Still Here!

I know, I know...I haven't been on here in forever.  But that doesn't mean a lot hasn't happened.  I don't even know where to begin but I'll try to do it chronologically :) 

First, I got my acceptance letter to nursing school on June 22nd.  I could not believe it but I am so thankful for that huge surprise God gave me.  I started school in August and finished in December.  I got A's after a lot of studying, hard work, crying and successes but really, without the support of my family and friends, there is no way I could have done it.  My husband and kids have been super supportive.  My mom has been my #1 cheerleader and I am so thankful for her encouragement and prayers.  And last but not least is my grandmother- she takes care of our little man while Dennis works and I go to school.  I know there is no one that will take care of him like her and she is always encouraging me and pushing me to do my best!  I love them all dearly!

On August 2nd, my little man turned 2.  I can't believe how fast time has gone by.  He is no longer a baby but he is still my baby!  He is so much fun and I love watching him grow.  He loves his sisters more than anything.  He is best friends with daddy and he is my little prince :) We did his birthday in Miami while we were on vacation...he had 2 cakes!  While we were there, we had to go to the park with Papa to see the billy goats and pigs.  Kassidy and Turner loved it!  We also got to greet my cousin Andrew and the other soldiers at the airport as they arrived.  That was one of the best experiences I've had and I'm so glad my kids got to experience that too. 

 
 



Then on August  16 we moved back to our old house in Lutz.  There were several reasons for the move but I am so glad we are back.  The kids get to be around their family and friends and now that Dennis is working for a local company (yay!) it's easier for him to commute back and forth to work.  I on the other hand still have to drive to Dade City 4 days a week for school but I definitely don't mind it!

Kassidy started 4th grade at Maniscalco where she previously attended.  She is doing great.  She still loves math, science and reading and getting really good grades.  She keeps wanting to do acting, singing and dancing so we will have to find something to put her in so she can spend her energy :)

Kayla started high school in August.  She was a little apprehensive but I kept telling her that will be the funnest years of her life.  It started out kind of rough because it's a big adjustment but now she is loving it.  She has a lot of friends and is almost never home!  I have to remind myself that it is normal and I did the same thing too!  My mom never minded taking me here and there and making sure I had great memories.  I will do the same for her.  I think the highlight may have been going to the Justin Bieber concert with Kelsey!! 

It was nice being back in our little house for Christmas.  The kids got presents from Santa and the family.  Granny and Papa came up as they do every year.  It was great not to have to drive!  Ha.  Santa was good to me also, I got a new car; 2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo...loving it!  It was definitely needed since I drive so much for school and now Dennis doesn't have to worry about me breaking down.  Thanks honey!

 

 

Now that 2011 will start, I pray for health, safety and happiness of my family and friends.  I am excited to see what new adventures are ahead but I also know there will be some tough times.  Nothing that prayers family and friends can't help us through...  Hopefully it won't be too long for the next post, if not, see you in 2012 :-P

Hello Stranger!

I know it's been a while since I've been on so I have bunches to update!  I feel like a lot has happened and at the same time I feel like nothing has happened.  The main thing is how thankful we are for all of our blessings.  No matter how tough things get, we love each other and we're all healthy and happy!  I'll start from the bottom up.  Turner has been so much fun to watch as he learns and tries new things.  He is definitely all boy, he loves to go outside but he's not a fan of getting too dirty or sweaty.  I took him to the park last week and when he got all sweaty, he said "go bye bye mommy".  He was done with it!!

He is talking a bunch.  Every day he says something new.  The new word he's been using the last couple of days is the infamous "no". He says it really cute; like a little old British man.  So far he only says it when you ask him if he wants something.  Hey at least he's not yelling it while having a tantrum. I'm sure that's coming soon too! 

We finally found a girl that can cut his hair really cute.  He still doesn't like getting it cut though.  The only way to get him in the seat is with a lollipop!  But I think the end result was cute :)

Next is my baby girl, Kassidy.  She has had a ball this year with school and her friends.  She did great in school, she got straight A's on her last report card and all her teachers say she is a little math wiz! I'm so glad she's better at math than her mommy!  I think one of the highlights for both Kassidy and I was our trip to Kennedy Space Center.  I had never been there either.  We had so much fun!   She just finished VBS and loved it.  She says she wants to do an acting, singing and dancing camp!  She is always doing something artsy like an art project, writing a song, dancing but I think she loves singing the most.  She enjoys making her shows in front of the camera too.  She is my little Hollywood star! 

Now onto Kayla.  This year was a big year for her.  Her last year in middle school!  I can't believe it went by so fast!  It seems like yesterday she was a nervous 12 year old not knowing what to expect in the middle school world.  Just when she feels comfortable enough navigating through it, it's time for a change again.  Next year she starts high school at Freedom.  Mom and Dad are glad that Uncle Jimmy will still be close by.  We are so lucky to have Jimmy as family and as Kayla's principle.  He has been a lifesaver on days we've needed help with her! 

I know one of Kayla's favorite moments this year was her 8th grade dance.  When she was all dressed up, we couldn't believe how much she has grown.  She is a beautiful young lady inside and out.  She definitely had a great time at her dance...let's see what high school has in store!

Dennis and I have had a rough 7 months.  Being apart is not fun yet we are thankful he has a job.  He is trying his hardest to find a local job where we can finally have a normal life again.  He has a second meeting with the VP of the company he interviewed with so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it will work out.  And finally because of the financial strain of me not working plus other things, it appears we will be moving back to our old house.  We will make do:)  God has always taken care of us no matter what and He won't stop now!  We are all kind of excited to be back in civilization, HA!  The next thing I'm waiting is for is to see if I got accepted into the Nursing program for August.  I'll get an answer some time in July.  I worked really hard last semester to get all A's and passed the entrance exam but from what I hear there were 500 applicants and only 50 get in!  If the answer is not what I hoped for, then I have Plan B...no biggie!  I know that all things happen for a reason...

We will definitely keep everyone posted!

Who says I don't go fishing?

I know I haven't been on here in a while but needless to say, I've been rather busy.  The girls are doing great.  Kayla is still in softball.  Kassidy has a Book Club that she started with her girlfriends.  Little man keeps me busy.  And of course school has me going insane.  I was telling Donna the other day that although this seems impossible to juggle while my husband is out of town, it really gives me confidence knowing that if I can do all this and get A's on all my classes so far, I can do ANYTHING...bring it on :-P
Anyway, a couple of days before Dennis came home last week, I decided to stick Turner in the tub during the day to loosen up some of the congestion he's had from teething.  He knows as soon as I start running the water, he pitter pats his way down the hall and with a big cheese smile screams "bath".  I get him all ready and stick him in the warm water. I get him all cleaned up and then I let him play.  While he was playing with his toys I turned around to pick up his clothes off of the floor and get his towel ready.  When I turned back around, I noticed he was no longer sitting in the tub and had a very troubled look on his face.  That's not like him.  On top of the face, he was making an "ick" kind of whine.  When I go to pick him up, I noticed my lovely son decided to make the tub a toilet.  He had gone #2 in the tub.  At this point, I am thinking I've just got to get him out and worry about the other later.  So I picked him up, rinsed him in the sink and then put his towel on him.  I wrapped him nice and tight and sat him on the floor.  I mean you can't possibly hurt yourself while sitting on the floor right...WRONG!  As mommy is fishing in the tub, Turner decided he wants to see what I'm doing so he tries to stand up but he slipped and face planted right into the tile.  His top right tooth had gone into his lip.  Now there is blood on him, on his towel, there's poop still in the tub.  He cried for just a couple of minutes and I gave him some cold water to help with the swelling because he looked like Rocky Balboa!  Once I got him all dressed and taken care of, I had to go back in the bathroom and finish fishing out Turner's little presents he left for me.  Seriously, am I on candid camera?

NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Dennis has been working out of town every week which has been INCREDIBLY challenging in so many ways;  the kids miss him, I miss him, we don't like to be home by ouselves, logistics of getting Kayla to and from practice, not spending time talking & hanging out.  He ususally gets to come home for the weekends which is bitter sweet.  We are excited to see him and we're sad to see him go every Sunday afternoon. The first couple of times he was able to come home and relax but lately it's been a different story. 
When things happen during the week, I try not to mention it when I talk to him on the phone because I don't want to overwhelm him with all of our "stuff" because I know how miserable he is being away from us.  Two weeks ago our microwave oven went out.  At first I thought this was a major catastrophe because I didn't realize how dependent I am on this gadget until I couldn't use it anymore.  He tried to fix it but nothing!  Now that I've been without it, I kind of don't miss it anymore.
This week, Dennis's truck had a new light come on "4x4".  What does this mean?  I have no idea but I know it's not good.  I tried different buttons, knobs and nothing.  I figured I'd let Dennis work on that one.  Dennis decided to work on the truck on what is probably the coldest day I can remember.  Not only was it freezing, it was wet.  We even had snow!  He worked on that thing all day and after 4 hours it was finally fixed!  Thank God.
This morning we wake up to a toasty 24 degrees.  Knowing it was going to be frigid cold, Dennis left the outside spicket on the night before so we would have the water the next morning....WRONG.  We came out to find a huge ice cascade going from the spicket to the driveway.  The knob was frozen while it was wide open and it was so cold it froze the spicket too.  You couldn't turn it either way.  He then proceeds to walk to the side of the house where the well pump is at.  Surprise, surprise, that was frozen too.  Last time that happened it cost us $1200 to fix it.  Needless to say, we were praying that was not the case this time!.
Dennis came inside and said "Let's go have some breakfast." so we get bundled up, got in the car and drove to 1 of 2 places to eat in the bustling metropolis of Dade City; the Waffle House (my first time there).  There was a wait so my abundanlty patient husband turned around and walked right out.  He suggested we go a super hip and trendy breakfast spot adored by every driver in Florida...The Flying J.  I got out pretending to be excited to be there.  When we got to the door, a sign read "Closed due to construction".  Hallelujah!  So what did we do?  We turned around and went back to the Waffle House all while Turner is screaming his head off.  This time when we walk in there is no wait but apparently all their help had no idea what they were doing.  We eat breakfast; waffles, bacon and eggs, pay our $16.00 bill and go to back to home sweet home.  
As soon as we got home, Turner wanted to play ball, VROOM VROOM, play with Maximus and show daddy how he can do the Wii.  While they're playing, I decide to take Maximus outside to go potty.  I come back in with Maximus and Dennis says "Where's Turner?"  I said "I thought he was with you!".  Needless to say, we start looking for him and nothing.  We start to make the second round around looking everywhere, or so we thought.  Still nothing.  I was in such a panic, I had a massive headache and I started to feel sick to my stomach.  Then I hear Dennis say "Babe, I found him!"  He was hiding in Kayla's closet playing with a giant marble Easter egg.  He looks up and says "Dada, ball."  We bring him back to the living room, so relieved we didn't have to call the cops and explain what horrible parents we are that we lost our child inside the house.  Dennis starts to explain to Turner that "when Dada calls you, you have to say Dada back".  I'm laughing because I know my 17 month old son understood about .5 of that conversation. After Dennis is done with his lecture, Turner starts to walk away, he turns around and with a grin on his face, puts his index finger to his mouth and says "sshhh". 
It hit me!!  A couple of weeks ago during Christmas break the girls were playing hide and go seek with Turner.  They said Turner was the best hide and seek player ever.  He sits there very quietly while they look for him.  Turner thought we were playing hide and seek with him!
Can't wait to see what happens next week, ready or not, here we come!

(LITTLE) MAN'S BEST FRIEND

If you ever got a dog as a kid you can remember how fun and exciting it was to bring him home and play with him...and then the excitement wore off once the reality of feeding it, walking it, etc set in.  Well that's pretty much what happened with Kassidy this year.  Both Kayla and Kassidy have been wanting a "little dog" but Kassidy actually put it on her Christmas list.  We looked and looked and we finally found our new friend online, so we made an appointment to go see him.  There are so many scams out there that I made Dennis go with us to make sure everything was kosher.  The girls wanted a chihuahua so we were hoping the puppy would be adorable and not look like this:

Anyway, when we got there we saw 3 adorable puppies, all males.  Of course Dennis was there against his will because he swore he would never get another dog.  From the moment the girls laid eyes on the puppies, they knew which one would they would be bringing home.  Dennis kept saying "I want a spunky one like Debbie's!".  Awful demanding for someone who doesn't want a dog to begin with :)  The girls got out their hard earned money and paid for their dog, well mom and dad helped a little.  We got in the car and puppy sat on Kassidy's lap almost the entire trip home from Thonotosassa to Dade City. 

Just like any new dog owner, we were trying to come up with a name but we couldn't agree on anything!  When we got home, Kayla decided to go on the internet and search for dog names.  After going through endless lists, we agreed on Maximus.  Big name for such a little guy but it fits.

We've had him for about a month now and he is a really good puppy.  The funniest thing is that Kassidy is kind of afraid of the little ankle biter!  I think he knows she is afraid of him so when he knows she is around, he chases her and she runs until she leaps onto the nearest tallest piece of furniture.  I have noticed that for some reason, he doesn't do that to Turner. 

As the days have gone on, I've noticed that Turner and Maximus are always together.  When Turner wakes up, he looks down because he wants to play with "baby", as Turner calls him.It's been great having Maximus because Turner and him entertain each other all day long.  They love to play with the tunnel and tent toy that Granny and Papa bought for them.  They chase each other in and out.  Even during bath time, Maximus has to be right next to Turner.  He won't leave his side.  It's so cute!

Well today while I was fixing Turner's lunch, Turner and Maximus played under the dining room table together, one of their favorite things to do.  While I was getting Turner's drink, I noticed he wasn't under the table anymore.  So I heard some giggling coming from the laundry room.  When I walked in I didn't know whether to scream or grab my camera.  Turner and Maximus were sitting side by side on the floor sharing a large Milk Bone.  Turner had a big 'ol bite in his mouth, chewing away and so was "baby".  Turner looks up and says "baby nene".  Nene is what Turner calls food and drink so I was dying laughing as I washed out Turner's mouth with water, getting him a drink to get that nasty stuff out of his mouth (he didn't seem to mind the taste, surprise, surprise).  Now I'm freaking because I don't know if there is anything in those things that could harm him so I'm looking at the box and it says "fortified with vitamins", how bad could it be right? 

So everyone is happy, Kassidy doesn't have to worry about Maximus too much anymore and Turner is enjoying spending time with his new companion!