Traveling with Kids - Myrtle Beach Edition

I'm going to try and get everyone caught up on what's been going on with us the last few months in the next few days. First up: Going home the last 2 weeks in June.

The twins will be two in October. Holy guacamole, I can't believe it.

With that said, this summer was the last time we could fly with them as lap infants. For Troy, Avery and me to fly (so 3 seats) it was $1200. Ugh. So if we were to fly home next year, it's safe to say it would be $2000, maybe more with inflation. We definitely wanted to fly home with the kids again before we felt like it was way too expensive. Fingers crossed, at this time next year, we will be moving to a base SOMEWHERE within driving distance of family on the east coast and flying won't be an issue. Start praying now ya'll, you know how the military can be...

Troy and I have decided that (for now) flying on a red eye is the way to go when traveling west to east. It stinks with the time change to feel like you spend the whole day traveling. So while the first day you're there, you're a bit tired, at least the adrenaline of being home is kicking in and you don't really care how tired you are. Because while the kids might be sleeping, it is nearly impossible to be comfortable with a 30 pound child in your lap.

Exhibit A of sacrifices you make for comfort to keep your child comfortable, asleep and quiet for other passengers:

We were also excited because my sisters were visiting my mom and stepdad's house with my nephew, who I had never met! They were only there for about 24 hour before heading back home, so of course, we decided it would be a great idea to have a photographer come over and take pictures of the grandparents with all the grandkids together for the first time. Right after a red eye flight...

Needless to say, there were some keepers in the bunch. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That's getting framed.

Here's Aunt Taylor with her nephew and 3 nieces:

Troy and I hung out with the kiddos for a few days with the South Carolina grandparents. Lots of pooling involved. And my stepdad is group exercise instructor at the YMCA there so I took a spin class he taught.

Chick-Fil-A was had. About 9 times in 13 days. I thought my thighs were made of waffle fries. Troy's blood was made of sweet tea.

So then we headed to North Myrtle Beach. We rented a 4 bedroom house there with Troy's parents and sister and brother in law. After last year when we flew home with twins, we were like never again. We flew home for 2 weeks and landed at Baltimore. Stayed a day or two, drove to North Carolina to visit Troy's extended family, stopping through Richmond to see my college friend on the way, stayed in North Carolina for a few days, packed up and headed to South Carolina to visit my mom and stepdad and grandmother for a few days, drove to Rock Hill and stayed at my other grandparents house for a few days and also visited with my dad. Then we packed up again and drove to Staunton where we had the twins baptized and stayed to visit with Bryson and Lori (the pastor who married Troy and me) and then we headed back to DC to fly home. NO NO NO.

This year, we flew into Columbia, SC and stayed a few days, drove to Myrtle Beach and stayed a week and drove back to Columbia to fly home. We very politely requested that people come see us if they were available during that time. And come see us they did!!

Almost all of Troy's extended family (on his dad's side) from North Carolina rented a house about 200 yards up the street from our house. My grandparents from Rock Hill came one day and stayed for dinner and brought my great aunt with them. Troy's mom's side of family came the second half of the week and stayed a few days in a hotel and we had a blast hanging out with everyone.

Here is Troy's Aunt Kathy hanging out with all the little girls on the porch swing. Avery had a blast playing with her second cousins. Third? Twice once removed? I can never get that straight. The other girls are Troy's first cousins kids.

Kinley hanging out in a beach chair. She is the more timid of my kids. Much more of a watcher than a doer. She has to make sure no one is in mortal danger prior to engaging. And food is a priority. I really thought she was going to HATE the beach. I mentally prepared myself to carry her around the whole time. She is definitely a "texture" baby. I was convinced she'd hate the sand. Not so much. She was rolling around in the sand.

This is Kinley's GREAT AUNT LEE. She hates when we remind her that she is now a great Aunt. And Troy's dad photobombing.

Me and my man relaxing in the surf. Winning. We talked about it the last night we were there, and we all agreed that the beach house was the way to go for family time. There is something about being in a different house that forces you to unplug, get out of your routine and actually vacate your life that we all loved. We think we should do it again in the near future...

Kinley getting in on the action. They wore hats everyday and I loved it. They didn't even try to pull them off.

Avery and Caris running down to the water. Caris is like Avery's little shadow. She is NOT timid. She wants to do everything that her big sister does. Except louder. And with more pizzazz.

Caris back up at the umbrella for a quick drink. Girlfriend is a mooch. She doesn't want anything that's her own, but wants whatever everyone else has. Unless it's a peanut butter sandwich. She won't share that with anyone.

Everyday there was an italian ice trunk that pulled around selling cups of ice for like 12 dollars for a tiny little cup. And being the good tourists that we are, bought some. Every. Single. Day.

This is me in the pool with Caris. This picture makes me laugh every time. The goggles look ridiculous. This pool belongs to one of my grandmother's friends. It's legit the biggest backyard pool I've ever seen. It has a slide.

This is pretty much the summary of my life with the twins. Have you read that study that came out saying that kids are 800% more badly behaved when their mother is in the room? Yeah.

Kinley and Troy on the flight home....to be fair, Kinley was really sick. Like we got off home in Vegas and I went to the pediatrician with Kinley and Troy unloaded the car and other kids for naps. Kinley had a double ear infection, upper respiratory infection, and pink eye. With a fever. Everyone on the flight was SUPER glad we were there. Pink eye and all. Eeeek. I guess I should be glad she was sleeping. And not screaming the whole time.

Caris. THE WHOLE FLIGHT HOME:

She was like HI HI HI!! HEEERRRRRROOO! Standing up. Squishing me. Talking to everyone. Hitting the person on the head in front of us. Dancing. On my bladder. Sticking her fingers in my nose. Making sure the person next to us knows where their eyes are. Violently. With her fingers.

And no kidding, our downstairs air conditioner was not working when we got back. It was 114 degrees outside and 88 degrees in the house. The upstairs unit was running full blast but could not keep air circulating and cool in the whole house. No repair person was available for 48 hours. Needless to say, we hit up our friends and neighbors for fans.

The twins learned about doing the Darth Vader, "Luke, I am your father," fan voice. Truth.

Overall, great trip. Hope to be back on the east coast to do it again next summer. My plan, if it goes my way, will be to (in this order):

1. Get our orders back to the east coast
2. Pack out our house in Vegas
3. Drive to Myrtle Beach and stay for a week in route to our new assignment
4. Go to our new house to receive households

Which basically means that that won't happen. Because military. Fingers crossed. Hard praying.

I Left Troy Alone with the Girls for 9 Days - Prequel

So I have this friend. I've known her for 15 years. Which is crazy. I've known her more than half of my life.

This is Kristen:

This is Kristen and Me. In high school (sorry, it's bad):

Kristen and I have been through a lot. Like when we drink together and my feet hurt and she drops me in the parking lot and we can't stop laughing. This was supposed to be a shot of Kristen giving me a piggy back ride. But she dropped me instead and somehow, we got an action shot of us falling:

Or when Troy went TDY when Avery was a week old. And we were moving away from Dover and living in a hotel. And Kristen came to my rescue. Look how sleepy she is. That's sacrifice. Staying up with a baby that isn't your own:

She got married 3 years ago. We look better than high school, huh? We clean up well:

So let's pause a minute and list all the things that Kristen has done.

1. She came when Avery was a week old to live with me in TLF while Troy was gone.
2. She drove with me to Texas when Avery was 4 months old when we moved to San Antonio and Troy was already there.
3. She stayed a week and helped me unpack my house in San Antonio.
4. She came to Vegas when I was hospitalized for hyper stimulated ovaries and took care of Avery.
5. She came to Vegas for a week when I was on bedrest. She left 3 days before the twins were born.

Kristen married a guy in the military. This is him:

She moved to Florida. She's been living there since she got married. They got orders a few weeks ago to move back to Virginia. OH and she has a 5 month old little boy. Ain't he cute?

So go ahead a scroll back up to that list. I'll wait.

As her first move as a military spouse with a new baby, it can be SO overwhelming. SO much to do. On a plane I went to help her. I mean, not only was I ready for a trip by myself, but Kristen was doing her first move.

I left on a red eye from Vegas thursday night and arrived in Washington, DC on friday morning. I flew back to Vegas the FOLLOWING saturday...9 days later. Troy was with the kids all that time. He did great. They're all alive and accounted for. In addition, being gone really reinforced the importance and power of building your "village." I'm not entirely certain he would have made it without our village.

In addition, I got to see a lot of people I grew up with and have known me for years. As well as acquaintances that I have only met a few times, but am friends with on Facebook. Apparently, more people are reading this blog than I was aware of. I had about 12 people ask me, separately, a version of the question, "why aren't you blogging anymore?" Or "I'd like to fan girl stalk your babies and you're making it hard." Or "I am very invested in your family because you blogged about your fertility and stuff and I'm going through that now." So I'm back. And making a better effort. Promise.

Avery's (very belated) 18 Month Check Up

I was a bad mommy. For whatever reason, I didn't realize that Avery needed to go to a 15 month check up. So we skipped it. Oops.

She turned 18 months old on November 7th. So the week of Halloween, I called the clinic to make Avery an appointment in pediatrics for her 18 month well baby appointment. And there wasn't any availability until December 20th...oops. SO she had her 18 month appointment at 19 1/2 months. Or really her SUPER belated 15 month appointment.

Luckily, when we in-processed into Nellis, we took all of her records from her 12 mo appointment to pediatrics (it was done at an Army facility and we didn't know if the records could be accessed from an Air Force facility). We were sent over to immunizations when we gave them her records and she got some shots, so luckily, even though I'm getting serious bad mommy points for being late, her shots were up to date!! GO ME! Sort of...

She is averaging the 77th percentile for height and weight and then is in the 99th percentile for her head size. She's got a big head...what can I say?

She still needed 2 shots. Thank goodness Troy was there for her appointment. I HATE holding her down on the mat. Her fat little legs look so sad all pinned down.

Apparently when kids are between 15 and 18 months, they get blood work to look at calcium and some enzymes. So, being the good mom that I am, I let Troy hold her down while I took pictures. Bad mommy points again, huh?

They used the TINIEST little needle. She sat on Troy's lap and he held her legs between his legs and held her left arm to her body. One of the techs held her right arm straight and another tech drew her blood. IT WAS SOOOOO QUICK! And the tech was great! She got the vein right away. I could totally sympathize with Avery's pain because I HATE HATE HATE needles.

Look how she's staring at me like "MOOOOM! How can you let them do this to me???"

The second they were done, they put a pretty red Coban wrap on her arm and I scooped her up for a mommy hug. She was fine immediately and back to toddling around the lab yelling "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!" to everyone.

I guess it couldn't have been that bad, right? I'm just glad Troy was there and the techs were fast!

3 Couples Who Have Influenced Our Marriage and Lifestyle: Part 3

Lesson 1 from Bryson and Lori Smith: Love God. Love People.

Lesson 2 from Rob and Cynthia Wittwer: Work Hard. Play Hard. Choose to be Happy.

I grew up as a military brat. I went to 3 different high schools and the longest I have ever lived somewhere was in college. I lived in that town for 5 years. That's a long time for me. Troy was a military brat too. But after his dad got a staff job at the Pentagon when Troy was in 6th grade, he stayed in the same school system until high school graduation. We were both used to moving and making new friends and starting over.

Troy and I got married right after undergrad and they scheduled him to go to ASBC in Montgomery 3 days before our wedding. Oh. Hell. No. Troy called and asked them to move it back seeing as how they were giving him 2 weeks notice to report to Alabama and our wedding was already paid for, guest airline tickets were bought, honeymoon arranged, etc. They obliged. Thank God. However, that meant that his active duty date was pushed to November 6th of 2007 rather than in July.

We lived in a tiny apartment in downtown Harrisonburg with my roommates (I was starting my 1st year of grad school, which was on campus). It was seriously the tiniest, cutest apartment you ever saw. Anyway, we got lucky and Troy and I got an on base house. And it was brand new. Seriously awesome. They literally finished the house painting the day before Troy moved in. Poor guy. He had to move in by himself because I was still in school and he didn't know anyone there. Yet.

TRUTH AND SHANNON FINCK

His first day reporting to work, he met Truth, another 2nd Lieutenant with vast prior enlisted experience. And yes, that's actually his first name. And Truth was on babysitting duty for the new LT. The job NOBODY wants. Watching the newly commissioned officer, who has no idea how the military works yet, asking all kinds of silly questions and is trying to figure out their ass from a hole in the ground. Truth had been prior enlisted for 8 years (like Rob) but he got picked up for Officer Training School after busting his butt to get his degree while working full time and raising 2 kids.

Lesson 3: Have your own friends and have your own hobbies.

Truth and Shannon were dating when they were 18 and 19 (Shannon was a cougar...rawr) and working in an Italian restaurant. They got married and Truth went off to basic training and Shannon lived with his parents and their first born, Jake. She's a saint. I kid. I've met Truth's Mom and she's AWESOME. She brought me puppets for when I worked in a school and the kids loved them. Anyway, they were finally joined again when he finished basic. They had another little boy named Issac.

It is important to mention that their ENTIRE families live in Ohio. Grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews. Their whole life. In Ohio. "The Land of Milk and Honey." Seriously. When they talk about it, their eyes glaze over. And Ohio State. Don't even get them started. Truth met Jim Tressel when he was deployed and it was like he met Jesus in the flesh. I learned the most interesting things about Ohio. The first Buffalo Wild Wings was there. Every time we went, they mentioned it. Rascal Flatts is from Ohio. Every time they were on the radio, they mentioned it. They plan to move back there when Truth retires from the Air Force. Wright-Patterson AFB is the number 1 move on their wish list. Being away from their very large families is hard very for them.

When my Thanksgiving break started (JMU got a full 10 days, not just a 4 day weekend) I drove from Harrisonburg, Virginia to Dover, Delaware and let me tell you...it was my first time doing ANYTHING as a military spouse rather than a dependent. It is so stressful. I couldn't figure out where I was going on base. I had never done a move without my parents. Moving to a new place and knowing no one except your husband is scary. Because we were newlyweds and I still hadn't decided if we had done the right thing. And the military is scary.

Troy brought me over to meet Truth and Shannon the first night I was there. They had just moved from old base housing into new base housing and Troy had helped them with their "across the base" move. I remember when I met Shannon, she was super quiet. And me being me, I couldn't shut up. I feel this need to talk and talk and talk when there is silence. You can psychotherapy me or whatever but I can't help it. Poor Shannon took the brunt of my babbling while Truth and Troy talked shop. Looking back on it, that was probably the best thing for our friendship. She understood early on that when I was on a roll, to get out of the way or hop on the train cause I can bulldoze you with my chatter. She still makes fun of me and the way I can talk for 15 minutes without prompting.

I can say looking back on it, that particular instance of babbling was nervousness. She had kids that were 9 and 11 and a was super-experienced military spouse. I was talking and talking hoping that I would say something that she connected with or thought was funny, hoping that she would be my friend or feel sorry for me or something. Which I know now was a risk. When Shannon meets people, she's super quiet and takes everything in. Well, I'm a whole lot to take in. I think she could tell I was scared. So I met them right before Thanksgiving and didn't see them/talk to them again until June, 7 months later.

I finished the coursework for school and was going out to start my clinical rotations, which were all arranged in Dover. Shannon didn't work at the time and the guys were working like crazy because they were having an ORI (some kind of crazy inspection) and I was super lonely. So I was being a little pushy about spending time with Shannon. It was the first time as a military spouse where I needed the support of another spouse to get from day to day and vent because (seriously) Troy slept in his car instead of coming home.

Shannon is super into hobbies. And TV. She introduced us to Big Bang Theory. She knits and crochets. She paints. And refinishes furniture. And dumpster dives. And does drive bys on trash days. And hits up Goodwill on military discount days. And antique stores. And uses crackle paint. And has quick and easy recipes. She taught me how to fry chicken. And use my crock pot. And plant flowers. And make homemade wreaths for every season. She is my original pinterest. I would use her house, style, and sarcastic quotes as inspiration. She showed me how important it is to have hobbies and interests that absolutely DO NOT include your husband at all. If you structure your life around your spouses schedule, hobbies, and friends, you'd never get anything done as a military spouse. Having a military spouse means always depending on yourself. You can't depend on them to be home for dinner or help with the kids. Or change your oil or cut the grass. You have to be the mom and the dad. The chef and the chauffeur. The landscaper and the banker.

Truth deployed in January of 2009 and Troy and I took care of Shannon. Troy went over and played video games with the boys while Shannon and I went to midnight Twilight movie premieres and went to yard sales every weekend. We had them over for dinner. And had Christmas in July. Complete with decorations and music. I spent at least an hour with her everyday, but to be honest, but could have been up to 18 hours. We would have these epic movie rainy days that started at 8 am with coffee and breakfast and ended with popcorn and beer at 2 am. When Truth came home in August, we took a trip to Atlantic City for the weekend and it was EPIC. I look back at it and kind of wonder how we lived. So much alcohol. Not enough sleep. So much conversation and laughing. It was so good to be back together.

And then Shannon and Truth got orders to Elmendorf, Alaska 2 weeks later and 3 weeks before Troy was leaving for a deployment. I was crushed. We were in Germany on vacation when she told me. I was devastated. I was depending on my friend to take care of me while Troy was deployed the same way that we had taken care of them while Truth was deployed. That sounds so selfish, but I was seriously counting on them. As it turns out, they ended up living with me for 2 months (after Troy had left) while Truth went ahead to Alaska to get settled and moved into their house.

The day they left to fly to Alaska, I felt like my world ended. It was seriously awful. My house felt so empty. I went from having Troy and Optimus to having Shannon, Jake, Issac, Lucy, and Optimus to just Optimus. We were so depressed. I totally threw myself into work and hobbies. I kept busy. I kept going to Goodwill on wednesdays like we had done. And crafting. And I watched 6 seasons of Lost in 3 weeks. It was an addiction. I started watching the Bachelorette with my friend Brittany every monday. And going to girls night with some of my neighbors every tuesday. And I had an epiphany.

If I am going to be a happy spouse of a military member, I have to have my own interests, my own friends and my own life. And that's okay. Shannon totally got that before she met us and just integrated us into her life. They left, and I'm pretty sure her world didn't end without me.

I feel like the lesson I learned from Truth and Shannon was learned indirectly. I became super dependent on them and our friendship. They were the first people that we had a great connection with in Troy's military career. And we love them SO much. But when they moved, I was devastated. I had to relearn how to keep myself occupied and literally GET A LIFE. Having friends is SO important and having hobbies is SO important. I knew this, but it was reinforced when reality hit hard and I was left alone.

When Troy is home, we definitely love doing things together. But we also realize that when we have our own interests and friends and spend time apart, our time we spend together is better. You bring a different experience, perspective or skill to the conversation. You have more to talk about.

As much as Troy and I love each other, sometimes you just want to do something alone. Or with someone else. To make yourself better. Or the world better. Or have an experience to share. When you get married, do not lose yourself to the title of husband or wife. Or become dependent on someone else to keep you happy. You need to have things that you do alone that bring you joy.

Thank you to the Fincks for abandoning me or I may not have figured this out. And this is becoming SO important now that Troy's schedule is such a mess. I love you guys.

3 Couples Who Have Influenced Our Marriage and Lifestyle: Part 2

The next couple made me a better mom and a better wife. Troy continues to use then as a shining example for "attitude is everything." Have you heard that quote that "life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond?"

To recap:

Lesson 1: Love God. Love People.

No matter what anyone tries to tell you, when you have a baby, it changes your marriage. You don't do it on purpose, but you can't help it. Everyone tells you "be married for a few years before you have kids so you really have time to enjoy each other get to know each other." Well, we were married for almost 4 years before we had Avery and as it turns out, we definitely knew each other before she was born, but it didn't make one bit of difference.

Things change when you have a baby. You can't plan for it. You don't know how you or your spouse will react. You think that you can handle it. You have great days. And horrible days.

There are parts of my body that have been completely off limits since Avery was born. I have become a nagging nagger. Troy has been subject to the crazy. As a family grows, there are just more things to do. Especially when you have a dog and buy a house. No more sleeping in until 11 on weekends and lounging all day. You have to cook food and eat meals. Babies can't eat cereal and ice cream for every meal. Well, they shouldn't. It happens. On your days off work, you can't "do nothing." Days off work are work days at home. It's a huge adjustment.

Rob and Cynthia would never let that 10% ruin the party called life. Ever. If life gave them lemons, they'd make sangria and bring some limes and tequila.

ROB AND CYNTHIA WITTWER

Rob and Troy met at East Carolina when Troy was a freshman in ROTC. Rob was "the old guy." I kid. But really. Troy was a young, impressionable 18 year old and Rob was going back to school to get a nursing degree with his GI bill after serving 4 years in the Marines. AND he was married. AND he had a kid. Not to mention he didn't live on campus. As it turns out, Rob was the cool guy.

One of Troy's first memories of Rob was at an ROTC tailgate for a football game. Rob showed up with a kid. ALL of these irresponsible college kids drinking and playing beer pong. And who's the guy who brought the freakin' kid? Rob. Troy remembers watching Rob and his 2 year old play football the whole tailgate. He doesn't remember who he talked to, anyone he met, or who played at the game. All he remembers is thinking, "there's a good guy right there." And later telling me, "that's the kind of dad I want to be."

Rob and Cynthia got married young. I think they were 19? And then immediately started popping out kids. By the time Troy and Rob graduated (they were in the same commissioning class) Rob was up to 3 kids. During Troy's college career, he spent many many nights at their house. Rob and Cynthia GOT it. They invited people over, knowing that they wouldn't be able to go out with a gaggle of kids. Instead of going to parties, they had parties. They had taco night every week (Troy always brought avocados), dirty Santa dress up parties, and as Rob's birthday is on leap year, the year his birthday day actually fell, they had a power rangers party. Hilarious.

Rob went to full time nursing school and worked at Olive Garden. And helped Cynthia. She waited tables and was a bartender while Rob got his degree. She was the poster child for supportive military spouses everywhere. They bought houses and flipped them while they lived in them. And moved over and over. Haha. I have helped them move several times, the most recently into their house in Maryland.

I remember meeting Cynthia while she was hugely pregnant with surprise baby number 3. We went over for taco night and I remember thinking "how are they doing this?" How is Rob in nursing school full time and working full time? How do they have energy to host parties every week? With 2 kids and one on the way? And how is such a tiny little lady not falling over with that huge belly and still waiting tables? They are making me feel so inadequate! HOW DO THEY DO IT?? How are they keeping it together and so happy? I need their secret. I think I have figured it out:

Lesson 2: Work hard. Play hard. Choose to be happy.

The next time I met them, I was helping them move. They moved a couple times while the guys were in school. After they flipped a house (while raising 3 kids and going to school and working) they couldn't sell it for the price they wanted. So rather than rent it out, they decided to sell the house they were currently living in and move into the flipped house and wait it out for the market to improve. Cynthia had just had Preston, baby number 3. She was a rock star. She was packing and nursing at the same time. And feeding kids. And chatting with all Rob's friends.

I offered to supervise the kids in gymnastics while she ran errands (buying cleaning supplies for the new house, etc). I rode with her to gymnastics (Brennan was like 5 and Aiden was about 3? and Preston was maybe 3 months old) and was in complete awe watching her keep them together in the parking lot. We pulled into the gym. Those kids knew exactly what to do. The older 2 unbuckled themselves and hopped out of the car and stuck their little hands on the tail lights while Cynthia lugged that heavy infant carrier out of the car. I was like "uhhhh what can I do??" all intimidated by Cynthia's organization and lack of order barking. She was like "oh nothing." I went in and watched the kids and rocked Preston in the carseat, terrified he would wake up and I would have to manage a crying infant. Just one kid...I was freaking out. Anyway, he was fine the whole time and Cynthia got her errands done.

Fast forward 6 years and Troy and I are moving to San Antonio last summer. They had lived there for several years. Avery was about 6 weeks old. We stayed with them for 2 weeks while Troy and I house hunted. They treated us like family. I remember the day I flew there. It was awful. I had gotten up at 3 am east coast time to catch a plane to San Antonio and was breastfeeding so Avery was like a hungry hippo. I was exhausted by the time Troy picked me up at the airport and dropped me off at Rob and Cynthia's. He had to go immediately back to work because it was only like noon or something. It was the first time I'd seen them or spoken to them since Troy's graduation and commissioning day. So over 4 years. I was a little nervous. I just remembered Cynthia being super mom and I was feeling like a mess. A hot mess.

So I go upstairs to nurse, being all private, and try to take a nap. Well Avery won't sleep a lick and I am trying to "rock" her to sleep inside a dresser drawer. Not kidding. I put Avery in the top drawer of their big dresser and was rolling the dresser in and out gently (not closing her in!) to fall asleep. It was NOT working and I was exhausted. I was crying and distraught thinking "I AM THE WORST PARENT EVERRRRRR." Cynthia sticks her head in the door at my LOWEST moment (I AM NEVER SLEEPING AGAIN.........) and says, "I want her. I'll take her." Hands all grabby and held out expectantly. I handed her right over and crashed immediately face first into the bed and slept for 5 hours.

When I woke up, Avery was STILL ASLEEP! Cynthia had put her to sleep immediately and she'd been sleeping for almost 5 hours. She is seriously a baby whisperer. I was determined to learn her ways and soak it in. I learned the tightest baby swaddle ever. It is unbreakable. By the end of the 2 weeks, I was straight up nursing without a shirt on in their living room and that whole "privacy" thing went out the window on day 2. Thank God Rob is a nurse and not a creeper. Their poor kids got an in depth education about female anatomy and how mommies feed babies. Cynthia was a serious breastfeeding cheerleader. I totally think God put us together for that time period because I needed a mommy mentor. I needed Cynthia.

Rob and Cynthia arranged for us to have a sitter so we could go out. That's right. You read it correctly. Avery was less than 2 months old and we left her with a sitter. In a house that wasn't ours with a girl that we didn't know. And everything was fine. Apparently having date nights is super important. Your kids will grow up and leave you and get lives. If you don't keep your relationship with your spouse number 1, you'll be left with crap when your kids become adults. When I look back at those 2 weeks at their house, I can honestly say it was a turning point for me as a mom and a wife. Cynthia was like, "you do what is best for your family and your baby, screw everyone else. Don't listen to 'experts' or whatever. You know your baby better than any book."

And also not to take myself too seriously. Laugh when you mess up. We were outside having dinner with a bunch of their neighbors and Avery was asleep in her stroller. The automatic sprinklers turned on and we all shot up and got out of the water. I looked up when I was safe from the showers and was like, "uh, where's Avery?" Yeah, I totally left her to get soaked. I was all "SAVE YOURSELF!!" Oops. I gave myself a hard time about it and Cynthia thought it was the best thing ever.

Rob and Cynthia treat each other so well. They are so in love. They are so supportive of each other. Sometimes it makes me gag, but I think it's mostly because I'm jealous of the absolute passion they have for each other and for their kids. I feel like they are the perfect example of "the American dream." They went through a lot at a really young age and made their own way to get somewhere. Rob enlisted and used his GI bill while they both worked in the service industry and had kids. Cynthia moved and moved and waited patiently and now has a KICK BUTT job that she rocks at. It's 10 years in the making but they are true examples of how hard work pays off. And making things work even when it's really hard. And being happy about it. And realizing how to make the best of a crap situation. And not quitting. And always having fun. They will totally draw you in and hold on tight.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

In addition, you can tell they genuinely enjoy each others company. How many couples do you know that seem like they merely tolerate each other? They always have fun together. Even when they're doing nothing. Or going out. Or doing P90X together. For the record, that's true love. I could NEVER let Troy see me sweat and struggle like that. I'm afraid he would stop loving me. Anyway, can't you just tell how much they love each other??

I think we'd have a great time in Vegas Wittwers. What do you say? Let us host you for once ;) Thanks for the memories. More to come...

Troy Wears His Sunglasses at Night...

For your listening pleasure while reading today:



Part of in-processing to the new base included several appointments for Troy. He had a dentist appointment and an optometry appointment last week.

On thursday (his birthday), he had his optometry appointment.

Wednesday night, he went to bed before me to read a bit while I was facebooking, craigslisting, and blogging. I went up to get ready for bed at 1030 and Troy was sitting in bed, with a lamp on, and reading a book.

Oh yeah (the most important part), and he had on his SUPER SEXY military issue sunglasses. Not regular glasses. Sunglasses. Picture this, but with the dark lenses.

I almost peed I was laughing so hard.

Troy was all "What? You don't like my new look?"

I was like, "Why?" (gasps for breath) "Dear God, why?"

He was like, "Well I have to wear glasses for my appointment tomorrow at Nellis. Which I am driving to, of course. I took my contacts out and wanted to make sure my sunglasses are the right prescription for the drive. Reading and driving are pretty similar, right? This is my test run!"

Sidenote: Troy is part vampire. If he is not wearing sunglasses, even on a cloudy day, he dies. The world actually ends for him. I have seen him wear old man sunglasses OVER his eyeglasses when he lost a contact in the ocean and didn't have a back up pair. I wish I was joking. The boy takes eye care VERY seriously. Especially in the car.

I tried to take a picture of him reading in his awesome-sauce sunglasses, but he wouldn't permit photos. He was worse than KStew with her cheating scandal going on. Instead you will just have to imagine it. It was awful I tell you. Awful. I don't think the government could pick less attractive glasses for their service members.
I'm starting a petition about unacceptably unattractive eyewear.

If your spouse has military issue eyewear, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page with a place that you have spotted them wearing those monstrosities. I'm interested. Has he worn those sexy things to bed? Troy taped up a pair on the bridge of the nose and wore them to a youth group Halloween party as a nerd. It's true. If you have the photo, please shoot me a message. You know who you are - FSBC youth...called out.

Graduation/Troy and I Clean Up Nicely - Who Knew?

Troy finally graduated from his training program last thursday evening. It was epic. I was so proud. I cannot even tell you how nervous I was when Troy decided to make a career change. He was doing GREAT at his job in Dover and even won the Junior CGO of the Year while we were there. He loved his job and really enjoyed his deployment.

I should have known that Troy would be successful at anything he put his mind to. Sorry I doubted you babe. We still struggle with the decision, but felt a little better about it after graduation was over...you'll see why :)

The day started with the planes in a static display out on the flight line. The guys in the class could take their families out and show them the planes and talk about the different features. They were bigger than I thought. I wish I could show you pictures, but I'm not allowed. I got a great one of Troy and his Dad. If you want to see them, leave a comment or shoot me a facebook message with your email address and I will get them to you.

After that, there was the Winging Ceremony. We were so lucky to have family come for it! Troy's Dad and Aunt Kathy drove our other car ALL THE WAY TO NEW MEXICO from Washington DC. Troy's Dad pinned Troy's wings on and that was so special for them. I'm really glad he could be there because even though I have been there to support Troy through this last year of crazy, it was really his Dad that motivated him and inspired his passion for the military as a young child.

This is Troy's Dad, Aunt Kathy, and Troy, who is clearly making a face at Avery, who is not in the picture. Haha.

Group shot! I love Avery's curls. I cannot express it enough.

Troy waiting at attention for his turn.

The moment of truth! Troy's Dad pins on his wings! Tear.

This is right after the winging. Family photo! You can't tell from this picture because I actually put some effort into my hair, but it SERIOUSLY needs a cut and color. Like, it hasn't been done since April. Thank GOODNESS Aunt Kathy let me swipe her curling iron so I could hide the fried, dead ends.

AMERICA! Good picture in front of the flag.

Troy and I cleaned up for the Graduation dinner.

There were 6 guys in Troy's class with a 100% average. Troy was one of them. So all 6 guys won the "Academic Ace" award. The most number of guys to win it at one time. Ever. Congrats to all those studs!

There were also 2 distinguished grad awards. Congrats to those guys! Those are given to the 2 people who are "all around awesome." Troy got the award for the "Top Gun." This is how it was explained to me. There are weapons on the plane. They are scored based on the amount of time from "desired impact time" to "actual impact time" as well as hitting the target. Troy won that award. So proud. So proud (and surprised that he won) that I almost didn't get a picture. I shot up out of my chair and fumbled with my camera all "wait wait, stand there for a second and smile!!" after they had already separated and Troy was on his way back to his seat. Embarrassing....oh well. I wanted my picture, darn it!

And here is a close up of his nice, new, shiny wings. Pretty huh? Again, I love me some instagram.

TLF Long Term Living Pros and Cons

There are pros and cons to living in TLF. Some are very unexpected. Seriously.

Because I am a list person, here are several of the things that I have discovered. Unexpectedly.

1. Con - It is seriously boring. Like for real. I have seen several HGTV re-runs. Never in life had I seen a re-run on HGTV before I moved here. I didn't know this was possible.

2. Pro - I don't have to clean. Sonya rules. The only things we have to do are dishes (no dishwasher, so it royally sucks) and laundry.

3. Con - The only things we have to do dishes and laundry. Adding to the boring. At least one day a week I had to do some kind of cleaning when we were living in our own house. 6 months ago. Whether that be running the vacuum or dusting or deep cleaning the kitchen or all three. Nothing here. Which sounds like it would be nice. But when you don't have a job or stay at home responsibilities, it's not that awesome. I don't have a routine. OH THE HORROR!

4. Pro - Everyone in Troy's training is in the same boat as we are and pretty much hangs around all the time. There are people to talk to and hang out with. Every day. I cannot tell you how spoiled this is making us for when we get to Vegas and don't live within 100 yards of everyone we hang out with.

5. Con - I have let people see me in ways I didn't let Troy see me until after we were married. I seriously don't go to the gym without mascara. I am playing outside with Avery without a bra. My hair looks wet if I don't shower because it is SO greasy. I sometimes don't change out of my pajamas all day or shower until bed. It's disgraceful. But when you are outside sweating or at the pool, it's like, why shower once if you know you are going to shower again at night because you are so filthy? I NEVER IN MY LIFE thought I would do anything like that. Living is such close quarters with people changes a few things.

6. Pro - You really learn what you need. I'm talking basics. There just isn't room for all the other stuff. Bake brownies in a loaf pan? Done. Tea in a coffee pot because you don't have a tea kettle? Check! Super simple one pot meals because you are way too lazy to do all the dishes? Yes please. White bath towels to the pool? Done. Mixing bowls as dog bowls? Double check for water and food bowls!

7. Con - You miss all the comforts of your house and your stuff. My slap chopper? PLEASE GOD I AM SICK OF MY EYES WATERING WHILE I CUT UP AN ONION!! My charging station that hides cords? IF I SEE ANOTHER CELL PHONE OR CAMERA OR COMPUTER CHARGER I AM GOING TO SCREAM!

8. Pro - Hotel black out curtains. I cannot stress how awesome these are. Avery pretty much naps like a champ and we can put her down to bed at 630pm with ZERO issues. It's amazing. I am investing in these for when we move to Vegas for Avery's room and our master bedroom. They have been a lifesaver when Troy is up at 3am for a flight and comes back ready for a nap. Instant night time! They are amazing.

Anyone else missing the comforts of home? Anything in your house you can't live without? Feel free to complain or commiserate here.

Our LARGE To-Do List

I sit in a very small room every day. I haven't lived in my house or had any of our stuff for almost 6 months. It has given me a TON of time to think about projects, decorating, cooking, and landscaping. Now that we have officially closed on our house and hotel living is almost to an end, pinterest is an addiction. The end is near and crafting is about to begin. I have a blank slate of a house. IT'S AWESOME! Sort of. Not on the budget.

The problem is, my head is exploding with ideas and excitement. I started to not be able to sleep because I was stressing that I was going to forget something. So I made a list. I am a list person. It helps me be sane. I wrote it all down. And I know I will be adding to the list or taking things off as I realize some things won't work or others that will. Here it is. Avery got excited too and kind of grabbed it and started waving it around. And crumpled it. And took a bite out of the top left corner. But it's ok. I can still read it. And now if something happens to it, it is now documented for all time via the internet. Go technology.

I just wrote things down as I thought of them, not necessarily in order of importance. While I was at the gym one day, Troy happened upon my list. I'm pretty sure he almost had a heart attack because I put a family room rug up higher on the list before getting a gas dryer.

Sidenote - Apparently, most of Nevada uses a gas dryer and very few homes have electric hook ups. WHAT? I have never heard of this. Maybe because I have lived on the east coast most of my life. Do you have a gas dryer? So yeah, we need to buy a gas dryer and Craigslist our old one. So sad. I love it :(

So Troy grabbed my list and numbered things so I was aware of where the priority of purchase lies. I know TROY! Many of the things on the list are DECOR choices not necessity, but things that down the road may be purchases for tracking down on Craigslist, thrift stores, or things that we DIY. And sometimes (ok lots of times) pretty trumps function. For example, jewelry. Doesn't do anything except look pretty. But everyone wears it. A watch does not fall in this category.

Here is the list as I wrote it:

- Blinds - buy from selectblinds.com
- Ceiling fans
- Family room
- rug
- sofa
- curtains
- buffet/sideboard (antique?)
- sofa table/coffee table
- Curtain rods for the whole house
- Patio furniture (adirondack chairs and I found a DIY dining table we are doing)
- Matching wingback chairs for the front living room (library area??)
- figure out something for the master retreat
- TV stand for the loft
- New TV for master or loft
- Furniture for the master (not a SINGLE piece of furniture matches, including the night stands)
- toddler bed for Avery (or go right into a twin bed?)
- Entry table by the front door?
- Bench to make the breakfast nook table a 6 person table?
- 2 bar stools for the island
- Gas dryer
- Backyard landscaping
- Deep freezer for the garage (costco?)
- baby gates

And here is how Troy numbered it:

1. Blinds
2. Ceiling fans
3. Gas Dryer (I actually think this should be first...but hey, he can wear dirty clothes if that is what he chooses)
4. Sofa for family room
5. Curtains and curtain rods
6. Family room rug
7. New TV for master or for loft
8. Backyard landscaping
9. Toddler bed for Avery

He didn't number anything else. He actually was like, "everything else is up for discussion. We don't actually need any of that other stuff on your list." Well you know what TROY, Momma hasn't had a house in 6 months and I can do a lot of this stuff on the cheap so BUCK UP! I'm gearing up for some serious Craigslisting and I'm hoping soon we can discuss a budget for either all of my projects or a room by room budget. We'll see.

In recent news, we bought a new dining room light fixture. The builder grade looked cheap. The lighting "upgrade" was the exact same fixture in ORB. But you know what? You can't fix ugly with a new color. Not in this case. It just looks small and chintzy in such a nice, big, new space. It doesn't have shades on it. It's just a few light bulbs. Ew.

Enter Joss and Main. HELLLLLO GORGEOUS! I love Joss and Main. They have some really really nice stuff for great prices. This is where I found our new dining room chandelier.

It is ORB so it matches the other lighting upgrades that we did in the foyer and breakfast nook. And look at the glass shades! They're pretty. We shipped it to Nate and Karen's house. They live about 100 yards from us. So it's awesome that I can still buy things as I find them for a great deal and ship them to our neighborhood. The chandelier retails for $279 and was on sale for $119 with free shipping. YES! So anyway. That is our official first home owner purchase.

I plan on craigslisting the other fixture. But I might spray paint it and hang it in our master bedroom closet to make it fancy. I joked with Troy about painting it and hanging in the potty room in our master. Apparently that's not funny.

Once we get there and I see our stuff in the house, I'm sure the list will grow and we will have some things to do/change/buy for each room. Thus a budget for each room. And then if I come in under budget, it can roll into the next room :) That sounds like a win-win to me. We'll see. Especially since Troy's list for the backyard includes a pool. Ouch. I need a job.

TLF and How on Earth We Got Here

We are ready to keep family updated in a more organized and thoughtful way...finally, right? We get requests all the time for news/pictures about what we have been up to as a family. Really, it's all about Avery, I know. Everyone wants to know what's up with her. Kidding. Sort of. Avery goodness throughout :)



We are currently staying in the TLF (temporary lodging facility) at Holloman Air Force base. Troy has been in cross-training from the Logistics career field to flying "drones" (aka those planes you see on the news with video feed). How we got here is kind of complicated, so let me give you all a run down.

June 30th 2007 - Wedded bliss



August 2007 - Natalie begins graduate school at James Madison University and Troy moves in while waiting to go to Dover AFB

November 5th 2007 - Troy goes active duty

June 2008 - Natalie moves out of her Harrisonburg apartment/adopts Optimus from the SPCA and joins Troy in base housing at Dover AFB



October 2009 through April 2010 - Troy deploys to Bagram AFB

February 2011 - Troy is accepted into training

May 7th 2011 - Baby girl Avery is born :) and we move out of our house in Dover a week later



February 2012 - We move out of our (rented) house in San Antonio

March 2012 - Troy begins phase 2 of training in Alamogordo, New Mexico (aka hottest place in the world...) while Natalie and Avery live with Troy's parents in Burke, Virginia because of wedding season

June 11th 2012 - Natalie and Avery join Troy in Alamogordo, NM



August 16th 2012 - Troy graduates from school



August 20th 2012 - We all move to Las Vegas, NV for our next military adventure!

Now you are all up to date on how this happened and why we are here. I will be updating and letting you all know what we are up to!! Hopefully a couple times a week. Maybe. Most likely :)