The Albrecht Squad

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #68

2012-02-03T06:08:00.002-06:00

Loving is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

Be sure to stop by Wife of a Sailor who is the genius behind this weekly adventure, visit her blog and join in the fun!

1. What is your favorite winter memory?
I went to high school in Idaho and had the pleasure of taking Driver's Ed in the middle of a really bad winter. At times it was scary driving through literal tunnels of snow but most of the time, myself and my classmates in my group had so much fun going out and driving and torturing our driver's ed teacher!

2. What is your current favorite TV show?
This is a hard question because I don't watch much TV and I don't really watch anything that I fret over missing. I suppose Grey's Anatomy.

3. What was your favorite thing that happened in January?
Watching my youngest son place first for the first time ever at a wrestling tournament, he was ECSTATIC!

4. What is the best sound in the world to you?
My boys laughing together (seriously, I am almost crying just thinking about it!)

5. What is the biggest lesson you have learned as a MilSpouse (or significant other)?
Flexibility and patience! I believe the two go together. This lifestyle is unpredictable and we have ourselves set with too many expectations and are unwilling to be flexible, we can find ourselves experiencing a lot of disappointment!

Happy 14th Birthday Neil!

2012-01-30T21:22:00.003-06:00

Note* Neil was born in Korea, 14 years ago. And since it's already the 31st in Korea, I want to go ahead and wish my handsome boy a Happy Birthday!! (and in Korea, he would be considered 15 because they celebrate their "1st" birthday the day they are born!)

I cannot believe another year has gone by and my kids continue to get older. I love watching them progress and yet it makes my heart ache to see time moving so fast. I love my boys and I wish they would stay little boys, yet I also love watching them grow into these amazing young men!

Oh my sweet Neil, how can I ever tell you how much I love you. From the day I met you and held you in my arms, I wondered who you would be and what you would be like. You always looked up to Michael and wanted to do everything he was doing. You didn't start talking until you were almost 4, making me sad because I didn't know what was going on in your little mind. You always had the sweetest little smile, a bit crooked and I often wondered what it meant. You were so content to play by yourself and didn't require too much attention.

You were never overly affectionate and you still aren't. I will never forget the day you laid your sweet little head on my shoulder when you were 9 years old and whispered in my ear..."I love you."

I know now that you do love daddy and me, you just don't always know how to express it. I am amazed at how much you have grown spiritually and physically over the past year. The way you are now a true friend to others, the way you can now connect socially. I finally feel like we know who you are and what you are all about. Everyday that I look at you, I feel so blessed to be your mother. I love your still crooked smile. I love your laugh and I love your smirk.

I love you Neil, these past 14 years have been challenging at times yet so rewarding.

Daddy and I are so blessed to call you our son, we love you...always and forever!

You may grow taller and bigger than me, but you will always be my little boy...always!

Blessed with Three Crazy Boys!

2012-01-30T19:41:00.002-06:00

(click to make pic larger)

I love my boys! I know I have said this time and time again but I just do! Yesterday we were making the wrestling videos I posted yesterday and listening to tons of different music. I think all the different songs we listened to make my boys crazy. We were laughing and teasing each other. It was just so sweet. It made me sad to think that in a few years my boys will be grown up and will be leaving home. I'm so not ready!
After laughing with the boys for a while I suddenly felt nostalgic and wanted a picture of my three boys. I am constantly amazed at how much they look alike and how many of their mannerisms are so similar!
I tried to get a simple pic of my three boys and what you see above is the result. They could not be serious for a pic. It just made me love them that much more!

A Tale of Two Gyms

2012-01-29T20:48:00.003-06:00

How is that for a dramatic type title, haha! But really we did deal with two gyms this past weekend at our wrestling tournament. The older kids were in one gym and the younger kids in another. It makes for a stressful time in our family because of course Neil and Daniel end up wrestling in two different gyms. This week they also happened to have close match numbers, usually 1-2 numbers between each of their matches. We spent a lot of time running. I actually missed Daniel's last match because I was in the other gym waiting for Neil's match to start. So much stress trying to be in two places at once! The boys did well with Neil placing 2nd and Daniel placing 3rd.

If you remember last week I was feeling bad about the way we acted towards a kid. I made an effort to find the kid this week and apologize. Unfortunately, after feeling bad all week and apologizing the kid went out and fought dirty again. *Sigh* we just have to remember to be the bigger people and let it go. He beat Neil again this week but the match was close. I would rather Neil lose wrestling a fair match than win being dirty and unsportsmanlike. We just use this as a teaching tool and move on.

I decided after seeing another wrestling parent put up a montage of his son's matches to do the same. So for your viewing pleasure (oh come on, you know you love the videos of my kids!!) here are Neil and Daniel's wrestling matches in one video for each from this past weekend! Enjoy!

Another Drill Sergeant Spouse Seminar Blog Post!

2012-01-25T09:43:00.003-06:00

Tired yet of hearing about the Drill Sergeant Spouse Seminar I faciliated this past November? Well at least it's not wrestling, right? Haha...

The Drill Sergeant of the Year shared this short video that was made from that seminar, it isn't long and you get a small glimpse of what the spouses went through that day. Can you find me??

It's So Easy to Get Spoiled

2012-01-23T10:04:00.003-06:00

Ugh, I can't even believe that I am writing this entry but I'm all about being real and this is me being real.

Kevin is TDY this week, he was tasked with escorting two Soldiers from our Brigade to compete for an NCO/Soldier of the Year event. He'll just be gone this week...one week. You would think when he told me he was leaving for a week that he told me he was deploying for another year. No, I didn't have a breakdown or anything but I instantly thought, crap, what a week for him to be gone when we have so much on the calendar with the kids and with my volunteer obligations.

It's funny, for pretty much a decade I never really thought twice about "needing" Kevin. I know that sounds bad but his schedule was so unpredictable that I just always figured I'd be on my own. Even our first year and half here, I still had a hard time believing he really was home and that he really was available to help me when I needed it. Well I've gotten pretty comfortable with having him around. Having him help me take the boys here and there and doing various errands. He works about a quarter mile from our house and that has been SOOOO nice, plus our youngest son's school is about 1/2 mile from his office. It's been so nice having him around.

I didn't realize how comfortable I had gotten and how easy it was to get spoiled. I know the week will fly by and I'm happy that those two Soldiers have him as their sponsor. He really is a great Soldier and loves taking care of Soldiers so I hope they will see him as an asset to their journey through this competition. He is doing what he loves and even when I'm "that" wife for just a moment, I can still see the big picture.

I just want to ask one more question though..."Is it Friday yet?"

A Rough Day on the Mats

2012-01-22T16:00:00.005-06:00

(Don't they look so happy?)

Yesterday, we hosted the wrestling tournament right here in our town. You would think it would make for a less exhausting day but I have come to realize that emotion = exhaustion and yesterday was emotional.

Both Neil and Daniel finished 3rd respectively. They both won two matches and lost two matches.

I admit I came home pretty upset with myself. During Neil's first match, it got pretty ugly. Both the wrestling and the reactions of myself and Kevin. I am not proud. In fact, I let myself stay pretty worked up for a couple hours after his match. I said some not so nice things to the kid...a KID! (I didn't curse at the kid but my reaction was not what it should have been, just want to clarify that) I have prayed a lot about it and I hope I can track down the kid's information so I can apologize to him. I talked to Neil about my reaction and how I was wrong. I want to teach my kids that I mean what I say when we teach them to "leave it on the mat" and to be good sportsman. It doesn't matter what the kid did that got us worked up, what matters is that we were wrong and we can only control ourselves.

Both the boys get pretty worked up emotionally when they lose and of course it makes me emotional to see it. I want to work with them to focus on the fact that they won't always win and how to lose gracefully. In life things don't always turn out the way we want them to but we can choose how to react.

I am proud of all three of our boys and they are such examples to us. Now it's up to us to be good examples for them.

Here are two matches from yesterday.

SAHM = Priority: Kids!

2012-01-17T13:28:00.002-06:00

(I thought this picture was cute...found it on the internet)

Our 13 year old is home sick today. There is a nasty bug going around and while my kids are fairly healthy and usually steer clear of these bugs, I knew one of the boys who wrestle would likely get it since it seems to be going around the team. I also knew that once I mentioned to a group of ladies last night at our battalion coffee that my kids never get sick, one of them would!

So this morning when my son walked into my bedroom and told me he just felt awful, I sent him back to bed. I waited until I knew the people I volunteer for would be in the office and I called in to let them know I would not be able to come in and teach. Thankfully I volunteer....key word VOLUNTEER....for wonderful people who know that my family comes first...ALWAYS.

I posted on my FB status that my kid was sick and I would be home all day. I received a message shortly after from someone I vaguely know asking me if I was supposed to teach today. I replied back that yes, I was going to but I would not be able to and the person who is in charge of the program would be teaching (he is fully capable, I mean that's what he gets paid to do). She replied back that she thought my son was old enough to stay home by himself, so why was I staying home with him when I had another obligation. Excuse me?

I know that there are many people in this area who think I actually have a job where I earn wages. I do quite a bit of volunteer work around this community and I am often everywhere. My children go to school full-time and so I take the time they are away from the house and I go in an volunteer. I try hard to always be home with them when they are home and I try to always be there for their various activities, programs, conferences and whatever else might come up.

That is the reason I choose to be a stay-at-home mom. To be here for my kids. I was a working mom and I loved my job, but it was hard for me to be away from them so much or to hope that my bosses could be understanding enough when my kids were sick. Sometimes I had to find someone to watch my sick kids because I HAD to go to work (I was in the Army, you don't just get to choose to not go to work). I just didn't want to do that anymore, I didn't want to be in a position where I had to ask someone permission to take care of my family. I didn't want to be in a position where I had to make a choice.

I feel so blessed to be able to stay at home with my kids, I am grateful that is an option for our family. I know that there are many working mothers out there who balance it all out and I respect them for that. This is the right choice for ME.

My 13 year old may not need me to cuddle him the way a toddler would but he still needs me and I'm grateful that I can be here for him.

I've tackled this topic before in a post I wrote a couple years ago...Maximizing My Potential

My Back Says Thank You!

2012-01-17T10:35:00.002-06:00

I have the best husband! A box was just delivered addressed to him, so I sent him a text letting him know he got a box. He sent me a reply telling me to go ahead and open it, that it was for me. I opened it and it's my very own stadium chair! I know it might seem silly to be excited about such a thing but week after week in various bleachers for football or wrestling tournaments can take a toll on one's back. Thank you baby, I love you!

Sports Mama

2012-01-16T14:43:00.003-06:00

I have to admit I was quite hesitant to let my boys play sports. When we lived in TX, I never let the boys play sports. Every year they would ask and every year I would say no. The two main reasons were always that I did not want to be running around with three boys in all kinds of directions when their dad was deployed or gone (which he was most of the time we lived in TX). The other reason was because I really wasn't sure I wouldn't be the crazy parent on the sideline (yes, that was a very real concern for me). Never has it really been an issue of worrying about kids being hurt playing "dangerous sports".

When we moved here I promised the boys they could play sports since Kevin was going to have an assignment that left him home more and I wouldn't be doing all the shuttling by myself. Michael claims I ruined sports for him forever by not letting him play when he was younger (insert eye roll here). But I'm okay with that, Michael is my kindred spirit, his passion and natural ability when it comes to music is AMAZING. I'm glad that music is a big part of who he is.

Last year was our first year dealing with sports. Neil took on football and did really well, then he went onto wrestling. I did not have too much anxiety with football but let me tell you wrestling was a whole new animal. I was not prepared for the level of anxiety I felt, nor was I ready for the emotions that came with watching your child become so emotional about a loss. Mix in that my baby wanted to wrestle too and I was a mess. I survived though and I was so amazed with how both boys grew so much in social skills and self-confidence.

This year both Daniel and Neil played football and I will admit it was really hard letting Daniel play. I tried hard to encourage him to play flag football but he wasn't having it. He wasn't the star player but he sure played his heart out and he learned so much. I was amazed at how he pushed through pain and frustration to do what needed to be done. And I love watching him interact with his teammates.

I have surprised myself when it comes to how I deal with it all on the sidelines. I admit I really thought I would be the crazy mom yelling at everyone from the sidelines. There have only been a couple times when I have acted slightly crazy but I'll argue forever that I was in the right!

I have no regrets for not having them play sports when they were younger, I truly believe we have to do what is right for our family during different times in our live. I am grateful for the opportunities they have to interact with others and learn and grow.

And I'm grateful that I have learned to be rather calm when my child comes home looking like this and not freaking out about it...

(Neil's face met someone's shoe at wrestling practice)

The Military Spouse Quiz

2012-01-16T09:41:00.009-06:00

I've seen quite a few MilSpouses doing this little quiz on their blogs so I decided I'd do it to. I'm busy avoiding chores that need to be done and dinner that needs to be thrown in the crockpot!

The Milspouse Quiz

1. How did you and your spouse meet? We met in the Army while stationed at Fort Campbell...we were in the same unit and no we didn't like each other when we first met! You can read our story here.

2. How old were you when you two met? I was 18, he was 24.

3. How long have you been together? We will be married 16 years in March, we dated almost a year before that so we have been together almost 17 years.

4. Where are you and your spouse originally from? I call Idaho home because that is where I moved when I was a freshman in high school and where my parents still live. I moved around some as a kid though. Kevin was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota

5. How did you feel about him joining the military? He was already in when we met and I have always supported him reenlisting. He has now served for over 20 years and still going.

6. Where did your spouse go to Basic Training? Fort Jackson, South Carolina (I went there too, 5 years later!)

7. Has your spouse ever been deployed? Yes, to Iraq a couple times

8. Ever been to his promotion ceremony? Yes, one...his last promotion was while he was in Iraq, I kind of got to see it on a video teleconference and through pictures.

9. How long have you been a military wife? Almost 16 years.

10. Did you marry him before or after he joined? After, we met because we both joined!

11. How did your husband propose? Well...he didn't. I proposed to him. If you read the Story of Us that I linked to in question #1, you read how that all went down.

12. Where did you get married? In the home of a local retired county commissioner

13. How old were you two when you got married? I was 19, he was 24

14. Did he wear his uniform on his wedding day? Nope...we were super casual...still have zero regrets about that

15. Where are you and your spouse currently stationed? Fort Leonard Wood, MO

16. Do you live on post? Yes

17. How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation? two and a half weeks...he was sent out to a long field exercise 3 days after I had our son who was born 19 days after we got married

18. What is your favorite post so far? Taegu, South Korea...LOVED it there...would love to go back someday. Our middle son was born there.

19. Do you think your spouse looks good in his uniform? He's sexy to begin with, the uniform is just an added bonus!

20. Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life? I have noticed most Spouses don't know what this questions means or how to answer it. I wouldn't say more advanced...not even sure what that is supposed to mean. I think Military life and civilian life are DIFFERENT. They each come with their own unique challenges.

21. Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent? I'm grateful for them. We're coming to the end of our Military career and we will be losing some of those benefits that we currently do not pay for in a monetary manner. Nothing is "free"...much sacrifice is made for the benefits that we receive.

22. Do you have a lot of military wife friends? Yes...doing this for 16 years, you pick up friends along the journey

23. What is the hardest part of the military life? I think the separations...it's hard going in and out of routines, especially with the kids. And when the separations are a result of deployment, the added worry can be overwhelming.

24. Do you own military wife stuff? Not really, I have patriotic stuff but not a lot that specifically says Army wife

25. Do you support your spouse as a member of the military? Of course, it would make for a terrible marriage if I didn't support what consumes most of his life.

Tears & Wrestling??

2012-01-15T13:08:00.005-06:00

Sorry to all my friends who don't care about wrestling for yet another wrestling post. Wrestling is a big part of our life right now, that's just the reality so there will be wrestling posts.

Sometimes there are tears in wrestling...actually a lot of times there are tears in wrestling.

Yesterday was another wrestling tournament kind of day. We headed out bright and early to Willard. It was a well run tournament, but it had the older and younger kids split up which makes things a little hard sometimes for our family because we have kids in each division. Add to that the fact that Kevin is now coaching and so we have to work hard to keep him on track with the boys matches (that is the priority you know!).

Yesterday Daniel wrestled 4 matches, he won two and lost two. He fought hard and lost by points which is better than losing by pin but still hard nonetheless. Daniel puts so much into his wrestling that when he loses he ALWAYS breaks down, it's so emotional for him. It really breaks my heart. It's interesting to see how different kids react. Some who give up really easy never cry and many who fight so hard cry all the time. The same is for the parents. While they might not cry, it can be emotional for them as well. I was sitting waiting for one of Daniel's matches to start when a dad and son sat next me. The boy had to be around 5 or 6 and his dad was just going off on the kid about how the other kid whooped him. Then he showed him his match on his phone and and was telling him all the things he did wrong and not in a constructive way. It made me sad.

I will admit that sometimes we know our kids don't do their best we do talk to them but try never to degrade them. Ultimately it's on them and we don't try to make it about us.

So yes, wrestling can be emotional...I mean people can hear my husband being all emotional with his LOUDNESS during the boys matches.

The boys did so well yesterday, we are proud of their efforts. Neil placed second after winning his first two matches and then losing to one of his teammates and good friends in the championship match. It was a good match, at some point they will learn to leave friendship off the match. Daniel finished 5th after winning two and losing two. He won both his matches by pin and lost the other two by points. One of his pins ended up being the fastest pin in his Division...19 seconds! He won a free t-shirt. He was so proud.

Overall a good day, our team overall did well.

Here are the boys matches, in order of how they went down.

Basic Training Flashback

2012-01-13T16:25:00.006-06:00

Back in November I facilitated a Drill Sergeant Spouse seminar and posted about it in this entry. This past week I received a CD with pictures on it from our "official" garrison command photographer. The pictures were AMAZING! There were over 266 pictures. The seminar was a two day event, one day being classroom instruction and the second day being a hands on "day in the life" kind of event. As I mentioned in my previous entry, I was really shocked at how emotional I was throughout the day remembering back to when I went to basic training. Looking at these pictures I had to laugh at myself and the reactions that the photographers captures. They aren't the best of pictures of me (reality check, remember!) but I am going to share them anyway.

Warning! There are quite a few more pictures than I would normally post!

Day 1 was the classroom environment, here I am teaching something.

The lovely cattle car that we traveled to each station in on day 2.

Me & Joy, one of our new instructors who helped me out with the seminar. (I knew I was going to be doing lots of physical stuff on a windy day so I did not dress up or worry about hair...obviously!)

At the range...getting ready to shoot the M-60...

I still had it...shot really well!

Here I am talking to two other Veterans, it was fun reminiscing with others who had been there.

Cari and I getting ready to "report" to a drill sergeant...
Here we are at the Dining Facility. The Drill Sergeant was explaining that now there has to be an arm length between the Soldiers. When I went through, it was heel to toe (and I hated it!).

The reactions here are classic..this was us watching the trainees come in and the Drill Sergeant's all over them

If you read my previous entry, you know that those who were Veterans got rather choked up. This picture captured it perfectly.

Back in the cattle car...still processing our DFAC experience

Getting a tour of the barracks, this room was exactly like my room in AIT.

I wasn't going to post this picture because it's a really bad picture of me and that face! I was actually upset that they had trainees on display for us...there was a trainee next to the wall lockers I am looking at. I guess it's true that sometimes I wear my emotions on my sleeve.

At the simulation range (I still hate shooting in the prone position)

Getting instructions on our team building activity. We had to get our whole team across three poles with two wood planks, a rope and an ammo box.

I still can't believe I did it...I am much heavier than I was at basic and was super self-conscious about it, but these women were fabulous and so encouraging!

Group shot...I feel so lucky to have been able to spend a day with these Soldiers and Spouses!

Wrapping it all up

Well Hello Winter...Finally

2012-01-12T20:30:00.003-06:00

We finally got snow around these parts. I've received numerous weather alerts throughout the past couple weeks telling me we were going to get snow, only to have them disappear shortly after receiving them. The weather here has been GORGEOUS! Our temps have averaged between 45 and 60 degrees. I personally was happy with the gorgeous, sunshiney weather. There are many around here who were concerned with the warm weather because they had some fear that we might get another tornado (remember last year, NYE...warm weather + cold front = crazy tornado!).

Yesterday started out gorgeous and then as evening hit, the wind started blowing and the temperature dropped and the sky got a little cloudy and dreary. I don't know when exactly it started snowing, sometime after 11:30 p.m. when I went to bed. I just know I woke up this morning to snow on the ground and kids hoping that school would be out.

One thing about living on a Military installation is the excitement that happens when a little snow hits the ground. I get that we are a diverse community with people from all over the world but I seriously don't understand the stupidity that comes out with a little bit of white powder on the ground. There were so many cars that went off the road today. I'm not saying that some of the roads weren't a little slick but I think some people just don't know how to drive in weather and probably should just stay home.

I also have to laugh at some of the people posting on our Garrison Commander's facebook page, complaining that our schools weren't closed. It wasn't that bad! Some of the surrounding towns did cancel school but they are the more rural areas. We didn't get that much snow (you can see in the picture above) but I guess it was enough for those little surrounding towns.

I think the snow is pretty but it can go away now and warm back up. I do not enjoy being cold and I do not particularly care for snow. I'm from Idaho, I know what snow is, I just don't like it.

So after a delayed start...it finally feels like winter has arrived.

Ozark Tournament 2012 Matches

2012-01-08T08:05:00.002-06:00

Here are the 6 matches from our boys wrestling matches at their tournament yesterday.

If you want to know more about yesterday please read the previous entry.

Wrestling like a BEAST!

2012-01-07T19:26:00.005-06:00

Someday I might go back in time and post about our NYE, but for now I am overflowing with such happiness on how well my boys did at their wrestling tournament today! I have to admit that I was not feeling the whole wrestling thing yesterday and this morning. I contemplated not going. Our oldest son is at a debate tournament and I felt bad that we weren't there to cheer him on (though it's not really a cheering kind of event) and considered just staying home to make it somewhat fair (at least in my mind!). However, I rolled out of bed this morning and we hit the road bright and early to the tournament that is about an hour and a half away.

It's really interesting the dynamics of our boys and their wrestling. I admit that most people look at Daniel and don't really take him seriously. He has definitely improved since he started last year but he isn't what you would call a "natural athlete". He definitely has the heart of champion and he gives his all but in most cases he just doesn't excel like Neil does. I find myself feeling a lot of mommy guilt for not giving Daniel enough credit. Today he was a BEAST! He went into this tournament on a mission and showed all of us just what he was capable of. He won all of his matches and not only did he win but he won all of them by PIN! He got a lot of compliments from his teammates and his coaches, all of whom he respects a lot. I can tell you that even hours later, my heart is still overflowing with pride! He took first in his bracket and smiled the whole time!
Neil had a good day as well. He placed third. I often wonder if we don't put more pressure on him than we need to because he is a natural athlete. Everyone from coaches, to teammates to friends and us, his parents, we all expect a lot from him. He too puts a lot of pressure on himself. There is one kid he has had to wrestle quite often and almost every time that kid beats Neil. Neil found himself losing to him again today and then had to wrestle him for 3rd place. I was trying hard not to put too much pressure on him, but I KNEW he could beat him. I'm sure he got sick of hearing that from everyone so in his last match, he beat the kid by points. Overall Neil had a great day and we are so proud of him.

I think what I love most was how Neil and Daniel went and watched each others matches and cheered each other on. It's amazing that a year ago I wasn't sure I was ready to be a wrestling mama and now I couldn't be prouder!

Let's go all the way to state boys!

P.S. I will post the videos from their tournament today when they are done loading!

2012 Reading Challenge

2012-01-03T19:12:00.003-06:00

So last year I posted that I was going to take on a reading challenge to read 100 books in 2011. Yeah, I'm not sure what I was thinking. I read 58 books and really pushed those last 8 books in December. I decided that I will do a reading challenge again this year and do it with the rest of the family .

Here are our reading goals for 2012. You will see that some of us are more into reading than others but that is okay, I think this will still be a fun challenge to encourage each other through and who knows, we might all exceed our goals!

So here's to Reading Challenge 2012!

Kevin - 5 books (he is NOT a reader so I think this a good start)
Nadine - 65 books
Michael - 60 books
Neil - 12 books (he too is not a big reader and struggles with reading in general so I think this is a good goal for him)
Daniel - 30 books

You can check our status by looking at our widgets on the side bar on the right!

Happy Reading!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T12:37:00.007-06:00

*Warning! - Long post ahead and picture overload!*

You can click on all of the collages and make them bigger if you want to see the pics clearer.

Yeah, it's two days after Christmas and I have been a total bum! I really have just enjoyed being lazy and doing nothing! Yesterday I pretty much laid in bed all day reading and I enjoyed every second of it! Well, I did go to the eye doctor in the morning and got new glasses and contacts ordered but aside from that I did nothing all day. Sometimes I think we just need to do that.

I finally decided to be somewhat productive today and actually got out of bed and uploaded pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We were truly blessed this holiday to be together and to be able to serve others at the same time. I guess our holiday started on Thursday when Santa came through housing and did a Candy Cane Toss. My boys enjoyed it just as much at the little kids! It was quite exciting when we walked out of the house to see Santa when we heard the sirens and my MIL let the door close behind us and managed to lock us out. Luckily, we had left the bathroom window open so we just shoved Daniel through and he saved the day! We then joined some friends and went caroling at the nursing home in one of the surrounding towns. It was a lot of fun. The kids performed The Nativity and we sang songs to go along with the story. I really enjoyed watching the men and women sing along with us. Afterwards, we went to our friend's house and enjoyed some wonderful goodies and lots of laughs. Kevin and our friend Dave put on some wigs and let me tell you, I don't think I have laughed so hard in a very long time. The kids didn't really know how to react to their dad's being so silly! They were HILARIOUS!

Friday we just relaxed at home and tried out the new steakhouse in town, had a great meal and then went and got the boys new socks and underwear...yeah they really were excited about it! Only my kids would be excited about new underclothing...haha

Christmas Eve we headed over to the USO to help serve a full Christmas dinner to the Soldiers who stayed behind. We had a blast! I love that our family can serve in so many ways and our boys truly enjoy being at the USO. We also got to witness a special homecoming of Soldiers returning from Afghanistan at the field house next door to the USO. It was a great Christmas present for all involved. I love homecomings!
That night we went over to some friend's house for a wonderful meal and just chatted throughout the evening. The kids put on The Nativity again and we got quite a chuckle out of it, they really were cute. We are so blessed with such great people in our lives to share special holidays with.
We came home and each of the boys got to open one gift. They each opened their 2011 ornament. Every year we get them a new ornament that represents something about them during the year. The boys all loved their ornaments! I know I will be sad the day they all move out and start their own families and take their ornaments with them!

Christmas Day was a fun yet simple day. We got up, got dressed and were all ready for church in record time! We told the boys if they thought they could open all their presents before we had to leave to be at church on time then they could! Well they managed to have them all open with about 6 minutes to spare, lol. I admit we spoiled our kids a bit this year and they pretty much all got everything they asked for. We just feel blessed to be where we are. Kevin and I were happy with our gifts and honestly just seeing our kids happy is such a joy!

I promise Daniel is happy, even if he doesn't look like it! lol

After church, we ventured over to the USO to help hand out gifts to the Soldiers. Daniel loves to do this, he did it last year and now wants to do it every year. It was a lot of fun seeing the Soldiers so excited about things like Slim Jim's and Kool-aid chapstick! Michael helped one of the USO volunteers who we have grown to love so much bake all the cookies they were going to serve the Soldiers. I feel so blessed to have such great examples of service for my kids to see.

We truly had a wonderful Christmas and feel so blessed. Through it all we remembered those who were far away from home, serving overseas while their families missed them this holiday season. We are truly grateful for the men and women who serve in the Military, sacrificing their own luxuries and freedoms to protect ours. Thank you is not enough!

Bring Them Home Santa

2011-12-24T15:56:00.002-06:00

This is always a hard time of year for so many Military Families. I recall for Christmas 2008, putting this video together and shedding so many tears because my love was so far away. All my kids really wanted was their daddy home and it was the one wish I could not fulfill. We have been so blessed to have Kevin home the past couple of years but we NEVER forget those amazing families who must endure another holiday apart. Our wish for our Military Brothers and Sisters who are separated this year is to know that we keep you in our hearts and our prayers always. We are grateful for the sacrifice that you all make for the gift of freedom we enjoy.

Pretty Pups

2011-12-21T06:53:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we took our pups to the groomers to get all prettied up. When they came back they were so fluffy and smelled so good. I don't know what kind of treat they gave them there because they were crazy hyper and just plain silly.

We really love our puppies, which is strange to say since I never thought I would be an animal person. I didn't grow up with dogs, never had a desire to have one and yet these two are so spoiled. At night they start off with one of the boys and when I wake up in the morning, they are somehow all snuggled up next to me...both of them. Sapper really loves her mama, she usually isn't too far away from me. She also loves her boys...she gets really upset if they are not home at night in their beds. She will stalk their rooms and let me know she is unhappy that I let them sleep somewhere other than their own home. Zoe is a lot more laid back but loves her boys too and her daddy, she gets so excited when they come home from work and school.

I love these puppies...they really make me happy!

I ♥ My Boys

2011-12-19T08:56:00.002-06:00

The other night we had our ward Christmas party and I wanted the boys to look somewhat nice (meaning no gym shorts and icky t-shirts which seem to be the norm for a couple of my kids these days!) They all ended up wearing long sleeve shirts and looked so handsome...and so grown. Oh it just puts a slight ache in my heart to watch them growing so fast right before my eyes. I want them to stay little but at the same time I love being able to talk with them and share different experiences with them.

I just love my boys and feel so blessed to have them in my life.

Talent!

2011-12-18T07:53:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was an awesome day. I got to spend most of the day with the youth of our church going to the temple in St. Louis and and then going for lunch at CiCi's Pizza (I don't even want to know how much pizza our 33 kids chowed down on!). It was so fun spending some time with our older two boys (even if they spent most of the time with their cool friends, haha!)

Last night we had our ward party where we chowed down on some great food (we always seem to have way more desserts than "real" food, lol). We had so many amazing musical numbers, the night was filled with beautiful music!

Two of my favorite musical numbers from last night were my son's bassoon solo (yes, I'm biased)

and the number done by our awesome youth...they are so fun, I just love these kids. Enjoy!

Milspouse Friday Fill-In #66

2011-12-16T16:40:00.002-06:00

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan

Be sure to stop by Wife of a Sailor who is the genius behind this weekly adventure, visit her blog and join in the fun!

1. One of my New Year’s resolutions is is lose enough weight to feel healthy

2. One thing I’d like to happen next year is to get a job when I start looking seriously

3. One thing I’m looking forward to next year is watching my kids start to make life changing decisions about their future

4. One change I’d like to see next year is the government start to really think about "the people!"

5. My plans for NYE include hanging out at the USO serving snacks and mingling with the Soldiers who couldn't go home for the holidays with my family

She Said What?!?

2011-12-15T20:41:00.003-06:00

I try really hard not to post controversial topics on my blog. I have my own thoughts, I do my own research and frankly I don't need to justify them to anyone. I find it interesting that there are so many people who cannot "agree to disagree". I can listen to someone's perspective and try and see where they are coming from. I don't always understand in the end but I can respect their positions and move forward.

Over the past couple days I have read comments or articles that other Military Spouses have written and have been shocked at what they have had to say. One was a comment in regards to the current Dover controversy. As the story was shared all over facebook, I read various comments and I stumbled across one on a friend's page where a girl basically said...what's the big deal? She didn't understand why the families cared because they left the responsibility of taking care of the remains of our Fallen Heroes up to the government. It just shocked me that she would not think it was repulsive that the government lied to our Gold Star Families and then threw away their loved ones away like yesterday's newspaper. I had drafted a response and then decided I didn't want to deal with the drama. I simply pray that she never has to experience what so many of my friends have had to deal with. The worry and guilt of wondering if they made the right decision in regards to trying to honor their fallen loved ones.

The second thing that sparked emotion in me was in regards to an article written by a Military Spouse in regards to the Iraq War. It has been pretty controversial today among Iraq War Veterans and many Military Spouses. I have read it and reread it and it still rubs me the wrong way. She and others have accused those who disagree with her words as not reading it right or not reading past the title. While I do understand that the written word can be terribly misconstrued, my thoughts are if I don't I agree, I don't agree. I take it personal when a MilSpouse tries to speak on my behalf. I found some of her comments contradictory and blasphemous to our Iraq Veterans and Fallen Heroes. It is personal and while I think she had the best of intentions, sadly it didn't convey that way in written word on the news site.

I don't need to be hateful and I don't need to go and write mean things to defend my position, but I do think we owe it to one another to at least respect where the others are coming from.

I disagree with both these spouses, I am not wrong for that, just as they aren't wrong for defending their own positions. I just couldn't let it go, I had to write it out. Agree or disagree, it's okay, in the end that is what our loved ones fight for every day they wear the uniform.

The Heart of a Champion!

2011-12-14T06:28:00.004-06:00

Yup, two wrestling posts in one week...I'm a proud mama, what can I say!

Last night our Tiger wrestling team clinched another win having them go undefeated for another season! Neil had two matches last night and he did great. He won his first match by points and lost his second match. The kid he wrestled the second time is considered one of the best in our area. Neil knew he was going to be tough to beat. Neil lost by a couple points but dominated most of the match. He certainly held his own and even kept him to less points than the boy on our team who is considered the best. I know Neil was proud of his effort because he left that mat with a HUGE smile on his face. I seriously thought my heart was going to burst. Everyone was cheering for Neil, it made me so proud. At the end of the match, the kids shook hands like they are supposed to and they hugged (wish I had a photo of it!). That kid is #1 in my book as far as sportsmanship. If you compared Neil and that kid, Neil weighs about 10-12 lbs less than him, there is 10 years to 2 years (Neil) of experience and the kid has medaled at state in club wrestling like 6 times. so you can see why Neil was proud of his match.

I have really enjoyed this wrestling season and watching these boys grow as individuals and as a team. Neil was looked at as a leader and mentored some of these new boys throughout the season. I look forward to our club wrestling season!

Below are his matches!

Oh Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-13T23:32:00.000-06:00

It's Time to Hit the Mats!

2011-12-12T18:54:00.005-06:00

Wrestling mats that is...wrestling season for Neil has been going on since the very beginning of November. He has a 7-3 season so far and is one of the go to kids. He has been to every tournament this year and is enjoying it yet again. Last year when he came home and told me that he wanted to wrestle, I had some serious anxiety about it. I still get anxiety whenever he wrestles but not out of fear of him getting hurt. Our kids have great coaches who stress the importance of wrestling safely. I love the camaraderie of all the kids and parents on the wrestling team. We all cheer for all the kids no matter what. We are happy for the victories and we are sad for the losses. The losses are hard because these boys take it so hard when they lose. They put their hearts on the line and after all of that effort, to lose is devastating to them. I know Neil takes it so hard when he loses. We are constantly reminding him that he is a leader on his team and he has to be an example of being a gracious loser. There was one match where I think his confidence got the best of him and he could have beat the kid but he let the kid beat him. He was pretty upset with himself. We always tell him to leave it on the mat. Being upset and crying isn't going to change the result, you just have to refocus and try harder next time.

Daniel is wrestling in club again this year. Their first tournament isn't until New Year's Eve, and he's getting so excited. He's doing really well in practice and staying focused. It's hard because we have a lot of new kids and many of them want to spend the practice session doing cartwheels instead of real practicing so Daniel gets a little frustrated. Luckily there are a couple kids who are there to practice and he gets some real practice time in.

I am so proud of our boys who have worked really hard and who stay focused. I'm not looking forward to all the driving but I am looking forward to watching my boys wrestle!

One of my favorite pictures. I took it after Neil lost a rough match and I caught Kevin talking to him, hugging him and comforting him.

Was He A Boy Like Me?

2011-12-11T16:07:00.002-06:00

Today at church there was a constant theme about our Savior and the real meaning of CHRISTmas. I really loved the sentiment. As I was going through my Christmas playlist a few weeks ago, I came across this song I absolutely fell in love with. My boys haven't watched Veggie Tales in a long time but at some point I must have bought the soundtrack to the Christmas movie.

This song just makes me smile. I think it's because I can imagine any one of my boys asking the same questions. I even downloaded the music and I'm trying to convince my 10 year old to sing it for me on Christmas Eve...we'll see.

I know it's kind of cheesy, but if you listen to the words, you'll get the message.

Wordless Wednesday - My Love

2011-12-07T10:12:00.000-06:00

Eye Have Mommy Guilt

2011-12-04T22:06:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, the boys and I went to help set up a holiday party for one of our National Guard units here at FLW. If I really wanted to venture off on a totally different tangent, I would tell you how ungrateful and rude certain people there were, but I am just going to let that go and move on.

Anyway, at one point Daniel started telling me that he had something in his eye. I had him flush his eye, I looked and didn't see anything. The medic in the unit checked him out and said he didn't see anything either. I took him home and we flushed his eye with some saline and he told me that it was feeling better.

I decided yesterday would be a good day to take the boys to shop for one another for Christmas so we ventured out, had lunch and then hit the stores. Daniel was okay for a while and then he started complaining again about his eye. I thought it was just irritated from all the rubbing since I looked again and still saw nothing. We walked around Walmart with ice packs hoping to lessen his pain. He was so miserable at one point that we just came home and he laid down and took a nap. When he woke up he told me his eye felt so much better. He showered and when he came out, I could tell his eye was still bothering him.

I asked on FB for some opinions because I was at this point becoming extremely worried and wasn't sure if I was overreacting or not. The consensus was to take him in. I am so glad I did. Come to find out, he had a tiny piece of plastic something embedded in his eyelid and it was scratching his eye. Thankfully, it did not scratch his cornea.

Shortly after we got there, they put some numbing drops in his eye and he felt immediate relief. They put some orange drops in and looked at his eye with a black light and saw the scratches. After that they flipped his eyelid and found the plastic.

He looks like he has serious pink eye today but is doing so much better. I felt so bad for not just going in, thankfully he is okay.

Sometimes as a mom, you just don't know what to do, I'm grateful for people in my life who don't treat me like I'm stupid for asking a simple question.

December!

2011-12-01T15:35:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's the last month of the year already! Where did 2011 go? Only 24 more days until Christmas and I am DONE Christmas shopping...I think this is a first in my life EVER. We kept it simple and I think the boys are going to be very happy this year. Well to be honest, they are happy every year, we have some great kids.

It's December and I'm so ready for my kids to be home for a little while (not long enough though, they really got jipped on their holiday break!) Everyone wants snow but I'm not quite ready for that, so it can hold off just a bit.

Life is good, 2011 has been pretty good to us.

It's December...time to get ready for 2012!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 30

2011-11-30T22:52:00.003-06:00

Today I am thankful for the knowledge that I am someone that matters. There
have been times in my life where I have struggled with that. I am
grateful to have the confidence in myself to know that I can achieve
whatever I put my mind to. ♥

30 Days of Thanks - Day 29

2011-11-29T22:47:00.002-06:00

*I promise, you don't want a pic of that bird*
Today I am thankful I did not freak out when a bird flew right into my truck while driving 70 mph. I am sorry for that little bird (actually it was kind of a big bird), but I'm glad my family is safe. ♥