And we finished with SUCCESS

Ok, so I took a week off of doing most everything in my life to get the girls in new routines and create new habits. I want to follow up with that it was a Success..

Carmen no longer needs a sippy cup!! Why didn't I do that sooner? I always felt guilty because I was taking away her security blanket, but it had to happen. She is doing awesome! Along with that action, it has led her to not drink as much so I was also able to successfuly potty train. We are not completly done, nights and errand running we need some practice, but for the most part. Conclusion: She has been ready for a long time and I have been too busy or too lazy to put the effort in. Timing is right though. We have a while until another long road trip and she is confident enough after dads departure.

Cera, was easy. I say that after a week of successes! Although sometimes this week I did give her the bottle, she ended up not really drinking it while in bed. She cries still for a second, but nothing neiher of us can handle.

So all in all taking time to take care of some important stuff really did pay off and I am proud of myself. Not just for doing these tasks successfully but for putting off other things I would rather have been doing. It was worth it though, so YEAH ME!

Please pray for me

Ok, so I have told you all my personal goals, but have yet to work on my family ones. I think I am ready. I virtually have nothing on my datebook next week and so I think I am designating it to "HELL WEEK".

You have to do it as a mom, but we all put it off..here we go. Cera is crying herself to sleep this week starting at 8:00. She will go no bottle to fall asleep with. Yes, I will make sure she is fed, but no bottle in bed!! Same for naps. Carmen got a new straw sippy cup today and the old ones went in the trash..no more sippy cups in bed. I am done hearing SIPPY CUP yelled at me at 3 am because she needs a refill. Carmen is going to be potty trained by next sunday. I will not let my mom come down for her 3rd birthday without her being potty trained.

As far as my goals..by the time Toby returns..I will have no more bottles. I will have no more diapers and no more baby bag!! I will have each child going to bed at their scheduled bedtime and not throwing a fit about it.

I know this sounds crazy (we all know I am) but it finally has come. My mom has been waiting until I hit this point and it is finally here. I will, however much I hate it..stay home all day everyday for the next 10 days. No going out. I will have groceries, any supplies needed. We will leave for gymnastics, and scouts/church. But for daily errands, they are getting pushed. They can all wait anyway.

Please pray for me and wish me luck. I am really excited and ready to go through HELL WEEK. I will be blessed for being persistant.

Another Carmen laughter moment

I may have to just start a daily Carmen thread, because she is so funny. Today we were going on a walk and there is a spot where we have to go over our lawn to get to the sidewalk. I was walking the dog and the baby in the stroller over and then was going to come back to help carmen, who was on her bike.

I got the stroller locked and headed to help Carmen. She had started on the lawn..her front tire had traction but her back, because of the training wheels was just spinning around..making her not go forward. Instead of being mad, she yells at me "look mom, biggest loser!!"

She is hilarious. Her favorite show is biggest loser on tv, because she likes how mom works out like them. Anyway, she thought it was like a stationary bike. So funny!!

New Year, New Me!!

It is over!! My birthday came and went. I had a fantastic day and am so proud of all my family letting me know how much they care. I need to apologize to Kath. The text she sent, I didn't know who it was from. I appreciated it non the less.

Now is the time I finally speak my goals. I have been finalizing them for a month and ready to set it in stone. I learned in Mary Kay that if you don't tell people of your goals, you give up way to easy and most don't get achieved.

Here it is..all yall being my accountability partners.
By Feb. 2009..with 4 months to spare until toby comes home:

I will run a marathon..that is right em, I am going to have lots of questions.
I will conquer this mountain by my house..it is a 5 mile run up the mountain. Toby used to do it every friday and it kicked his butt, so I will be able to do it (easy?)
I will have all photographs digitally and put in some kind of book or disk and file the old away.
I will weigh 150 and wear a size 6
I will have shared the gospel with at least 60 people of which 20 will have met with the missionaries
I will have succeeded in my Mary Kay career (yes, I am saying it again!!)
I will have been the best Army wife that has ever existed and have the best marriage possible

That is all, keep me busy for awhile.

Thank you all for supporting me in whatever crazy venture comes my way

Blogging Machine

Someone must have put my hands through the blogging machine, because I have alot to share and my hands keep typing.



My husband called!! Some of you may not get that a phone call can be an event. I haven't been able to talk to him in the past week because the phones are down. They only get two calls a week for ten minutes anyway. Those calls were taken away because some phone lines are down. Communication is hard sometimes with email: 1. because Toby hates to type and 2. The computer he has at work is missing keys, so they are all like text messages. No vowels.

Anyway, his roomate went out and got a cell phone. They are really expensive there so we have not done it yet, but he let Toby use his phone. We talked long enough to actually have a conversation. It was so nice!

He got me so energized I cleaned my whole house. Some of you might not know the magnitude of that task, but I am organizing, so everything is out of all the closets. i did not put everything away (worked on some major projects). I got the baseboards washed and my floor cleaned. I have a four bedroom home, of which all have lanoleum. It is nice not to vacuum, but I hate to mop.

I have got to get this house in order before my mom comes to visit in a couple weeks. If not she may think I am not doing ok, and get worried about me. i am doing ok, just cleaning and enjoying playing with the kids. Ok, I hate cleaning.

Well, I have decided that I love this blogging thing and am going to continue it.

Its my birthday and I will cry if I want to!

So it is my birthday and I can't help but look back on the past. Especially the last 10 years and how many experiences I have been through, some more than once (because some of us don't learn the first time).

I can't help but see Gods hand in my life. I can't help but get teary eyed seeing how many prayers have been answered. I remember praying for each child, when they were born, to just be healthy. How blessed I have been that all my kids are continually healthy. Not to mention, how blessed I am to have four beautiful, well behaved (most of the time) children.

I have been blessed to have been given a wonderful husband who loves me no matter what. Sometimes, we had our bad times, but he works really hard for us and constantly shows me how much I mean to him. He gives me constant praise and appreciation. He loves me fat, or skinny (which he hasn't seen for almost all the 12 years together). He really is my world, and me his. He yearns to be a better member of our church and be the best Dad he can. HOW BLESSED AM I?

I can't help to think of the parents I was able to come down to on this earth. How amazing are they? A Dad that has never hesitated to work hard for his family, but still be there to talk. I remember going on a walk with him before I got engaged. He probably was thinking "holy cow you are 19" and wanting to give the advice not to do it because he probably knew how hard it would be. Probably hard for him because he would want to protect me, but he didn't. He gave me advice, told me to be like my mother and I would be ok. He walked with me and listened. How blessed am I? The mother I was blessed with could never be better..man she is amazing. She has always been there. Not only when we were in Utah, but she has literally taken me across the country. I remember her taking me to Minnisota, only to have us stay there a couple months. Or when I had a really hard day in Idaho and Toby called her and she came to my rescue that same day. She has helped me see the big picture and make good choices. She has not only helped me be a good mom, but saved my marriage more than once.

They have given me the foundation of a good testimony of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They both constantly live what they believe. What examples they are. I cannot even express how blessed I feel.

This life in the military..some pity me, or feel bad for me..but no other job gives you so many chances to learn and grow together as a family and also personally. Never in the past 10 years of my life have I grown so much in such a small amount of time. Never have I been more patriotic. How blessed I am to live in this free land.

Crying on my birthday, yes..but out of joy. How blessed I am!!

Carmen is hilarious

I cannot believe how funny Carmen is..She is about to turn 3 so her vocabulary is getting better, but obviously we need some work. Today she asked me for chicken hands for lunch. I told her they are chicken fingers. She thinks I am weird and doesn't know what a chicken hand or leg looks like, but still is convinced the chicken hands are better. SO FUNNY!

Tonight we went to sign her up for gymnastics. We needed to get leotards for when they go back. She of course, found a pink one, with pink shorts. We get home and she wants her swimsuit on. ( what?) I tell her it is her leotard for gymnastics. Yeah mom, she says, "my retard!" So funnny.. I tell her, no your leotard and she still says retard.

Kids are so funny..I hope I always appreciate the cute times.