Growing Up

There are days lately that I feel like each day I am simply surviving from day to day...especially during those "special" times during the month...makes things even harder with Dominic already gone. I HATE the "just surviving" days. In retrospect it makes me feel ungrateful for what I have. A loving husband, 3 beautiful daughters, a home, a working vehicle, steady income, no debt, sitting here I could make the list longer. I've had at least 2 of those this past week. The "I can barely get outta bed to get the kids off to school" days. Last night wasn't great either, 2 out of 3 of the girls were up and down all night long so sleep wasn't something I got much of. But today...as I went to pick up my girls from their church class...with my little Emma running in front of me...I realized...there's my baby. My youngest. She'll be 4 in a little over a month. Where has the time gone? I almost stopped walking it hit me so hard. As much as there are days when all I can think "WHEN is it BEDTIME?!?!?!" I need to appreciate the moments I have now with them. They are little for only so long. Emma will go to school next year. God grant me the patience to hug and cuddle and color and play when all I want to do is sleep. Help me to appreciate what you've given me and be thankful for both easy and hard, good and bad times.

Summer Craziness

It has been so crazy this summer. We've done a lot. I took the girls camping for the 1st time a few weeks ago. They did well, and we plan on going again when Oma comes down at the beginning of October. The older 2 did VBS here at the base chapel and had a blast...they've been running around singing the songs all day every day for the past week, and Abby even made our local paper in an article about the VBS!

School starts tomorrow!!! We had open house today. Both girls met their teachers and I think they will do good in their classes this year. I'm sad that Abby doesn't have Ms Jolly as her resource teacher this year. It took me by surprise when she told me at the last second today in the hallway. :( Abby has 2 girls in Ms. Boswell's class that she knows...Aisha from church/awana and Sjorabel from Ms Cissell's class last year. Bethany has Gunner, Anna, Sammy & one other kid from Ms. O'dell's class from last year in her new class this year. I feel sorry for THAT teacher. She will have her hands full with little Miss Sassy Pants aka Bethany. Overall I think they will both do well. Kinda sad that Emma didn't make the age cut off this year...she is academically read for Pre-K, only reason she can't go is that she doesn't meet the age requirement. Boo-hiss.

Independence Day

I know that it was 2 days ago, but this week has been crazy. We had a good day. Had a wonderful church service then EVERYONE...even mommy and daddy took an afternoon seista. :) Then it was off to Lunga Lake for a fun time. They had rides, water gun tag, music, food, fireworks, etc. The girls had a blast and only Emma was a little freaked at the fireworks and that was only until daddy picked her up then she was fine with her hands over her ears. We left early enough that we got home at a decent time, yet still saw the finale from the car, yet didn't get stuck in traffic. WOOT!

And while I am sure our family and many others had fun, let us not forget WHY we celebrate Independence Day. The celebration of our nations birth. The freedom speech or religion, free from tyranny or dictatorship. But every YEAR, every WEEK, EVERY DAY...our freedom comes with a price. Our troops are fighting and some are paying the ultimate sacrifice and DYING for our freedom. Let's not forget the sacrifices that they and their families are making to secure that freedom for us. From the Army, to the Air Force, to the Navy, the Coast Guard & the Marines...we salute you, we thank you. God keep you and bring you home safe.

Crazy Days

Home from Ocean City where we had a great time with family. This is the 1st time that I think all 3 girls could TRUELY appreciate the beach. We walked on the boardwalk, went swimming/boogie boarding in the ocean, buried mommy in the sand, made sand pits & castles, rode scooters & a surry, went and rode rides, ate ice cream...it was fun times. Aunt Hannah rocked b/c she had brought crafts for the girls to do when it got too hot to be outside (which was a lot). The girls loved playing with their cousins and were sad to leave. :(

We came home early for Bethany's recital practices. Yesterdays regular practice (but at the high school where they are putting it on) went fine...tonight's dress rehearsal was a TRAIN WRECK. >:( I can't believe that I left the beach early for THAT!! What they did tonight was NOT how they have practiced ALL spring! The teacher threw like 6 teenagers in there to "help" and all it did was COMPLETELY confuse ALL the little girls. Bethany had some older girl take her hand and made her dance with a kid from the 3-4 yr old class in the middle of the stage...which Bethany just rolled with it even though it wasn't her partner...but then near the end the teenager let go of her hand and kept holding the little girls hand and danced at the front of the stage leaving poor Bethany in the back BY HERSELF with no one to dance with. So OF COUSE she burst into tears. I did NOT pay well over $100 over the course of the past 6 months for costume, shoes, leotards, tights, tickets, & classes to have my kid spend over half if not all the whole 2 freaking minutes up on stage crying...and I was NOT the only parent mad. Pretty much every parent of the kids in Bethany's class was mad that just TONIGHT the NIGHT BEFORE the recital the teacher stuck a whole bunch of teens in there who didn't know what they were doing. If she was gonna do that the time to do it was YESTERDAY when we could have stopped when they screwed up and redone it. What made me even madder was that at the actual recital tomorrow we aren't allowed to take pics or film...so tonight was it. Which PISSED me off even more b/c of THEIR screw up Bethany wasn't where she was supposed to be dancing (our tickets we SPECIFICALLY bought so that we would be on the side of the stage where BETHANY was dancing...) and b/c of the screw up I only got 2 BAD pics and NO video and I am CERTAINLY not giving them MORE money for the professional DVD of tomorrows proformance b/c of THEIR mistake today. I am SO mad right now! >:(

Good Times!

We had a blast on the cruise! It was cold and quite a bit windy, but then again we DID go to canada. lol Got some great candid shots and some professional ones as well. The girls had a good time with my in-laws. Thankfully we have a week to re-coup before we have to pack back up to go to the beach with Dom's family. I will be glad when the craziness of this month is over...but then again that means that the time for Dom's leaving is closer. :(

Choas

Goodness. Things are going to get so nuts around here. We leave for PA/NY in 2 days. TWO DAYS!!! I'm dreading the drive up there as the girls NEVER do well on long trips...but the cruise will be worth it...3 days of NO "MOMMY!!! Mommy, mommy, mommy! What are you doing, mommy????" The silence will truely be golden. :)

Let us run...let us run...let us run the race before us...

Ah, a song from my good ole camp days. Didn't know that it would be come reality for me as a grown up!

My 1st official race was maybe 18 months ago? The Beaufort Twilight "Fun Run" in Beaufort, SC. 5k=3.2 miles for you non-runners. I hadn't trained at all for it and was heartily sorry the next day. Still I came in at 48 minutes. I was aiming for under an hour, so I was happy.

Enter this weekend. The USMC sponsored Semper Fred 5K in Fredricksburg, VA. I only found out about this race 2 wks ago, so I really only had about 10 days to train. And train I did. I NEVER go to the gym 5-6 times a week. Never before this past week. Busted my hiney I did, and it SO paid off. After a gradual 5 day build up to last week, I started doing the full 3.2 and cruches, side crunches & reverse sit-ups after every workout. I ended up beating my time from the Twilight Run. Shaved off over 10 minutes! WOOT! Ended up with a time of 38.17.

I have to say that when my husband (who IS a runner)always told me that if I worked out more that I would feel "better & more healthy" I really thought he was CRAZY. But I must say that I have felt better this week than I have in MONTHS, maybe years. So much so that I actually let him sign me up for 3 more races this year. GASP!! (Yeah, I know, what was I THINKING???) I can DO THIS!!

AWANA Award Ceremony

They have been waiting MONTHS for this. They did such a good job and worked so hard. I am so proud of them. Especially Abby who finished TWO books despite her struggles with her autism.

Sesame Street came to TOWN!!!

While my girls don't really watch it on the TV...they had a BLAST seeing them in person. Normally I wouldn't have taken them but since the tickets were FREE thru the USO...all about taking them to a FREE activity!! lol

They had a BLAST!! So much so that when a friend of ours who had gotten tickets for Friday's show (we went on thursday night) and then couldn't go...she gave them to us and the girls had even MORE of a blast since we got to sit up front this time...like front row. They danced like crazy and just had SO much fun. :) Nice family activity for sure.

Happy 6th Birthday Bethany!!

We went out this weekend to DC to celebrate...but even though her ACTUAL birthday fell on a regular, ho-hum monday, she still had fun. We had some yummy cake and ice cream, streamers and balloons were still hung (even though our family is the only one to see them we had a nice family walk, and played at the park and picked flowers along the path.

SERIOUSLY?!?!??!?!

So, someone tried to kill my husband this morning. The dude didn't even look to see if anyone was behind him, just backed out into the street (WAY too fast I might add) and hit my husband. In fact his rear tire came an INCH from running over Dom's head before he stopped his car!! He didn't even bother to get out...just yelled out his window and asked if hubby was alright. Dom didn't even say yes, just groaned...and the guy just drove off. I am pissed at the guy but also pissed at my Dom. That is considered a hit and run! He should have called the the MP's. There should have been a report filed. He completely wrecked Dom's bike...and we should NOT be the ones that have to fix it. I am SO mad right now. Not to mention that even though hubby is really banged up, scraped up & bruised...he's still walking and talking so OF COURSE he won't go to medical. (bangs head into wall)

Little Blessings?

I swear, there are times when they make me want to rip my hair out. There have been times recently that I have wanted to bang my head into a wall and scream...I don't have an infant anymore...I should NOT be having to get up every 30min-1 hr ALL NIGHT LONG!!! Then there are the HUGE cat fights between my 7 yr old and my 3 yr old, the thought processes of my 5 yr old who I guess has decided to test the laws of physics...and my sanity...in the past 3 weeks, and the allergy issues that have my 7 yr old being SUCH a crab b/c she is congested.

But then there are the sweet, slobbery kisses from my youngest...you literally have to tear yourself away from her to quit with the kisses...lol, the burrowing of my 5 yr old to get as close to me as possible to snuggle while watching a movie, my 7 yr olds unshakable belief that no matter the nightmare, no matter scare, no matter the injustice done to her...simply mommy being there makes all right with the world again.

They can drive me to distraction...and the edges of my sanity, yet the thought of them not in my life is incomprehensible. Whether it be walking into walls at 2am from lack of sleep to answer the call of a scared child, or cradling a precious child in my arms, kissing their head, smelling their sweet kid smell, their little arms wrapped around mine...my heart is full to bursting with love...and the awesome responsiblity of raising them right. I hope I don't let them down.

A "Good" Mom?

Something to ponder...what makes a mom a "good" mom? Is it the mom who runs her kid to every event making sure they always have homework and stuff done on time? Is it the mom who fights to find a cure for her sick child? Is it the mom who doesn't have much to give her kids but manages to give them as much love and attention that she can? Is it the mom who works 2 jobs and manages to keep her kids fed, clothed, in school? Is it the "crunchy" mom who's kids grow up on all organic food (and/or makes it all from scratch), wears her babies in slings/wraps, breastfeed, homeschools? Is it the mom who fights not only against demons from her past but is determined to make sure she raises her kids so that they won't walk the same path? Is it the mother, who despite being terminally ill, still manages to make her kids lives as "normal" as possible? Is it the mother who is determined not to raise her kids in the same abusive enviroment that she was raised in? Or is it simply the mother that loved her baby so much that she put that child up for adoption knowing that they would have a better chance at being happy and fulfilled in a steady home?

I think that while there are some of us that certainly won't earn mother of the year award, most of us do our best by our kids. Not all opinions and walks of life are the same...so also is each persons opinion of a "good" mom.

Me...I just want my girls to look back years from now as adults, and despite the many times that I screw up raising them, they are happy, fulfilled and say, "Mom did her best and that is what mattered most."

April is Autism Awareness Month

Just putting that out there. If you can in anyway support the cause...buying a bumper sticker or window decal, walking to raise awareness...any little bit helps to go towards research to help find better and/or more ways to help not only the kids who have autism, but the families who care for them.

My Abby is 7 1/2. We have fought this fight for her for over 5 yrs now...and I still don't know all there is to know about it. As each year passes...another milestone is passed but even more loom ahead. We take each day as it comes with our precious girl. It can be at times frustrating, but it makes each goal accomplished that much sweeter for the hard work that went towards it both on her end and on ours.

They understand more than we give them credit for...

Background to the story...In November of last year we had a good friend and our respite care worker pass away suddenly. With my daughters autism I wasn't sure she understood the concept of death. However both my 7 & 5 yr old seemed to be ok with the answer, "she went to heaven and is with Jesus now." Anytime they would ask where she was we would reply that she couldn't come see them right now b/c she was in heaven with Jesus.

My girls have also been going to Sunday School where they have been learning of Jesus miracles. Recently I guess they learned about Jesus raising Jarius' daughter from the dead.

Just the other day...I really wasn't paying much attention to what they were playing since for once they were all playing nicely together and not screaming at each other. After about 30-45 min I realized they were re-enacting that sunday school story...however they kept saying, "ok, you be Jesus and I'll be Mary". I heard them saying this and kept correcting them saying, "No, not Mary his mother, Jarius' daughter" IT wasn't til JUST yesterday riding along in the car while we were discussing the Easter story and how Jesus rose from the dead and is in heaven...and my 5 yr old said, "with Mary too, right mommy?" When I automatically answered yes...it dawned on me....they were NOT meaning Jesus MOTHER Mary when they were playing...they meant OUR Mary. In a way I am glad that they understand that Jesus did powerful miracles and can do anything...but it also made my heart break that her death affected them way more than I thought it had. It also made me feel bad that here I was "correcting" them when they KNEW what they were talking about...it was mommy who didn't get it.

100 Years

So...I was on my way to gymnastics this evening with my girls. My 3yo asked me where daddy was, to which I replied, "He's on a trip, remember?" (He's gone for 3 wks of training)To which my 5yo replied, "I KNOW!! He's been gone FOR-EV-ER!!!! Like 100 YEARS!!!" Mommy-"Umm, sweetie? He's been gone for a week and a half." rofl

Sympathy/Empathy

I think,as mom's, we know that when our little sweethearts have ear infections that yes, they are miserable and grumpy...we sympathize...we generally haven't had an ear infection OURSELVES since childhood and I think we forget how TRUELY miserable and in pain they are...my 3 yr old to the point of ear tubes b/c fluid had turned to jelly behind her eardrums. Today...OH how I sympathize AND empathize with her! I haven't had an ear infection since I was like 12ish...I forgot how EXCRUCIATING every yawn, hiccup, cough, nose blowing can be...I don't know how those little ones can suffer so long before we realize what is bothering them...I shudder now to think of the times where I thought she just had a bad cold and was sucking snot out of her nose with that blue bulb thing...when her ears were probably just KILLING her... :( I feel you pain, baby girl...literally.

Orders

Well, we finaly have "unofficial" orders. Daddy is going to Iwakuni, Japan for 2 yrs unaccompanied. Because Abby is a level 4 EFMP status it limits me and the girls to the CONUS. So he has to go alone. I know this is what I wanted...for the girls not to leave a place where we are settled, we have therapy, church, school...everything is set here. I guess maybe its just knowing how LITTLE time we have left with him before he has to report...the "oh so wonderful" part of getting order waaaaay later than anyone else....less time to prepare. I guess its good that he has spring OFEC coming up next week. He will be gone from 3/21 to 4/8. Yeah...he's gonna miss Easter. It will give Abby a taste of what will happen when he leaves for Japan...she's the one who is just gonna FREAK about him being gone. I'm a little nervous...I KNOW I can do this. I have done it before...its just that its been 2 and a half years since the last time he was gone for a long time.

OYE!!!

Have mercy...if this is a precurser to what having 3 moody teenagers on their periods is gonna be like....take me to the funny farm NOW. I am so at a loss with this child...the speech/developmental issues make it SO difficult to understand her. Times like tonight I just want to sit and cry. I don't know what to do about discipline with her anymore...right now we are starting a new thing. She is having to write sentences regarding her bad attitude and actions as punishment...needless to say...she is peeved at me tonight.

Patience

Abby did her 1st on stage skit for the 1st time in 2 years. She actually had lines in this one. I was so proud of her...she did SO good and...I just can't say how proud I was of her today...she has come SO far!

WHERE has the time gone??

Sigh...how did my babies get SO big??? I know time has passed, and I watch them grow every day...but I look at photos from only 2 years ago...and see a baby girl with barely any hair on her head and then I see this BIG girl with LONG red hair and so smart that she passes her what her sisters knew at this age already. I am floored, and a little nostalgic knowing that she is my last little bird in the nest. Sniff...

Reflection

I read the story tonight of a friend who gave birth to her 2nd child, and to find out only when they placed her in her arms that her little angel had Downs Syndrome. She told of the love, but also the grief, the tears, the fears. (while my daughter does not have DS, she does have Autism & developmental delays)

Until a parent is told that their child is special needs, I don't think anyone can understand that, while we LOVE our child, more than life itself, we still cry. We still greive for what we have lost. Even if it is only the loss of the life we thought our child would have. We cry b/c the unknown of parenting a special needs child is scary & overwhelming, and there is that fear of simply the unknown. My mind raced from will she be able to go to college? Will she be able to date? Get married? Have a family? Or the basic of...will I ever hear the words, "I love you" from my daughter...and have her understand what she is saying and MEAN it. Fortunately I HAVE had that privilege. My daughter HAS reached the point where (although only briefly) she will make eye contact and say I love you. She has reached a the point of greeting others and showering them with hugs and smiles. This is truely something I didn't know if or when she would ever do it. I am so greatful for the progress she has made. I love Abby. I know she was placed in my life for a reason. I might not understand that reason right now, and there are days that I find myself confused, frustrated and at my wits end trying to figure out how to parent this complicated child...but I know God has a plan for her. She is a special gem that he gave to me and blunder though I will through her growing up years, my hope is that she will live, laugh, & love life...even if she does it differently than most people. I am blessed to have her in my life.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

This was Abby's 1st year going and BOY was she excited about it!!! Mommy went all out with the prep, curlers, make-up, nail polish, body spray. It's a once a year thing and being abby's 1st I wanted to make it the most special night of her year. They had a BLAST (Bethany went too) and daddy was happy that they both behaved themselves...here's to hoping that he consents to Emma going next year. Not sure he will be ok with taking all 3 by himself.

Awww, daddy got us roses!


Dancing


umm...Bethany is really getting into it...

MORE snow!

They're calling for 14 more inches between tomorrow and wednesday. I am REALLY hoping this is IT for the winter. Could just shoot the blasted ground hog. :P He wasn't joking about 6 more weeks of winter. Hoping that next week is a NORMAL week with school, therapy, dance lessons, awana, etc. With the base at Code Red (totally shut down except for MP's & Snow plowing ppl) for like Day 3, there isn't much to do. We are all kinda gamed out by now and the snow is really too deep to play in easily. But we DID manage to have fun making snow caves today!

Blizzard of 2010

That's what they are calling it here in VA. We got around 20" here. Girls weren't too keen playing in it since it was up to their waists. Took 4 hrs to clear the driveway. But its done. Sad thing is we are getting dumped on again in 2 days and I don't think this will even be halfway melted by then.

Gymnastics Day!

Or in Emma's words, "Jimmy-nastics!!" She was so excited about her "STAR" leotard and her new CARS bag I made for her specially for her dance/gym class. I was a little bummed that we couldn't sit in the class to watch...but I still got pics...even if they weren't the best.




Abby had her 1st class tonight. She is SUCH a natural at this! She doesn't quite have the coordination down yet for a cartwheel, but she did REALLY well in everything else...especially considering this is her 1st class.

SNOW!!!

This is our 1st REAL snowfall since moving to VA. Normally we don't get hardly any accumulation. We FINALLY have enough to sled on! The girls had a blast but the wind is brutal out there (windchill is only 8 degrees) so 30 minutes was about all they could handle.

Dance Night!

Dance night! Bethany's 1st tap/ballet class was tonight. She was SOOO stoked. She's always pranced around the house like a ballerina, but this was definately her first intro into the world of tap. I was so proud of her...I was worried about her and her tendency to tell everyone ELSE what to do plus she is SUCH a chatterbox...but she was REALLY good about everything and was watching & focusing really intently.

Hair up, dressed & ready to go!


1st class!


Tap (not bad for a beginner)


Ballet

O.MY.GOODNESS

I think my head is going to explode...I was SO very glad to put the kids to bed tonight b/c though I love them dearly...I had just about completely reached my limit for the day. I have been lucky. Normally just 1 or 2 of them will have a bad or "off" day at a time. Today...my word, ALL THREE were just in MOODS. Abby and Emma were in bad moods from the start this morning (we are talking 7am)and Bethany had a bee in her bonnet ever since I picked her up from school today to head to therapy. Repeatedly ramming my forehead into a wall would have been preferable at this point...they had already given me a migraine by the time they got to bed. OYE! I need sleep.

Princess & The Frog-New Disney Movie

Took the girls to Princess & the Frog tonight. The frog & princess part was cute but I was NOT impressed with all the voo-doo crap. It scared the girls and I really couldn't believe they put that in a KIDS movie! I mean REALLY?? "help from my friends on the 'other side'"???? with the devil shadows and everything...SERIOUSLY?!?!?! I ALMOST walked out of there. If ha dbeen just me and the girls I would have. Heaven forbid our kids take a BIBLE to school or pray in school, but they can make G movies geared toward YOUNG kids with demon/devil references in it?!?!?!?!

Can this week get ANY better?!?!?! (insert sarcasm...)

THANK GOODNESS tomorrow is friday. My knee is still jacked up. The back part behind the knee is all puffy/swollen...not bruised or anything but bigger than the other side and the right back side of my knee hurts just doing nothing with no pressure on it...walking/stairs is excruciating...hyperextending your knee if you do it bad enough can tear your ACL....let REALLY hope that is not what I did....only way to fix that is surgery...gonna give it thru the weekend and if the swelling isn't down nor the pain...I'll make an appt early monday morning...not to mention that yesterday morning while running Dom crested the last hill and pulled a muscle in his back. BAD. Never seen him like this...he can barely move. We make such a great pair right now...neither of us can barely walk. He's already told me he is staying in bed all weekend. *SIGH* I have sympathy for the back pain I do...but man...its one thing for me to do everything all weekend with NOTHING WRONG. I have no issues with that...But I can barely walk myself...but I guess since his pain trumps mine...I am tired, PMS-ing, in pain, frustrated....I just want to sit here and cry. :'(

ok....pity party over...I needed to vent.

THAT was fun...

(hear the sarcasm) Just slipped in the shower and hyperextended my bad knee...wonderful. >:(

Another great morning along with a 3 yr old who has decided that SHE is in charge this morning and is tantruming at the slightest cross of her will and waking up to a kid kicking my kidneys, hollering about wanting breakfast...sigh. Can I go back to bed and start the day over?? Say sleeping in til 8 this time?!?!?! lol

WHAT a LOOOONG day!

I swear...I have like ONE freaking nerve left and all 3 girls are JUMPING on it. >:( I know that siblings will bicker but GOOD GRIEF!! I don't remember going at each other like this when I was growing up...I mean my older sister and I would occassionally go a few rounds...but this ridiculous!

(chant) "I love my kids. I love my kids. I love my kids"

O.o

Yes...that is a cloth diaper!

MY mama cloth diapered ME!!!

What do you do?

I am a little anxious and a tad frustrated. My Abby has been SO overly tired and weepy lately. At 7 it is UNHEARD of for her to take a nap, yet for the past 2 wks...she takes one on a regular basis if she is not in school. Her little eyes have huge dark cirles under them and she complains that she is tired a lot. I find her curled up on the couch often in the evenings (at 5-6pm)nearly asleep. She also has been complaining of headaches (wwager they are more migraines as she is incapasitated by them). I worry something maybe truely wrong. :( Of course it is a holiday tomorrow so I can't make a dr appt. :( I know I shouldn't borrow trouble, but I have this odd feeling its something more than "just" being tired. Your prayers would be apreciated. Also if anyone who has or works with children with autism thinks that these things sound familiar, I am open to advice!

This is who we are...if you disagree, feel free to not read.

I have been called a hippy, but I prefer the label-crunchy. Yes, I am a granola kinda person. I believe in breastfeeding, child-led weaning, delayed/selective vaccinating, babywearing, cloth diapering.

Breastfeeding
Breastfed all 3 of my girls and totally wouldn't have minded them nursing longer but they each chose to wean on their own at or around 6-9 months. Oh and a side note about NIP...I don't get the drama surrounding it. WHY do ppl freak out? Bottle-feeding in public isn't frowned upon...same difference, just a different way of feeding. I won't go on unless asked b/c I could definately go on and on...its one of my soapboxes.

Vaccinations
We have delayed both Bethany & Emma's vaccinating schedule. I don't mind them getting most their shots but I don't believe that their little bodies need to be bombarded with 5-7 shots every 2 months that first year. We also do not get the flu shots. We wash hands regularly and keep the house wiped/lysoled/cleaned. I know that every child will get sick at some point, we will deal with it when it comes. So far my girls have done totally fine without the flu shot for the past 4 years and I don't plan on them getting the H1N1 either.

Babywearing
While I don't mind taking my kids out in a stroller (kinda hard to jog with a 3 yr old wrapped on you)I prefer to wear my kids. Granted they don't prefer to be wron anymore so we generally don't babywear much at this point. The most recently I bw one of my kids is Emma this past July at Disney World.

I have however worn my 4 and 6 yr old on both my back and my husbands within the past year. (obviously not the 6 yr old for long periods...she just like to do what her baby sister was doing)

I leave it up to the comfort of the child being worn. If they want to be worn, fine, if not, ok. Mostly all 3 prefer to walk at this point.

Cloth Diapering
Its not the prefolds and plastic pants of the 50's. Cloth diapering has come a LONG way from that. Some of my favorites have been waterproof pockets (waterproof shell with a microfleece inside that wicks away moisture from baby's butt to whatever you chose to stuff into the pocket...microfiber auto towels work great!):


All-in-ones(waterproof shell with a microfleec or flannel inside that touches baby, with a flannel or microfiber inside all sewn together so that it goes on and comes off like a disposable):



These 2 are great for out and about trips. For at home I also tried my hand at the prefolds and fitted diapers with a cover...not plastic pants but with wool as a cover. While it is not WATERPROOF it IS water-RESISTANT. Any cover is only as good as the diaper under it. :) I really enjoyed my venture into wool...expensive though it was. lol Dom is glad that Emma is potty trained for sure. rofl Some of my favorites:
Prefolds-

Flats-

Fitteds-

Wool-knitted(yarn)wool:


Interlock wool:


See?!?!?! Diapering your child can be CUTE and FUN!! I found that especially with Emma that it wasn't a FIGHT to change her diaper with cloth diapers. She loved picking out which she would wear next. I know there are also those that GAG at the thought of dipping a pooped diaper in the toliet, again not your grandmothers diapering world. They make sprayers (much like a sink sprayer) that attaches to your toliet hook-up. When you need to clean off a diaper, simply hold it over the toliet bowl and spray it off! Easy-peasy!

Now that you are probably asleep...I will end my "book". Any questions, feel free to ask!

Need I say more?

FYI

FYI...do NOT pick a fight with a marine that turns into a grappling match...you WILL lose. lol

Driving in DC Traffic

Let'sme just say...I HATE driving from Quantico, VA to Bethesda, MD. That really is my only complaint about living in this area...is that for any specialty appts you have to drive all the way thru DC to get there...I nearly got sideswiped TWICE today. HELLO?!?!?! That's what BLINKERS are for!!! USE THEM!!! Seriously...traffic doesn't normally bother me...but when ppl act like complete idiots and try to run me off the road...I take offense. >:(

Our Family

Now that I have bored you to tears with my intro post and my explaination post...I'd like to introduce my family so that you know who I am talking about when I refer to or say their names.

Abigail, better known to everyone as Abby who just turned 7 in November. Green-eyed, red-headed, stubborn as all get out like her daddy, my firstborn and also my introduction into the world of special needs. Abby has autism. She is high functioning, but still has many issues. As time passes and she gets older, more educational/developmental issues are emerging. Transitioning between activities and mess-ups in her routine continue to be her biggest struggle. Right now, we are also struggling with sleeping issues. Since I also have a toddler that still wakes at night with night terrors, this week I am functioning mainly on coffee and more coffee. :) Her disability aside, Abby LOVES to read, play dress up, is highly competitive in nearly any type of game she plays, excels at math. She is VERY addicted to playing ball and I hope to get her on the Little League T-ball team this year. She is very loving and is constantly hugging those around her...kids and adults alike. She has a way of helping me keep my life in perspective.


Bethany, who is 5 1/2 and can't wait to turn 6 in May, is my prima donna. She loves to sing and dance and draw/paint and has a gift for anything music or art-related. She LOVES anything ballet related (girl after my own heart) and I hope to get her into ballet class here soon. She is also mommy's little clone in looks and in actions. She has a memory like a steel trap and is quick to parrot anything I say...which means I have to be VERY careful with what I say. She is learning to read and making a ton of progress in the area. She is also turned into Little Miss Sassy Pants and since even now Abby struggles with her speech, this is a new area for me to deal with.


Emma, who just turned 3 in October, is my youngest and better known as the resident Drama Queen. She has by far been my most handful at the toddler age since both of her sisters initially had some developmental issues, she has always done things quicker than the older two and even now at age 3 is doing things that the other two didn't do til they were 4 or 5. Currently at age 3, she academically ahead of where her sisters were at this age and gets into TONS more mischief. Just since our move in July, we have had marker on the rugs, pen on the ENTIRE body, toliet paper strewn over an entire bathroom, q-tips all over mommy's bedroom floor...the list could go on...lol She LOVES her markers/crayons and has been the hardest to teach that you only draw on PAPER!!!! Not everything in the world is a canvas for her to draw on! lol She is my cuddlebug, my chatterbox, her little eyes twinkle and her smile lights up a room. Everyone (even complete strangers in a store) love to comment on her red hair and how cute she is...so by 3...she KNOWS she is cute! That grin makes it hard to say no to her...but mommy does lay down the law. 



My husband, whom I will mostly refer to as Dom, better known as the person who knows how to push all my buttons and drives me up a wall most the time, but I love him anyways.



Well, that is my family in a nutshell. Now you know who am talking about. ;)