How in the world did so much time pass?

Here we are almost a week after my last post and I have no idea how I haven't blogged yet. lol I promise I have lots to talk about.



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I think I mentioned in the last post that Chris reenlisted for another 5 years. His reenlistment ceremony was July 26th, and while I missed it because it was on the ship the day before he was home, his parents did get to see it. I'll try to include a few pictures from that. Even if it's not my most favorite thing ever, it's good for our family and I'm extremely proud. :)

Part of the goodness of reenlisting when you're an ET in the Navy is the nice reenlistment bonus that comes along with it. I'm not going to say exactly how much, but let me describe to you what this means to us: we're paying off the car, we've bought new kitchen stuff, Chris built a new computer, a couple of new gun/gun supplies, new furniture, NEW CAMERA STUFF!, spending money, etc. Needless to say, it's been nice to be able to put money in savings and still treat each other with things things we've been wanting for a while. My favorite things at this moment are tied between the dining room chair covers and my new camera lens. The chair covers makes everything just look RIGHT again. They're now black and eliminate the harsh contrast of patterns and colors. And actually, I bought two lenses. One has come in so far and I'm really excited. :) It's a 70-300mm lens and it should be very nice for what I need it for. The bonus also helped to pay for our trip to the mountains. Another nice part of the bonus is that we'll get some money from it every October for the next 5 years, starting this October. And with that bonus check .... Chris is buying me a new wedding ring!!! I'm currently wearing his mom's ring (who is wearing an anniversary ring). It's pretty, but tiny and not something that I would ever pick for myself. This time we're picking out my new ring together and I'm so very excited about it. :D



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Two days ago I did something I've been wanting to do for a while. I re-pierced my (left) ear cartilage, and I pierced my nose! I have a little stud on the right nostril now and I love it. Of course, I'd love it all more if they were all through hurting, but that might be a little while. In the meantime, I'd settle for the kids just not bumping them anymore.

Once they aren't bright red, I'll post pictures. :)



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After all we've dealt with food issues with the kids, I've now got a new food issue to deal with. But not with any PERSON in my house. Instead, it's with Zoe -- my DOG!!! She's always been an itchy dog, and recently has been sneezing non-stop, so I finally took her to the vet for it. They think she has food allergies! So we're trying her on a prescription food diet for a while and seeing if that fixes it. Part of me hopes it's that simple because it would be an easy fix -- in a way. But part of me is praying it's not the issue because convincing the kids to not feed her, and keeping her out of the cat's food is becoming a problem. Very very very hard.



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I'm sure there's more to share, but at the moment I'm having a hard time thinking of them so I think I'm just going to go to bed with a book. Have a good night! ♥




ETA: Pictures aren't cooperating. I'll try again for those tomorrow. G'night!

Let's Restart

It's been a while since I've truly blogged. I had every intention of keeping the private-ish blog updated on what has been going on, but it just felt weird blogging there. No real reason why, but it just didn't mesh. And I may still eventually make my blog more anonymous in order to talk about those things, but right now, it just doesn't feel quite right.


So let's do some quick updates, and then hopefully we'll get restarted on this whole blogging thing. :)

~The kids and I spent a month in Texas with my family. Zoe came along with us while I had a friend staying in my house and taking care of Aslan. We spent time with family, played in sprinklers, went to the Sandhills, and just in general had a good time. Zoe had fun too playing with all the different dogs we saw. Now that she's home she's super lonely and restless. I'm thinking that when we move next (into a house WITH a fenced yard) a new playmate is in order for the poor baby. :)

~I did really well with Weight Watchers for a while, lost a lot of weight. In the last month and a half I have gained back a little of it, but am now getting serious again. I don't want this weight on my body any longer.

~CHRIS IS HOME! His ship pulled into port on the 27th and we are all happy to have him back home. Alex is suddenly more happy to see him than he ever was before. And of course Kairi adores her daddy and is always seeking his attention.
The 27th was a Tuesday, we spent Wednesday with his parents who came into town to see him, and then Thursday morning before the kids got up we packed up and headed out of town. Chris' parents kept the kids Thursday and Friday, and then took them to a friend's house where they stayed until we came home. Chris and I went to the Smokey Mountains to camp for a week. If I remember to, I'll blog about that later this week. :)

~Now we're preparing for the next phase in our life -- shore duty! Chris officially leaves the ship in September and begins working at the other base in Jax in October. He has a few short trips out to sea between now and then, but thankfully he'll be home from there on out for the next 3 (or so) years. I'm hoping that that will good for all of us.


Ok, so onto trying to read a few blogs and catch up with people that I've missed. Here's to a more consistent future for this blog! :)

Alex Update

I was right in wanting Alex's to be looked at closer. He has "borderline hearing" which may be a result of his congestion (going on week #3 of a cold) or may be more serious than that. We won't know until the congestion clears up and are hoping that that's the case by February as we have another hearing test scheduled for then. Both the doctor and audiologist agreed that he needed to at least be evaluated for speech therapy as he's very difficult to understand and much louder than necessary.

Also, because he snores and has this constant congestion, the doctor is worried that his adenoids are enlarged, so we'll be checking those in February as well. If they are enlarged, we may discuss removal of them.


In the meantime, I spent this afternoon chasing phone numbers trying to figure out who I'm supposed to really be talking to about Alex being evaluated for speech therapy. If it happens, I won't be upset as it means that we're that means that we're that much closer to losing frustrations -- and it certainly can't hurt anything. If the hearing problems AREN'T caused by his congestion and there is obviously no fluid on his ears right now, then I'm not sure where we go from there. One step at a time I suppose.

Memorial Weekend -- A general update

We had quite a weekend! And it didn't end until yesterday! Unfortunately, I can't find my camera's battery charger, so I have no pictures. :(

Chris's parents got into town Saturday night and stayed until yesterday morning. Sunday we went to church of course. We went to St John's Seafood that night. Their food is always yummy and they give so much food! That night Chris grilled fajita meat for us. Loved it!

Monday we went to MOSH (Museum of Science and History). While I will say that by the end I was ready to pull out my hair due to the whineyness that is my daughter, overall the trip was good. And I'm fairly certain that most of the whineyness was due to missed naps. Chris grilled for us again that night. I love it when he grills; it's always so good!

And Tuesday Tony (my fil) relandscaped the backyard! I'll have to find the battery charger and take a picture because there is no way to explain what he did unless you've seen my backyard, but I absolutely love it! When (if?)the rain would clears up, I know that the kids will love playing out back even more now. :)



The in-laws left yesterday morning and while I loved having them here, it was really nice to get back to a semi-normal routine. Of course, Kairi and Alex keep asking for PaPa (he's a definite favorite). And since they took the dog with them, they're constantly asking for "my Tiga puppy". (Dog's name was Tiger.) We almost changed our minds and kept Tiger, but neither Chris nor I felt like dealing with her pooping and hacking up loogies on the floor anymore. Honestly, his parents are much better equipped to deal with it since they don't have kids. Oh, and it bummed me out yesterday when I realized I had to wash my own dishes. LOL ... Becky (mil) knows how much I hate washing dishes and did it for me while she was here. I love her!


I am truly lucky. While from time to time each of my in-laws get on my nerves or do something I don't agree with, I am truly lucky to have them. First of all, we all make the extra effort to get along. And I know that they see how much Chris has grown up since meeting me, marrying me, and having kids. I know that they credit a lot of that to his commitment to me, and therefore they respect my decisions and the way I handle things. Also, they have conceded that while they may not always agree w/ my parenting style (although they usually do ... just a few moments that we disagree on), they had their chance to raise their boys the way THEY wanted to, and now it's my chance to raise my own kids and make my own mistakes. Becky will frequently give input, but if I ignore her advice she doesn't get upset or mad at me. Becky and I talk on a daily basis and if I don't call her, she gets worried about us. Tony and I agree on general political topics, but frequently disagree on specifics ... so we "discuss" our differences on occasion. But I think my willingness to stick to my beliefs while still at least considering his viewpoint has increased his respect for me. We get along better now than ever. I love also that they always try to take a step back from my marriage and any disagreements Chris and I might have most of the time. All in all, I have great in-laws. :) And I know that I'm very lucky to have them. So when I say that I'm sad to see them go, it's real. Besides, who could I not be excited to have them around when I know the joy that their visit brings my kids. Kairi screeches their names and celebrates the moment they show up, and she doesn't calm down until she's asleep. :)