New 'Do

I tried fixing Madison's hair a little differently since it is getting longer. We tried the low dog ears. It was really cute. I could not get a very good picture of it.

Potluck

I have absolutely no idea where January went, much less February! Soooo, this will be a long post so I can give you the run down of our household.

As you probably know, our 1940s house is scheduled to be torn down this year. The first week of February we found a letter from the housing office wondering when the best time for us to move would be. Our options were Feb/Mar, April/May, or September. John called them to let them know we would prefer the Feb/Mar move and they said it would be no problem since the level of house we are eligible for is already open. When John informed them that we would move off base, the lady backtracked and said that we would not be allowed to move until September. John asked to get both dates in writing so that he could take it to his commander since his commute interferes with 'crew rest time' and so affects the amount of time that he can be at work. Upon hearing the word 'commander' the lady became super nice and said that we would be put in the first group to move. We have yet to receive our 30 day notice. The latest rumor is that they will not be tearing down our houses because the original plan was to put a jr. high school here and the AF has no funds for that at the moment. This makes no sense to me. Why would they leave our ONE street of OLD houses when both sides of the base will have all new housing? We have found, upon comparing stories with other residents, that this office will blatantly lie to get their way. So frustrating!

I finally made the decision to start my master's degree a few weeks ago. I was going to utilize the military's MyCAA program for tuition assistance for spouses. I received my acceptance letter from Liberty University on Wednesday morning and Wednesday night found out that the program had been abruptly and indefinitely suspended. Needless to say, I was bummed!

The weather has been nice here lately. We have been enjoying temps in the 60s and 70s. We've been trying to get to the park as often as possible.

These are Carson's pants that she put on herself and Daddy's hat.

Carson took this picture of us.

I bought the kids these little toys that are tiny but you put them in water and they grow. Carson's were dinosaurs so after we put them in a bowl of water, he found all of his other dinosaurs and perched them around the bowl to 'watch' the other dinosaurs grow. He sat there with his dinosaurs for a good 30 minutes! I couldn't believe it.

Bed Head Supreme

Seriously, I did not touch her hair. She must have had one wild nap!

Cutie Patutie

Have I mentioned that I LOVE putting Madison's hair in ponytails?

She is quite a talker these days. I sat down one day and wrote down all of the words that she uses and she has hit the 100 mark. I did not include words that she repeats. These are words that she uses without prompting. At her check-up, the NP asked me is she used 8-10 words yet. Hee, hee, hee.

We moved her to a toddler bed about two weeks ago. It has not been a pleasant experience. I have only had a full night's sleep 2-3 times since. When she wakes up, she will stand at her door (which I keep closed) and yell "Mommy" in the most pitiful voice you can imagine.

The very first night was quite an experience. Madison woke me up out of a really deep sleep. I was disoriented and was definitely not thinking straight. I went to her room and for some reason decided just to let her sleep with me. She did not mind this. At some point, while it was still pitch black, she sat straight up in bed and started talking to me. I decided it was time for her to go back to her bed. She settled right down and I made my way back to my bed, again still dark. When I got to my doorway I noticed a white face on John's pillow. My mind was so foggy that I stood there trying to remember if John really went to work or if he had the night off and if he did have the night off, why didn't Madison bother him while she was in our bed? I could feel the panic start creeping in. As I was silently praying, I let out a "Hey, Carson" very nervously. Imagine my relief when I heard "Hey, Mommy." So I ended up with at least one child in bed with me all night!

Snow time

This setup was rather convenient for John and me.

If no one will take her sledding, she will take herself!

I'll admit that this was a rather ugly snowman but in our defense, we were not prepared to build one on this trip. Carson loved it just the same!

Our Quiet Christmas

The big boy bike.

So excited to inherit the tricycle.

Making cookies for Santa.

OH MY!!

The finished product.

The loot.

We had a very quiet Christmas around here. It was quite nice. The kids slept in as they do these days. I woke up around 0730 wondering when the kids would wake up because I was so excited. Carson totally put it all together. The grin on his face when he discovered the presents from Santa was priceless. Madison was a little confused by it all but enjoyed opening the presents nonetheless. John and I completely forgot to take a single picture. We did, however, capture the entire thing on video. Carson received the triceratops that he insisted Santa was bringing him although he was most excited about a dinosaur puzzle. Madison really did not react to any present but after all was opened, she really enjoyed playing with her new baby gear that included a stroller, pack n play, play mat, bouncy seat and diaper bag. I can't even begin to tell you how many miles that little stroller has already been pushed!!! After a late breakfast we took the bikes out for a test ride. Both kids were just as happy as they could be as you can see in the pictures. By the time we made it back, it was time for John to get ready for work. I cannot complain about him working the holidays because that is much better than the alternative of deployments. For the rest of the day, the kids and I just played with their new toys and read all of their new books.

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!!

Daddy Did It!

I'll let the picture do all the talking.