One last update of 2012

Dear Friends,

How are you? I'm doing well. I trust you all had a Merry Christmas. I hope so. I've been MIA, but I'm back now. We've been drifters, moving from place to place over the holidays. Now, we've officially moved into my grandparents' house where we'll be staying over the next few months before we make the move to Jacksonville...and man, are we getting spoiled here! There's been lots of jumping on the bed and...oh, I kid, I kid. But we are really enjoying our time here and are incredibly thankful to my grandparents for helping us out (again).

Christmas was delightful.

Sweet little Cray K took an active part in opening his gifts this year which was a drastic change from last year. It was fun to watch him rip into paper and thoroughly enjoy the wrapping paper and box more than the toy itself. I don't know why we bought him anything really. He would have been good with tape, crinkly paper, and empty boxes.

He is also really doing well in his new role as Big Brother. There is some jealousy at times, but there are also many sweet moments like the one above. He often rocks Baby A or hands him his paci. It's too cute, folks. Of course, I'm a little biased.
Baby A has exceeded my expectations. When I was pregnant with him, I truly had no clue what I would do as a mother of two. K gave me such a hard time as a tiny babe that I knew nothing else. Baby A is quiet, cuddly, and sleepy- three things that Cray K definitely was not. I spent the first few weeks asking my mom what was wrong with Baby A. I had no idea a baby could be so quiet. I finally understand the expression "slept like a baby" because before I had no idea what people were talking about. These two polar opposites are my world! I've had some awful days- ones where I just knew I was in over my head with having two babies under two in my care, however my thoughtful friends reminded me that "God doesn't make mistakes" and He meant me to be a mother to both of them. I just repeat that to myself when they're both screaming at the same time! Honestly, that doesn't happen too much.
I feel as if I should spend the next 60 minutes knocking on wood, just in case.
I'm not going to do that, though...because I'm tired and both boys are asleep so I should be, too. Thanks for sticking with me during my quiet phase. I am excited to be able to write again. Please forgive me for taking forever to respond to comments on previous posts. I lost access to my email for awhile and it has been a big mess. I'm going to work on that tomorrow, too.

Happy New Year, my friends.

XOXO,

Kindness

Some days I wake up and I just want to see something good online. Something positive, uplifting. There are many times when I use a status update for venting as do so many others. I just don't want to be the person that voices negativity all the time. I hope when you come to my blog you're looking for something happy and not expecting a complaint. I don't want to be that girl. 

Yesterday, I had a bad experience in the parking lot of a Target that I was quick to announce on facebook. In short, someone asked me for money and I gave her some even though I knew she was lying about why she needed it. What I didn't tell everyone is the other woman in the parking lot that helped me out when she saw a need...

I was carrying the boys and pushing my cart to the car (Do not ask me how, I do not know) when I heard a loud, scraping sound. It sounded like a car scraping another but it was much closer to me so I knew it was something I was doing. "Great", I thought, "I just broke half the items I bought." I looked down and a toy I had purchased for Cray K was stuck under my cart, seemingly bent and destroyed. I had just survived a Christmas shopping spree in a busy city with two children under two. K had just finished up his recent shrieking session as I paid and we'd made it out of the store alive. I was feeling good about my first journey out alone with both kids and then that happened. When the toy fell and became dislodged under the cart, I saw a lady cross over a few aisles to rush to my aid and help me pick it up and return it to a more secure place in the cart. She also added, "This happens to me all the time" in an effort to make me feel a little better about not having it all together.

There are nice people everywhere, too. Sometimes it's hard to remember that especially in the midst of all the terrible things we see on the news and social networking. But when something bad happens, there's always an individual or a group of people ready to step in and help in some way. Here are some happy things I've seen on the Internet lately:

Laura is donating 100% of her Scentsy revenue to Newtown, CT.

A local woman died of a bacterial infection just three days after delivering her daughter. There are two women who are gathering items such as diapers, wipes, etc. as well as money to help out her family in their time of need. Please let me know if you'd like to help and I'll put you in contact with the right people!

Let's all make it a point to notice kindness in our every day lives, shall we? 

Love,

Recap

*dusting off the keyboard*

Hello. My name is Mrs. K and I'm the brains behind this little blog. I feel as if I should introduce myself since I've been gone for so long. It has been a busy last few weeks. Just to recap:

2 Weeks Ago:

Photo Credit

We welcomed sweet Baby A into the world. I can't imagine my life without this precious boy now. Our lives have become so much busier, but so much fuller, too. I love him so much.

Here we are at his first appointment:

3 Days Ago:

We left our home in Louisiana (and the Army) to drive to TN for Christmas. Captain J is done with his military career and is moving on to civilian life. We'll be here for a month or two and then we're moving again.

Here's our crazy family dog, Lucy, after swiping an ornament-

It's good to be home.

Cray K is good, too-

There he is with his dad on Friday, just before we hit the road to leave. I can't believe how big he is getting! All parents say that, don't they? Typical.

I just love my babies. Sorry I'm not sorry.

In regard to recent events in CT, I'm squeezing them both even tighter. I doubt I'll ever have any words to explain what I felt when I turned on the news that day. Days later, I can't even fathom the depths of evil this world has and my heart is breaking. Shattering.

What is happening to our families?
To our schools?

It's terrifying.

Perhaps I'll have more to say on the tragedy later, but right now...

The best response I can think of is to spend time with my own children- teaching them, loving them.

Thanks for checking in with us. We'll chat soon.

Love,

Meanwhile in Louisiana...

We were watching the Amazing Race (awesome finale, ehh?) when it was so rudely interrupted by some tornado weather suggestions. Please note numbers 5 and 4 which seem to contradict each other...jus' saying.

We're in the home stretch of the last few days here in LA. My house is scattered with boxes and army gear...

and toys...and diapers....lots and lots of diapers.

The Mrs. K and Captain J household is doing well, but we're on the move very soon. I apologize for not visiting your blogs very often and taking forever to respond here. I've been one busy gal. As always, I thank ya for stopping by and checking in with us.

I'll write when I can.

XOXO,

Life Lately

Five more days. That's all that's left in the home that we brought Cray K and Baby A home to. The end of this stint here in Louisiana marks the end of Captain J's career in the U.S. Army. We've lived here just over a year and a half and it has been our longest time spent in the same house since we've been married. You'd think I would have bittersweet thoughts about it, but I'm looking forward to leaving Ft. Polk. It was fine while it lasted but I don't think I'll harbor much regret when I look back. I will miss the few people I've come to know here, though! 

Today I've been busy trying to pack what we'll need for our next step of this journey. We're headed home to Tennessee for a couple months before we move to Jacksonville for J's new job. There's a lot to do as you can imagine. In between packing up boxes, I'm completely absorbed in our new little addition to the family. He is absolutely wonderful, y'all. I have barely heard him cry. He is eating well. He never spits up. He is happy. This is all so new to me. K has always been rather cranky from day one so this behavior was an unexpected blessing. I may or may not be holding my breath, waiting for the bottom to drop out, though.

In the past few days since my mom and sister left, life in our household has been difficult. Cray K has really lived up to his name. I suppose he's all out of whack because of all the changes we've thrown his way this week, but his behavior has been terrible. I feel like I'm failing as a parent. I'm just crossing my fingers that his "terrible twos" started early and this is something that everyone deals with from time to time.

For the most part, K doesn't acknowledge his little brother. Occasionally, he'll saunter over to pull a body part or pat his head. Sometimes he rocks (read: shakes violently) the bassinet, but luckily I'm usually there to swoop in and save my sweet Baby A from his older brother's wrath. I'm definitely looking forward to going home so that K can have some distraction from cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents! I want my sweet little boy back and maybe if there are more people to play with, he'll be happy again.

I want to cry just typing that.

I know this is all just an adjustment period for him and for all of us. I tried to play extra long with K, rock him to sleep, and take care of him just like I would before Baby A came along. It doesn't seem to help. Now, J and I have adopted the approach of divide and conquer- with him caring for K while I watch over A. It's not much fun, but it's working alright.

No matter how hard it is with Cray K, I simply won't wish the days away. I love soaking up all the time I can with A. When K was a newborn, it was really really difficult. Baby A has shown me just how different babies can be. They're both equally precious and I'm so grateful God chose me to be their mama! I certainly don't deserve the role, but I hope I'll figure it all out in time.  Thank you all for your prayers during this tumultuous period in our lives! 

Birth Story- Baby A

(First of all, let me start by saying I like to keep things pretty neat and clean around here. With that being said, I'm also going to tell you a lot about my birthing experience with Baby A so if that sort of thing weirds you out...well, you'll have to just check back in in a few days. Ye be warned.)

My mom and sister arrived Sunday night after driving all day to get here from Tennessee. They came with plans to help us out, especially in regard to watching Cray K while we headed to the hospital for my induction day on Monday morning. I went to bed that night feeling quite uncomfortable. I wasn't necessarily contracting, but my back was killing me and my nerves were completely shot. I was a mess, worrying about every little thing about the impending birth. I was told to wake up at 5am to come into the hospital to be induced. Instead, I woke up around 2 o'clock in the morning in pain. The contractions in the middle of the night thing was nothing new to me so I didn't think much of it until they became worse. By 3am I was calling the hospital to ask their opinion on if I should go ahead and come in. The nurse told me, "You should come in when your contractions last a minute and are coming every five minutes." I was torn. My contractions were three minutes apart, but only lasting about 40 seconds. This sounds absurd to me now--GO IN MRS. K! But I was still worried about my husband getting a little extra shut eye because I'm still thinking I'm going to be induced and it's going to be a very long day. Naturally, I decided to blog.

I find it hilarious that I typed up a post in active labor before even telling my dear husband that he was about to be a dad to TWO!

Anyway, at 3:30am, I woke up Captain J and told him we should probably head that way because my contractions were pretty close together. I suppose I didn't understand or reiterate the severity of the situation because I soon found my dear husband slowly making preparations for the day. Hmm...what to wear? What sort of coffee should I make? Just where is that special coffee mug I like? Oh, look a toy in the floor, I'll pick that up! That's what it seemed like he was thinking. We were finally on the road by 4am. On the 30 minute drive to the hospital, he soon learned that I was pretty serious about this pain and he spent the drive telling me that I really should have roused him from his slumber much sooner. Obviously, I started thinking that, too. Ouch, those contractions were no joke!

I was attempting not to be dramatic so we followed all the rules. We stopped at every red light. We slowly pulled into the post gates for ID checks. We parked. And then it hit me. I have to walk in without crying hysterically like a crazy pregnant woman (because aren't those women sooo dramatic?). I walked into the hospital doors and J grabbed a wheelchair for me which I was grateful for. By the time we reached labor and delivery, I was full-on ohmygoshthisistotallyit!

The front desk nurse also noticed this too and quickly hurried me to a room. Minutes later I became that pregnant woman I secretly judged. There were no dainty moans or lady-like complaints escaping my lips as I labored. Oh, no. I sounded more like a body builder trying to break his dead lift record. I was so ashamed. I barely got into my gown before I was all- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THAT ANESTHESIOLOGIST? The nurse hesitantly told me that I was 5cm and that he would get there as soon as he could, but he wasn't actually in the hospital. I tried not to cry. I think I succeeded. Another nurse walked in asking me if I'd like to get in the shower. Perhaps I'd like to stand up and sway back and forth? Or maybe I'd like a birthing ball. My first thought was, but but I just want some druuuuugs! Clearly, that wasn't an option at the moment so I told her I would take the birthing ball. I sat down as instructed and within minutes, I'm telling her, "I'm burning! I feel like I should push!" I feel confident that she thought I was a total nutcase as I was just at 5 not too long ago. She must have registered my terror because she decided to check for herself. The two nurses are very encouraging as they say, "Okay, you're ready to go!" I had already progressed to 10.

In strolls the man with syringe in hand ready to place that gloriousness in my back to numb the whole experience. He tells me he can still give me the epidural if I'd like. After all, the doctor isn't in the hospital either and he'll have to be called. To Captain J's astonishment, I turned him away. Why would I numb myself now? It would probably only have kicked in after the fact and I wouldn't be able to walk for hours afterward for no reason. I distinctly recall J saying, "Are you sure you don't want it?" with much confusion on his face.

I wasn't in the mood for talking, though. I was still grunting like a body builder and trying not to have a baby since I was not exactly encouraged to push, as if that is really an option in that moment. I finally got out that I didn't want the epidural, all I wanted was the doctor to get there so I could just make this end. I'm sure I had a little more tact than I'm remembering now, but probably not much more.

There was no breaking down of the bed.
There were no stirrups.
I simply rolled over and after very few pushes, there's a perfect, slimy, gooey little baby laying on my tummy. In that moment, there was absolutely zero pain. There was only this living miracle staring back at me. I was all smiles. I couldn't believe it. It all happened so quickly.
Over the next hour, I got to hold my newborn skin-to-skin, just like I desperately wanted to do with K but didn't have the opportunity to do. Captain J stayed close by, soaking in the newness of being a father all over again. He also got to cut the cord this time which made him even happier.
I wouldn't change a thing, of course. Baby and I are doing great! I was up and walking shortly after I delivered, feeling like a million bucks. Recovery thus far has been quite different and I much prefer this time around. I never thought I'd say it, but maybe the no pain killer route is the way to go.
I thank God for this precious gift he has given us. A has been such a delight. I spend my days cherishing his sweet sleeping frame on me, breastfeeding him, changing him, and doing the same with big brother, K. Life is so so sweet. Sometimes I just want to hit the pause button and stay in this scene forever.

P.S.- Thank you all very much for the congrats via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Email, Texts. We're home as you probably know and we're all doing well.

Love,

Baby Day!

Photo Credit

Well, hello readers! It's 3am on baby day. As you may know, I'm scheduled for an induction in about two hours however I've been up for over an hour with pretty regular contractions. I hope this is it! I appreciate all of your kind words of support and prayer as I have been very nervous. I feel your prayers, though and I'm so excited to meet Baby A. I will post again soon when I can.

Love,

Icing on the Cake

On the eve of such an important event, like bringing life into this world, you would think I'd have something profound to say. You might imagine that I would be gushing- saying I can't wait to meet the new little one. Really, I can't. I can't wait to see him, hold him, and let him know how much he's loved already. Still, my heart is conflicted. I don't want to leave K and have him wondering where I am for days while I stay at the hospital. I don't want him to miss out on any time with me. I can't stand the thought of him feeling less important to me now. All day today, I've been trying to hold back tears. His little world is about to be turned upside down and I can only pray that he handles it well. I love him so much. 

Who wouldn't? He's precious.

Yesterday, on our last weekend as a family of three, we went to Lake Charles to try out a new park. Unfortunately, the park was very new and it's not quite completed yet. Still, we walked along the docks downtown and got lucky to see a Christmas parade going on right where we parked! Bands played, Santa cheerily walked by in his t-shirt, and young girls with enormous jeweled crowns rode by on nice cars. It didn't quite feel like Christmas at eighty degrees, but it did feel nice. I enjoyed having this sweet time with J and K...and knowing that soon we'll have even more love to spread around in our family this week was icing on the cake.

Gone Girl

Synopsis: Former city girl, Amy Dunne, is planning a delightful surprise for her husband, Nick on what will be their fifth wedding anniversary. She outdoes herself with preparations for the scavenger hunt and gifts that she thoughtfully pieced together each year. Nick doesn't get her help in deciphering the clues she has given because his lovely wife turns up missing the morning of their big day. The story is huge for the Missouri town mostly because Nick isn't exactly looking squeaky clean. He pictures her head, smashed and bleeding. His thoughts of his wife aren't centered around the good times rather he continues to remember everything he didn't like about "Amazing Amy". Nick begins to spin his web of lies in order to prove his innocence, but he only manages to make himself look incredibly guilty in the eyes of the public, police, and eventually Amy's attentive family. Was Nick the killer? Or did so many other shady characters from Amy's past have something to do with her disappearance?

My Thoughts: Loved, loved this book. The author, Gillian Flynn, has perfectly crafted this story with smart writing and interesting turns of events. This was one of those books that I was sad to finish. It was brilliant...and it made me want to go immediately to the computer and start my own fiction novel.

The best part-- Reese Witherspoon is said to be the producer for Gone Girl the movie! I hope this story is played out well on the big screen as I think it has potential to be an excellent movie. Be sure to read the book before seeing it, though. We all know how movies rarely ever measure up to their literary counterparts!

Linking up with:

What's New!

 I'm amazed at what a difference a year makes:

This is a photo of my boys last December at the dog park in my hometown. This year I'll have three men in my life come December! Wow.

I'm anxious to see how these glasses look on me:

I jumped on the firmoo bandwagon after K broke my glasses recently. For 8 bucks, I figure it can't hurt! Cray K has been on a roll lately. He also broke my iPhone yesterday.

I'm reading: 

It's good. I'm about 64% done. I purchased it for the hospital. Perhaps it will last that long, but I might finish it up this weekend instead. Speaking of books, I have a review that is set to post for you all tomorrow! I'll be reviewing Gone Girl.

This is my most popular item ordered from Scentsy to date:

You need it in your life.

My nails look like this:

Essie Sand Tropez and OPI A Million Sparkles

I have a new post over here:

Learning to Live and Living to Learn

and last but not least, I'm currently at:

the doctor's office having what I hope is my last appointment before I meet Baby A for the first time. Wish me luck.

Happy Thursday!

I Cannot Help It

Source: paperblanks.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

All day I have cleaned because I couldn't come here. Maybe you would say I'm nesting, but me? I know better. Baby A feels so far away. I haven't had any contractions. Aside from a little nausea this morning, I've felt pretty good. It has been my best day in a long while. This is supposed to be good news and I'll admit, it was nice, but at the same time I'm wondering why. I wonder why I had contractions so often when it was too early for him to come, worrying myself into a frenzy. Now that he is full term, it's like he's going to be in there forever. I know he's not. I'm told I'll meet him in just six short days, but it has yet to feel real.

And so I cleaned today.

What I really wanted to do was come to the keyboard and type. I wanted to say so much, but I knew you didn't want to hear it. I tried to stay away, but I couldn't and now here I am.

Health Goals-

Lovely Tuesday morning to all of ya! Today I'm blogging over at The Finish Line. I was excited that Becca allowed me to take over her space for the day to discuss the evolution of my own health goals. She is easily one of my very favorite bloggers and an awesome writer. I hope you'll go check out her page and leave some love.

I revisited this old memory and many others in the post:

Anyway, Cray K is banging on my belly and hanging on my elbow screaming. I must retreat! Until next time...

Holiday Fun

I'm sure you're wondering just where in the world my Thanksgiving recap post is. If so, look no further. You've arrived. We made lots of good ole Paula Deen food and really indulged ourselves. And when I say we, I don't mean me. Captain J did almost all of the cooking. His mom brought with them some gravy and stuffing, but the rest of the chow was made by that delightful husband of mine. Seriously, I didn't lift a finger. It was awesome.

We fried a turkey (again I didn't...I tried to nap)...

We gathered 'round the food...

We were merry. Cray K wanted nothing to do with mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle, salad, turkey, gravy, stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, cheddar and chive biscuits, banana cream pie, cranberry sauce, and/or pecan bars. THIS CHILD. I mean, what 15 month old doesn't like mashed potatoes? He's going to have a rough time fitting in if we ever move back to the real south. Bless his heart.

I went to bed with a full tummy only to wake up the next morning to go to a doctor appointment telling me that I had lost weight over the holiday! Score?

That day, Captain J and I got some much needed time alone thanks to his parents watching the little one for us. K did so well with them. I've heard tell that he didn't cry until about five minutes before we got home. It was a glorious couple of hours where we could pretend we were back in our carefree dating days (well, ya know, aside from my massive pregnant middle). First, we treated ourselves to Starbucks. Decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte, thank you very much. Then, we drove off toward the local movie theatre to see...

I know, I know. I'm that girl. Allow me to explain-

The movies aren't that good. I know this, but I can't simply stop seeing them. I read the books after a quite depressing Harry Potter hangover. I was grasping at straws trying to find another saga to throw myself into. While the books are no Harry Potter, they were decent enough to help with the sting.

I'm glad the movies are over. Breaking Dawn Part 2 was pretty good. The first five minutes were completely cheesy and I wondered if I would make it through the rest of the movie without having to fight the urge to roll my eyes. It got a lot better and I'm happy to have gotten the opportunity to see it on the big screen. That's a rarity in my life these days, ya know.

The following day, Captain J's parents left to head back home, but not before gifting me with this lovely shade of red:

It's called An Affair in Red Square and it's now gracing my newly chewed fingernails. Ugh. Let the process of not biting my nails begin again. I love this color. It's a festive, smooth red.

What's up with you? How was your Thanksgiving holiday?

The End Is Near!

Ouch.

The bottom has dropped out. It's not like when I had Cray K. He had me in bed the last few weeks of my pregnancy due to hypertension. This sweet babe I'm carrying now has gone a little easy on me in that department. However, my intense back pain, BH contractions, and high heart rate make me wonder which side of the coin is worse. If there's one thing I want to be more mindful of from now on, it's my health. It's so easy to take it for granted until it's gone.

Tonight I woke up with acid reflux for the first time in my life. It's 3am as I'm typing and I've been up forever, trying to ignore the awful burning sensation in my mouth and throat. Oh, but there's an end in sight!

I went to the doctor today. If I haven't had Baby A in 9 days, I'll be induced! December 3rd is the big day which is doubly special for me because it's also my mom's birthday! Even though I know having two young kids over Christmas, during a move, and during our transition from military life to civilian life is going to be absolutely crazy, I still can't wait to meet my second little man. I look forward to looking into his eyes and battling with my husband over who he looks like most.

I really want my body back, too. Everything aches.

I've begun to lose weight which I didn't think was supposed to happen in the last weeks (and over Thanksgiving!) but I'm up about 35 lbs with this baby and the doctor isn't concerned. Thankfully, my blood pressure is pretty good this time around and I'm showing very few signs of preeclampsia.

All good news! I'll focus on that.

Perhaps these tums have finally kicked in and I'll be able to get back to sleep. Only 9 more nights to get a full night sleep, ya know. Wish me luck.

Thanks for putting up with my pregnancy posts-- especially the middle-of-the-night, complainy ones. The end is near! And I have a feeling that the beginning will contain loads of cute, squishy newborn photos. Just a guess.

Maternity Photo Shoot

A local photographer asked me to help build up her portfolio by taking some maternity and newborn shots. I was thrilled! Well, initially I wasn't THAT excited about photos of myself as I feel like a big fat cow....

but after promising we wouldn't do any bare belly shots or anything like that, she talked me into posing for her and I'm so glad I did. It was really fun! I got a break from Cray K and some much needed girl time in. It was so nice to have someone new to chat with. I am pleased with the photos she captured, too. Here's a little preview-

If you're in the area, be sure to look up Jaclyn Culver Photography on Facebook.

Anyway, I don't have a lot to say today, but you can find me here if you'd like-

I'm off to enjoy one of my last days as a family of three. Captain J is off work so I'm happy to have this time with him...if he would just quit tickling me!

We'll chat soon.
XOXO,

We're moving to...

When emails pile up, financial tasks need to be done, last minute baby preps are abundant, and my Scentsy business begs to be organized, the first thing to go was blogging. It's only been a few days, but I missed this space and I'm happy to be back with pretty good news.

If you've been following along here long enough, you know that Captain J is finishing up his service to the Army in January. We've been very nervous yet excited for this new curve in our lives. He spent much time deliberating whether this was the right decision for our family, but ultimately he knew that he didn't want to spend a year away from his sweet son if he didn't have to. That was the deciding factor. He wanted out. I supported this decision and eagerly began daydreaming of moving back to East Tennessee where so many of my friends are and where most of my family resides. We knew we wanted to be close as we've spent all of our relationship away from the ones we love. Alaska--Georgia--Louisiana-- it was time to go home.

Meanwhile, J partnered with a head hunter group to try to get a leg up when it comes to finding a job post Army. This was the beginning of our plans starting to shift. The further he got into the process, the more he became aware what he wants to do, what motivates him, and where we may (or may not) end up. There were slim pickin's in Tennessee as you might imagine. I was actually pretty upset about this until very recently. I wanted to go home! Watch my nephews and niece grow up! Hang with my old pals. Drop the kids off with their grandparents. Spend a Thanksgiving in good ole Loudon for a change.

A couple weeks ago, Captain J nervously set out to a hiring conference unsure of what to expect. If I may brag on my husband for a minute, let me say that I'm so very proud of him. It must be difficult to shift from Infantry Officer to a business mindset after so many years of service in the Army. Thus far, he has excelled at what he has set out to do. He's currently finishing up an MBA, keeping up with his duties at work and home, and he took a few days off to fly all over the country interviewing and kickin' butt at it. We were blessed to have many opportunities, many second and third interviews! After much deliberation, he narrowed his options down to three offers...

none of which were anywhere near "home."

The nearest was Northern Atlanta, but the work hours were depressing to say the least. In addition, we had already lived near there back when we were stationed at Ft. Benning for MCCC. We didn't love the area, but it was nice to be within driving distance of our hometowns. Still, it was a fiasco just trying to get home. It was about a four hour drive and that was before we had kids. That margin of time would only grow. We imagined being pretty close to home but never actually being able to go home due to the long work hours J was facing. Finally, we were swayed by insanely cheap real estate in...

Sunny Florida!

Source: google.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I'm kidding, sort of. J, of course, didn't choose his next job because of real estate there. Still, we have weighed our options and landed on the job that will take us to the Jacksonville area. I'll be honest- at first I was pretty sad. I'm a country mouse at heart. I have never had much of a desire to live in a big city. I feel most at home in the mountains and I desperately wanted four seasons. Mostly, I wanted K & A to know their family well. Over the past week, however, I've begun to accept and be happy about this change. J told me he wasn't too fond of living too close to where he grew up and I understand why he feels that way. Anyway, I'm beginning to picture our lives as a family of four in a warm climate with palm trees and plenty of opportunity to soak up some rays on my soon-to-be toned body again (Ok, perhaps I'm slightly delusional still). The point is, I can finally brush aside the dark clouds surrounding my mind and focus on the fact that this is a blessing. We'll get back to TN eventually, but until then-

God has provided for us yet again. With so many people struggling in this lowly economy, we worried it might be difficult to find work. Not only did J have multiple job offers, but I also truly believe now that God wants us to be in Northern Florida. We are excited about finding a church family there that is closer to what we are looking for from a congregation. We look forward to finding a reliable sitter so that we can finally start dating each other again. I've googled Mom and Me groups in the area so K can have that socialization that is ever important at this age. We're looking forward to moving on to what will be our fourth state in three years. Hopefully, we can stay there a bit longer than we've been averaging at previous duty stations! We're ready to have a home.

I hope that we make Florida home to us. I know it's all about perspective and for better or worse, the Cap'n and I are in this together, forever. He is my family. I'm his. We'll be happy any ole place...

Right?

15 Months

Dear K Baby,

I love you, I love you, I love you! Your personality is as strong as ever and I'm blessed enough to be able to nurture it every single day as my sole job. It's amazing. It's also hard work wranglin' you, but we have fun.

Your curiosity is infectious.

Your facial expressions- hilarious. I love the eyebrow lift that you've perfected on both sides when you find something to be amusing. I love the excitement you use when you figure out how to make it work. Oh, the screams can be heard from two houses down! You love to master things all by yourself. When you're really concentrated on a task, you have an adorably cute look on your face and you're usually chewing on your tongue. You get that from me.

Your attitude is something I could model, too. It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down. You keep happily getting back up...

but you enjoy the ride at the bottom, too. You love your pup and protest when I won't take you out to see her. You like to be outside hearing the leaves crunch under your feet and crawling through dirt just like the stereotypical toddler boy.

Every day it seems as if you're getting taller or reaching some milestone before my very eyes. Don't grow up too fast, child. Toddlerhood is too much fun for that. Thank you for teaching me so much about life in your short 15 months. You've helped me to learn and grow right along with you. You're the best!

Love,

Mom