday, Baby K and I met up with a friend and her daughter for coffee at a local joint. This town where we currently reside has slim pickin's in the coffee department (read: every department) so imagine my utter joy at finding a place with a huge list of specialty coffees! I want to try every single fall inspired cup! Here are some photos from our little date:

(Whoa...that picture is too big)

(There...that's better)

We had such a good time. It was nice to get out of the house and talk to another adult. Captain J just isn't very good at girl talk. Aside from K getting milk drunk and puking all over my dress, we had a lovely outing. Ha!

On Saturday, we watched football until it was time to have dinner. We ate over at said friend's house with her and her husband. Again, this was fun, too until Baby K screamed, "TAKE ME HOME!" which sounded more like "WAAAAAA AAAA AAAHHH!"

This young un has quite a set of lungs on him.

Finally, Sunday we were able to take Baby K to church. We had refrained from doing so up until this point because as my great grandmother used to say, "That's a lot of fellowship to wash off your hands". We were afraid that people would be touching him, breathing in his face, or (*gasp) wanting to hold him. I went prepared with hand sanitizer for the really persistant ones, but everyone was on their best behavior. They all welcomed him to church from a distance which made this new mommy very thankful. I really like that church.

Afterwards, we came home to watch some more football. Unfortunately, our pro team didn't do so hot. It. got. ugly.

But at least we were cute in our gameday gear:

And now we've arrived at Monday. I've been cleaning the house, entirely sleep deprived all day. The highlight was when I heard the *honk honk of the mail lady and saw that my new cloth diapers had arrived. Woo hoo!

It's weird what adults get excited about, huh?

We've had some other excitement around here, too. Yesterday the pups got to come inside for awhile and hang out with the baby because J had a situation outside to attend to. A poisonous water mockasin was lurking by the porch and we can't have that, can we? Captain J took care of it (with a shotgun).

We also had a rather huge spider running around the hallway the other night. But after a double (ok, maybe tripple) tap, that sucker was history.

There's lots of creepy, crawly things in Louisiana.

But we like it here.

 

One Month

Dear Baby K,

I can't believe you're one month old. Pretty soon you'll have to get a job. I kid, kid. But really, you're growing up too fast. I find myself trying to soak in everything. When I wake up in the middle of the night to feed you, I squeeze and hold you just a little bit longer than necessary because I never want to forget how sweet you are when you're cuddled up on me. My favorite part is when I can sneak a kiss on the tiny little spot where your neck meets your shoulders. I just love those precious little skin rolls and I can't help but to kiss you when I see them.

You really are the cutest kid ever.

I love the way you look like a (really cute) large mouth bass when trying to get your paci situated firmly in your mouth.

Sometimes, when you're really tired, you'll shoot your little arm up into the air in a "Power to the People" pose. When you do this, I think you take after me because I happen to find one arm up in the air quite comfortable, too- always have. Don't tell too many people that, Baby K. They'll think you're weird.



You are quite the little puker. You get that from me, too. Your YaYa says I threw up everything, too. Sorry, kid. It's lookin' like you got a lot of weird things from me...like my chin. It's cute, though- endearing, too.

You also look so much like your father right now. When I look into your eyes, I can see him in there and that makes me pleased as peaches. He is so proud of you, Baby K. When he leaves for work, I'll threaten him within an inch of his life not to wake you, but he can't help sneaking into your room and stealing a kiss. I always know because this is precisely the point at which you start stirring. He loves you so much. He can't wait to hold you when he gets home from work and he's constantly singing ridiculous songs with me to entertain you.

This month we learned that you're not so partial to church hymns, but you do love a little Johnny Cash...calms you every time! You also enjoy the heat outside and fall right to sleep when I take you on walks with me. Bath time is still a bit rocky, but you're liking it more and more. Just wait until you can play with rubber ducky. You'll love it!



You are such a big boy that you're sleeping in your own room now. You have a rock and play that serves as your main spot for catching z's, although you love to fall asleep in Daddy's arms nightly.



You are and will continue to be a blessing to your dad and me. We love you very much. Happy one month to you, little man!

Love,

Mama

5QF-Vlog with Baby K

Head over to My Little Life to play along with us this week.

I mentioned a link in my vlog- You can find Laura Vecchione's music here or on Twitter here.



Happy Friday!

And A Vol Was Born

With Fall brings football and this makes for a very happy Mrs. K.

Adios, summer and your 100+ temps!

Let's play some football (and sip pumpkin spice lattes and play in a big pile of leaves)!

When I'm away from Neyland Stadium on game day, I always feel a little sad. Before the Army came into my life, I was at just about every home game. There's nothing like wandaring around campus with 100,000 other fans in a sea of orange. Tailgating with family and friends, listening to the band play Rocky Top, and watching the Vols throw around a football makes me happy inside. But as you know, the past few years I haven't been able to go to many games. For some reason, Captain J wouldn't let me fly from Alaska to Tennessee just to watch young men throw around a football. Although, I did make it to one game last year.

Anyway...

Here we are- Ft. Polk, LA. Hours and hours away from Knoxville, yet again.

We're still celebrating, though. And now a UT fan is born.

And boy does he get mad at the thought of the Vols losing.

Good thing he won't have to think much of that ;)

He was even sporting an orange diaper. Super fan in the making!

We were all settled in around the t.v. with our favorite vices-

Beer and Paci.

Oh my, how things have changed.

Good game, boys! We'll see ya next week. :)

What Makes the World Go Round

I'm pretty sure that KISS had it all wrong. They don't know what makes the world go round. I do, though. It's coffee. How in the sam hill did I go 9 months without it? Who can trust anyone that looks like KISS, though?

Oh, wait...that's me. Scratch that.

Another reason I'm functioning today is because my sweet baby boy let me sleep last night (Cue "Hallelujah, hallelujah..."). I think he sensed that yesterday was kinda rough for me and he wanted to give me a break.

I woke up pretty early so I could feed, dress, and change Baby K. I also had to get myself ready along with a breakfast casserole for the bible study group I was headed to. No biggie, right?

Well, perhaps for a pro like yourself, you could do all these things easily. This rookie can't say that. I'm still working on the supermom role, but it's not looking good, folks. Anyway, I head off to post to spend some time with the Lord. Just what I needed!

But just when I thought I could get through the morning with absolutely nothing going wrong, I cried. In front of strangers.

#ihatewhenthathappens

If someone asks a first time mom how things are going, they should be prepared for either 1.) a lie 2.) a long, detailed answer. Unfortunately, my long, drawn out answer was tinged with tears and fear. Before I knew it, water works were flowing from my eyes and word vomit was coming from my mouth. It was the classic over-share: "I'm worried about K and his thrush problem", "I think I'm a terrible mom", "I don't know what I'm doing", "I just want him to feel better", "His diaper rash is awful", "My blood pressure is sky high", "I'm behind in my classes"- and I could continue, but I'll spare you.

I like to think I'm a strong woman, but I'm a total crier...much to Captain J's dismay.

Oh, well...sometimes my release is a good talk with a friend, sometimes it's the words of this blog, and on my least favorite days- It's a public freak out moment. I suppose I was due.

I'm feeling better now. It must be all the prayers those ladies sent up for me because nothing has really changed. There's still homework to be done. My house is a wreck. And Baby K and I are still trying to kick this nasty thrush episode.

But today is a new day.

And this little guy and I are going to take it one day at a time.

And, okay, maybe Bob Merrill and/or the boys of KISS were right in that love makes the world go round, too.

Coffee is a close second.

Love,

Mrs. K

It's the little things.

There have been so many moments when it hits me- how proud I am to be a military wife. It's a role I never saw myself filling, but one I'm so grateful to have today. It's the little things that remind me. Like the one time we were out to dinner in East TN and Captain J was asked about his Alaska t-shirt. He responded to the older gentleman that we were stationed in Alaska and made small talk after that. When we went to leave, we learned that our appetizers, dinner, and a bottle of wine were all taken care of, thanks to some guy who just wanted to show his appreciation. We didn't even get to thank him.

I know it makes Captain J uncomfortable when people do this for him, but I just feel incredibly grateful and very proud to be a part of the military lifestyle.

It's the little things. Like seeing my man in uniform walk through the door every day after work.

Like that first hug after a 12 month deployment.

Like hearing the national anthem and feeling such pride that my husband is among men and women who sacrifice their time to protect and serve our great country.

Like reading this post and relating to it so much.

It's the little things that remind me how blessed I really am despite how hard this lifestyle may seem to others. I can't imagine my life turning out any other way.

Milspouse Weekly Roundup

What's that you say? It's roundup time again? I'm so happy to get a chance to host this week. Welcome to Milspouse Weekly Roundup!

What's this all about? Well, all you have to do is link up a favorite post of yours from this week so that everyone can catch up with you. I like it because it makes it easy to check up on your favorite milspouse blogs if you don't have a chance to read them every day. Whoever is hosting usually provides a little info about themselves as a bit of an introduction so without further ado...

I'm Mrs. K.

The handsome fella beside me is Captain J....although you wouldn't be able to tell he's an officer in the U.S. Army with a beard like that! He's the best thing that ever happened to me. The Mr. (and the Army) came into my life a few years ago and I never looked back. Since then, we've moved three times and expanded our family to three (five if you count our dogs!). Three weeks ago, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy. He keeps me on my toes!

On top of the responsibilities of being a new mother, I'm also a graduate student studying to obtain a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy. I'm also the new girl on post, as we recently PCS'ed to Ft. Polk, Louisiana. I'm enjoying our new location and staying busy trying to meet new people in the area when I get some free time.

I'm a Christian. A scrapbooker. A hiker. A fisher. A candlestick maker....ok, scratch that last one. It's not true.

Thanks for taking a peek into my world. I hope you'll come back!

Next week, the roundup will be over at Adventures of the K Family. Be sure to visit her blog and catch up with her adventures in Alaska. Now, let's go see what everyone has been up to, shall we? Link up below!

The Lincoln Lawyer

I read this a million years ago over a month ago, but as usual I'm late in giving you a review. I had heard good things about this book and it didn't disappoint.

The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly, tells the story of Mickey Haller, a hardcore, big shot criminal defense attorney. He rarely worries himself over small potatoes like innocence or guilt, but rather defends anyone who can pay him the big bucks. One day, he learns that a young man from Beverly Hills has asked for him specifically in a case where he was accused of attacking a woman after an encounter at a local bar. Haller knows this means a big pay out for him and gladly accepts the case. The lawyer can't believe his luck as he finds more and more information, making the case seemingly the easiest one to date. Then someone close to him is murdered and it turns his world upside down. How will it affect the case? How will it affect his practice of law?

You'll just have to read and find out! I'd give this book 3 out of 5 stars- very entertaining and I'd recommend it to a friend (that's you.).

If you'd rather not read and feast your eyes on some Matthew McConaughey, the movie was decent, too. Of course, the book is better, but it's worth popping this movie in for a date night in. That's what we did.

Happy reading (or viewing)!

The next review coming up: From Baghdad With Love