We could have a problem...

I am feeling overly crafty today. I think it is to take my mind off this pending deployment...but nevertheless I have been awake since 5 a.m weaving and knitting away.

I need to learn to crochette...but that's for later.

So, as I am typing this it is 9:45. I have had to take several breaks from my projects because of my lovely b.r.a.t.s. but Little Miss has 2 new headbands, a finished blanket for her bed, and a new pair of leg warmers (well, they are almost done...it's a new attempt I am trying). And Little Man will have a pair of leg warmers if I can get Little Misses right.

I am doing everything I can not to rush out and buy all the yarn from the nearest Hobby Lobby. I just need to put all my focus and energy into something that isn't this waiting until the day The Man leaves.

So, crafting will be my go to outlet. Maybe one day I will post pictures of some of my crafting skills. I should get REALLY good at it this deployment.

Let's Talk Tact!

Ever since Little Man was born people around here seem to have forgotten when to shut shut their trap.

I know my mother always told me if you don't have anything nice to say, DON'T say anything at all.

See, when Little Man was born, he was born with a birthmark...not your normal birthmark...this one takes up the right side of his face. It is known as a port-wine stain.

As he gets older it will likely darken and raise off his skin slightly. We have been through the debate on whether we get it removed or teach him to love and adore it as much as we do.

As of now we have decided we will teach him to love it and love himself as much as we do. Unless it starts to cause medical issues of course. He is a happy, relatively healthy baby boy.

But some things I have heard out of people's mouths have blown my mind! So let me clear some things up...

*No, I did not burn my kid with a flat iron, it is a birthmark.

*No, I am not going to burn my child's face with a cigar to 'see if it clears up' just because you claim it worked for your son.

*No, mommy and daddy did not let him fall down and go boom.

Those are just a few things I have heard. Now, I know a lot of people have no experience with this type of birthmark, but you just don't say those things in front of a child.

What if he was old enough to GET it? Those words hurt.

I thank God every day for Little Miss too because when someone says something about her "Bubbie" she jumps in and says "It is his love mark. My bubbie is perfect, just like me and you."

I am going to work on making a page about port-wine stains simply because there is so much that goes along with it. We have had more MRI's, CT's, Ophthalmology appointments, Dermatology appointments, EEG's.

Little Man's first year was a big question...if he was healthy, if we would spend the next 10 years in and out of surgery's and therapy. But we have a clean bill of health. They have to run a few more tests at age 2 but for now, he is perfect.

Final Preperations

All that is left is to spend time together. Hug the kids and cherish these moments. The Man will miss Little Man's first steps, his first "actual words", summer vacation, his birthday, my birthday...

So is the life of the military.

Don't get me wrong...I wouldn't change it for the world. We have a GOOD life. But preparing for an extended goodbye never gets easier.

Don't tell him...but I will actually miss when he pokes me to intentionally bother me. I will miss the having dinner ready and him being late for the 3rd time this week. The little things in every day life that sometimes get under my skin...I will miss.

His bag is packed and sitting in the middle of the living room floor. It's real. It's happening. Soon.

I will get the kids through this deployment with dignity and grace. I will make daddy a part of every activity we do. I will make sure they KNOW their daddy loves them more than anything in the world.

So here we go...I'm off to stock up on flat rate shipping boxes. Care Packages are what I look forward to sending while he is gone.

Adult Assembly Required

Christmas and birthdays make my skin crawl because of those three little words.

This past Christmas Santa spent 7 hours doing adult assembly. Then The Man and myself spent ANOTHER 5 hours finishing what was under the tree.

Little Man's Birthday was 2 hours of adult assembly. And so far for Little Misses birthday we have spent 3 hours.

When we see those words in this house we don't only see "Adult Assembly Required." We see...."this will contain a million small pieces that are labeled wrong, You will be short a few screws (literally and figuratively). You will combine curse words you never thought would go together. You will likely thow a screw driver, maybe even the product being assebled. You need to go get a box of hair dye to cover the gray's you will get from trying to figure out what the instructions REALLY mean. And most of all we see....grab a beer, this is going to suck."

But we do it all in love, for those two little bundes of joy. So they can laugh, play, climb, spill food, and ultimeltly destroy it!!

So, if you see those three little words on a box and are thinking the kids would just love that. Think again, because mom and dad are done with them. For a long, long time.

Happy Belated Mother's Day

Since this house was sheer chaos yesterday I didn't get the chance to say Happy Mother's Day! So here I am a day late saying I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL day.

I for one spent the day with my 2 kids who were so well behaved I questioned if they were mine....and The Man, who HAND WASHED dishes, dried them, and put them up. It was all a little surreal.

But since The Man only had a one day weekend thanks to the Air Force we still had stuff that had to get done.

I learned just how full of hot air I was when I blew up the kids "pool" which we turned into a sandbox/ball pit. And The Man had to do some serious Adult Assembly Required (there will be another post of this VERY soon). But after 5 hours, 300 pounds of sands, 350 plastic balls, 28 decal stickers, and more curse words you could EVER imagine the kids birthday stuff has been assembled...at least the stuff we have gotten so far...

And to see them THIS happy...was worth every second.

Hey look, I'm Blogging!

Hi there. I'm Amanda. I am a born and raised southern girl...I just seemed to miss out on the charm and grace that is supposed to come along with that.

I am loud, outspoken, and very opinionated.

I met my better half in high school...though we didn't realize it until college.

After college, I got pregnant, we got married (yes in that order!), and then he joined the Air Force.

Today we have 2 awesome kids. And are living in the middle of nowhere New Mexico.

Enjoy my (our) journey in raising our 2 kids in this military lifestyle.

They are most definetly BRATS....Born. Raised. And. Trained.