New Mexico -- The Land of Enchantment ... Almost

I would like to let everyone know about New Mexico. Not to be confused with New Jersey, New Haven or New Flavor Crusted Hot Pockets.

I recently had the honor of driving through New Mexico and was rather impressed with most of the state. In Shiprock there is a place called Thatsaburger.That's right, someone had the stones to come right out and latch onto the coat tails of Whataburger. The only way to make it better would be to open up an O'donalds right next door.

Albuquerque is nice especially because you can arrange some of the letters and spell out Kobe Bryant is queer. As long as you use the original Native American spelling Albuquequekoebryntis. (Sorry if I offended any Lakers fans, but if there are any Lakers fans reading this, congratulations on overcoming illiteracy, not too many Lakers fans have.)

Obviously New Mexico has Roswell. Or is it obvious? And where are the first fifty areas anyway?

But unfortunately there is a rather large cockroach in this otherwise delicious sundae. That cockroach is Gallup. It is a city of pure evil. If for no other reason that when I was stopped at a red light I noticed the flashing red hand warning any pedestrians in the area that the light would soon change. Accompanying this flashing five digits and palm were numbers descending in sequential order. I was happy to see such technology in a dismal looking place and counted down as it went to zero. the numbers stopped and I looked at the light in anticipation of cross traffic getting the yellow to red, and in doing so, offering me a green light.

Unfortunately that is not how the story goes. In fact, the light did not turn yellow as the countdown terminated. I waited several seconds and then several more until the light finally changed.

What kind of world do we live in? If you go to see a shuttle launch and count down from the T minus 10 what is supposed to happen when you get to zero? Blastoff!!! Not some sort of lackadaisical, I'll take off when I'm good and ready.

New Mexico you are a jewel of the west, please do something about Gallup. Thank you.

Tidbits From Travel:

-All the signs I saw in Colorado were actually shaped like the state.

+Every time I saw a sign that read "Pass With Care" I was three quarters tempted to pass some one just so I could wave and mouth "I love you."

*The signs that caution "Lights on for Safety" should be set on a timer so that after dark it can say something like:
Lights on...
to not be stupid.
so you can read this sign.
because that is what they're for.

=I think that when you prove your GPS wrong or find a shortcut that it didn't know about, the GPS should respond in one of four ways:
A. It should apologize
B. Should say something like, "You cheeky monkey. Don't you have some tricks up your sleeves now?"
C. It should compliment you on your superior navigational skills
D. It should throw a tantrum. Cuss at you, and then say, "If you think you're so great at getting around why don't you do it by yourself," and then turn itself off.

Really anything is better than hearing "recalculating" a billion times.

And my wife said she doesn't like it when I close my blog posts abruptly, but I'm lazy.

Christmas Letter 2009

We attempted to e-mail our Christmas letter out this year...but it has come to my attention that 1. Some people weren't able to open the format we had it in and 2. I don't have as many e-mail addresses as I had originally thought.  SO...here is our Christmas letter for 2009.

Dear Friends and Family -


As we approach another Christmas season I can’t help but be shocked that we made it through the year! With moving, becoming pregnant, boot camp, being separated for almost 5 months, moving again - this time out of state, military training, and having a new baby, we are just glad to be alive.

Marty -  Marty survived boot camp and is very proud to be an American Soldier in the Army. Even though boot camp was very difficult, he was happy to come away as a more svelte version of himself and with the same sense of humor and sarcasm that we all know and love.  Yes, I was worried they might beat the fun out of him.  He is currently in training to become a Biomedical Equipment Technician - BMET - and is set to graduate in the summer of 2010.  He is a genius (in his own words) and has scored 100% on nearly all of his tests and assignments.  It must be difficult having to be so smart.  He is doing a great job of balancing spending all day with soldiers and all evening with princesses…poor guy, what a balancing act that must be!  We are SO proud of how hard he is working and so grateful for all he has sacrificed to take care of our little family.

Camille -  I am just happy to have this year behind us.  I am currently serving as the Relief Society pianist in our little ward here in Texas - shocking, I know - and am trying to branch out of my comfort zone to make friends.  I have never been more than 9 miles from home, so being 1,300 miles away is proving to be a big adjustment.  I am trying to see the positive in it, like the warmer weather, and…..um….that’s about all I’ve got for now, but I will work on that list.  I am trying to figure out how to be a military wife and learn all there is to know about military living.  It has been a MAJOR learning curve and I’m just hoping things will begin to make more sense soon. 

Brielle (4 ½) - Brielle is our little princess and doesn’t let us forget it.  She loves to sing and dance and just had her first dance recital while living here.  She is a little performer and loves to be up on stage showing off her skills. She was in her first primary program this year - one week after we moved to the new ward!  Even though she didn’t know anybody and didn’t know what was going on, she walked right up to the microphone, said her part memorized, flashed a big smile and sat down.  She is too smart for her own good and rather than be worried about the threat of a time out will ask ,“how long of a time out?” because she wants to know if it’s worth the crime or not.  She is always quick to make us smile or laugh and rarely is unhappy.


Claire (2 ½) -  Claire is our spunky little girl.  She is full of life and energy and is always going a million miles an hour.  She spends her days in her imaginative world being anything from a baby donkey to bat girl and is always able to entertain herself.  Although she is spunky she is also slower to warm up to new situations.  Luckily all the change we’ve had this year hasn’t seemed to be too much for her and she has FINALLY started going to nursery without a fight!  With a very competitive older sister we are happy that she is a great loser.  It makes us laugh when we hear Brielle yell “Yeah, I WON!” and Claire yells with as much enthusiasm, “Yeah, I LOST!”  She is dynamite in a little tiny package.

Addison (3 weeks) - Addison Belle joined our family on Monday, November 30th at 8:02 a.m. weighing in at 7 lb. 3 oz. and 21 inches long.  She is a wonderful, sweet baby and couldn’t be any more content with life.  Somehow she manages to take all the “love” her two older sisters give her without complaining about it.


We feel the Lord’s hand in our lives and are grateful for this time of year to reflect on his life. We love you all and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!


Love -

The Davis Family

The LONG road to Utah

Soon we will be heading off to Utah...for Christmas.  Can you say PARTAY?!?!  (Yes, there is supposed to be an A in there...it makes it a more serious version of party...just in case you were wondering.)

I can't WAIT to see these mountains...and some snow!

The 1,300 mile journey - EACH way - is a bit daunting and will be a long one indeed.  One that people tend to be struck dumb when we tell them we are driving rather than flying.  Considering the $3,000 difference in gas vs. flying a family of 5 at this time of year, it just makes more financial sense.  Ask me when we return if it was emotionally and mentally worth it however and you'll most likely get a "HECK NO!"  But I am trying to remain optimistic at this point.

Anyway, to make matters worse, we are considering doing the unthinkable and knocking the whole thing out at once and driving through the night rather than splitting it up.  I've heard from many people that stopping for the night on such a long road trip makes it even more painful for small children...especially when said small children could be hopped up on Benadryl and sleep through a good portion of it.  I'm just saying.

As if this whole journey wasn't stressful enough (I'm just assuming it will be) this week has been a major test of my strength, desire and will to be in Utah.

First off - both my older girls are quite sick.  I think it's most likely croup, because they usually get it once or twice a year.  Croup FREAKS me out now that we have Addison and I'm taking all the precautions I can to keep the older ones away from her...which is proving to be very difficult.  Normally when they get croup I treat them with the regular humidifier, steamy bathroom, cold air, maybe some Motrin type things at home, because I'm not a huge fan of over-medicating.  However with the baby here and with the trip fast approaching I will be taking them to the pediatrician tomorrow and I will beg and plead for them to give me something to help the kids get better.  Being sick for Christmas is NOT an option!

Next - at Addison's 2 week checkup yesterday we were informed that her numbers were high for jaundice.  This would have not been such a surprise if they had checked her at the hospital or mentioned it at ALL before then.  My frustrations with he hospital will remain in my mind for now however.  Addison - of course - has to be checked again tomorrow...love that. To add to this particular stress as well was the pediatrician's possible reasons for the elevated numbers.  You know, small things like "her blood could be incompatible with your blood" and "she could have an immature liver".  Really I just want the test done and tell me if it's getting better or not.  But now suddenly I'm worried about blood transfusions and liver transplants!  A little on the dramatic side, yes, but I'm 2 1/2 weeks postpartum...what do you expect?!

And finally yesterday while showering (this might be a little too much information for some) I was checking my incision - as I try to normally do.  I saw a spot on it that looked rather dark and wondered if it was just a bruise or something, and was hoping it wasn't some sort of infection or something more serious.  Upon closer inspection I realized it was a staple!  You see...if you'll refer to my previous post (the non-crying parts) that my nurse removed my staples before I left the hospital.  So imagine my surprise to have a staple there looking back at me, taunting me.

After conversing with my personal go to doctor (a.k.a. sister-in-law Sara who I'm sure is SO sick of all my stupid medical questions) I felt that it would be okay to tug on the staple to see if it would just pop off.  I tried...I tried some more.  It wasn't coming loose however and was starting to cause some pain.  So today I called the doctor (a.k.a. my OB that delivered the baby and therefore is responsible for said staple...not that I'm upset, that was just a matter of fact statement) to ask their advice. 

I went in...because that's what they advised...and the nurse had to use TWO different tools to get the staple out.  It was somehow twisted funny and wouldn't just come out without a fight.  It hurt.  She was very surprised that it was an entire staple and wondered how an entire staple got overlooked.  I was pretty sure it was because part of the skin on my incision had swollen a little after the surgery and when my nurse took out the staples at the hospital that one was probably hidden under some swollen skin.  Anyway, I am now free of foreign objects...that I know of...and feel a little more okay about leaving for Utah.  On the down side, however, my incision that has been relatively pain free since leaving the hospital is now tender again.  Oh, that and my doctor told me to be really careful on my road trip and to get out and move a lot because I'm "still susceptible to blood clots" for a while.  Nice.

This road to Utah is becoming longer by the second...

But - by golly - I WILL be in Utah for Christmas!! 

Christmas Wishes

As this Christmas season approaches I have an unusual amount of gratitude for all I have.  While there are many "things" I would LIKE to have or things that I wish we had more of, I can't help but be overwhelmed with gratitude for the important things I do have.  Family, love, religion, health, etc.  Call it hormones if you must, but I am much more tender - emotionally - this year as the holiday is quickly arriving.

While I was in the hospital after having Addison I had a WONDERFUL nurse the last day.  She was young (26) and SO attentive and great.  None of my other nurses went so out of their way to make sure I was comfortable.  She offered to hand me my baby so I didn't have to move, prop up my pillows so I could be more comfortable, get me more ice water, bring me a soda or some snacks and other things that hadn't been offered the other 3 days I had been there.

As I was getting ready to be discharged she came in and began removing the staples from my incision.  As awkward as the moment could have been...or perhaps should have been...I found myself having a conversation with this nurse that I never expected.  One that I am sure I will never forget.

It started out innocently, discussing where we were from, telling her we were military, me asking if they were military (since she said was from out of state as well) and other small things.  Then the conversation took an unexpected turn as my sweet nurse got choked up and told me her story. 

In October, 2008, her and her husband of 5 years moved here for military training.  They had been here a total of 17 days, knew nobody and were still getting settled in when her husband was killed in a terrible hit and run accident while he was riding his bike.  She went on to tell me that for 20 minutes he lay on the side of the road, left for dead, before somebody noticed him.  She spent two days lying in bed with him at the hospital while machines kept him alive before she could go through with his wishes of not keeping him on life support.  They had been together since they were 16.  She knew nobody else, she had the love of her life.  The life they had dreamed of was just getting started when it was ripped from her arms. 

She spent the next few months in a fog, saying a lot of the time she would just lay on the floor at her apartment curled up in a ball because the pain was too much.  I cried with her as she talked about losing her one true love and thinking there was no way she could ever love like that again.  She said she is doing her best to continue living, that she hasn't picked up the pieces yet and has just mastered the art of faking it and putting up a front.  She told me that if it weren't for her job - which she loves - she doesn't know where she would be. 

The conversation continued as she said that she finally got to the point where she asked herself what her husband would want her to do.  She knew it would be to fulfill her dreams and live a happy life, so she is currently getting ready to begin medical school so she can be a doctor.  I just wanted to hug her but as the conversation came to an end she apologized for being inappropriate and left the room.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about her and wishing there was more I could have said or done.  But I think - or hope - having someone to talk to and listen to her was what she needed at the time.

The point is that this world is a very hard one at times and that people go through unimaginable things.  Sometimes I feel bad and have "poor me" moments when I think my trials are too great to handle.  But then I take a step back and think about the blessings I have.  All I have to do is look at the people in my little home and I am instantly filled with God's love.

So this Christmas season I am going to focus less on what the world would have me focus on and I will focus my attention on what He would have me focus on.  I will hug my children a little tighter, tell my husband I love him a little more, serve the people around me and open my heart to God.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas...and remember to be grateful for all that God has given us.

Addison's first week

(Long winded post ahead...because let's face it, I'm long winded.)

We survived week one with our new little Addison.  As much as I'd like to give myself a pat on the back, 'cause I'm all about putting myself on a pedestal, it was no thanks to me that we did make it. If it weren't for my parents and Marty's mom switching off staying with us for a week at a time each I don't think we could have done it. 

Some of the highlights of Addison's first week of life are as follows:

- The hospital doesn't have a staffed nursery, so Addison stayed in my room with me the entire time.  Some say this sounds wonderful...I however was hoping to get a little sleep at night. I'm just keeping it real. I mean if you're going to be stuck in a hospital for 4 days you should at least be able to leave having rested a little right?  It's a good thing Addison is so darn pleasant though and only cries when she's hungry.

- I couldn't remember Addison's name in the hospital when the pediatrician asked.  It was SO embarrassing!  The conversation went a bit like this:

P(pediatrician):   Good morning, how are you?

C(Camille on drugs):   Uh, fine, we're doing good.

P:   Good.  So what are we calling this little sweet girl?

C:   Uh.............well..........um..........

P:   Laughing under his breath

C:   Oh my gosh, I don't know!  I can't remember what her name is!  I am pretty sure it starts with an A however.  Alison?  No.  Ashley?  No.  Amber?  No.  Ahh...what is her name??

I had to actually get out my cell phone to check the text message Marty had sent to family members with her name and stats.  In my defense though I was - like I said - on some heavy pain meds and am not sure I would have been able to even tell him my own name, I hadn't really slept for a couple days, and we came up with her name the night before we had her.  So it wasn't like all the names we had on our list for months that I had been thinking about.

- Massive explosions out both ends, as well as amazing (or terrible) timing with said explosions resulting in 1 particular diaper changing experience that took 4 diapers and 2 outfits....3 if you count my shirt that was covered in the explosion that came out the top (at least it wasn't covered in the other!).  She is already a professional pooper.

- STILL drowning in newborn size clothing and diapers.  Such a foreign thing as both my older girls were so big they barely fit in newborn stuff when they were born.  It's crazy how much difference 1 or 2 pounds makes!

As far as how I am recovering - because I'm sure that's what you REALLY want to know  - I am doing surprisingly well.  This c-section just seemed to go so much more smoothly!  I was feeling well enough to get out of bed quicker, able to move around and take care of the baby easier, able to shower on my own and dry my own legs (TMI?) the first time I showered!  It's been a WONDERFUL surprise, as I was expecting it to be a little rougher like the other two. 

Brielle and Claire are adjusting very well.  Brielle wants to hold Addison all day and if we'd let her on her own, she would.  Claire just kind of ignores her.  Every once in a while she asks to hold her or comes and wants to touch her but that's about it. 

We are so happy Addison is here - me in particular - she is just absolutely wonderful!

Third time's the...smallest?

I know this is an important post for the blog and it probably shouldn't be left in the hands of the bumbling husband, but alas, my poor wife is in the hospital and felt the timeliness of this post would be very important.

This morning at 8:02 A.M. central time in the Bridwell Tower of United Regional Hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas, we welcomed the 7 pound 3 ounce, 21 inch bundle of joy. And unfortunately nobody who took the name survey chose correctly. We named her Addison Belle Davis.

She is the smallest child so far - by over a pound - despite having the longest time in the womb. What she lacks in size she makes up for in volume.

She was sure to let the nurses know everything that was not to her liking. Things like: washing off the nasty womb stuff, the apgar test, being weighed, being talked to by someone that wasn't daddy, being touched, having her temperature checked in an exit only location, innoculations, the eye jelly stuff, having a baby stealing prevention thingly placed on her ankle, and being given a bath.

It may sound like she didn't like much, but don't let that paragraph fool you. As soon as she was able to get a little bit in her belly the crying stopped. And to my knowledge has still stopped. In fact, despite the fact that she cries at the same decibel level as an F-14, she has been pretty much an angel.

Brielle was very anxious about the whole process. She called me as soon as she woke up to check up on her mommy. She had advised her mother the night before not to move during the surgery because she didn't want anything bad to happen.

We were worried about Claire being dethroned as the youngest (after all her daddy still hasn't gotten over it. BRACKEN!!!!). Of course, she couldn't love baby Ah-eh-sun any more. She even sang her a song this evening.

Camille made me promise not to put any pictures of her on the blog so the following is another picture of Addison

I'd like to thank Camille's parent for being such a huge help this week with Thanksgiving and Addison's arrival and thank my mother in advance for coming out here to help tomorrow for a week.

In closing I guess I have to say with another girl I just have to be thankful my hair has lasted this far, kind of.

Happy Birthday Marty!!

No...still no baby. 

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's move on to something else, shall we?

Tomorrow is Marty's birthday.  He will be REALLY old...so old that I don't even know that it's socially acceptable to talk about or reveal!

(Psst.....he'll be 28!  Shhh, don't tell though!)

If you are his age or older, however, do not be alarmed...it's only him that's old.  The rest of you are perfectly okay.

So, I was banned from making a big deal out of his birthday this year and I feel like it's a total jip, even though he really hates when I do make a big deal and it's all just for me anyway.  But I was able to at least make him a birthday dinner of Cheeseburger Casserole and Cheesecake tonight and hope that he feels special.

Secretly I did this for him tonight even though his birthday is tomorrow in hopes that the baby will be born tomorrow and I wouldn't have to feel guilty about not at least making him a birthday dinner...wishful thinking?  Maybe. 

All Marty wants for his birthday is for our baby to be born.  You would think this was a sweet wish, you know, "How wonderful to hold my new baby girl on my birthday!  I couldn't imagine a better gift than that."  But I'm pretty sure it's because he's as sick of me being pregnant as I am and just wants the misery to be over with already.

But here, for my dear, sweet husband, I would publicly like to wish him

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

He is an AMAZING husband and father and has sacrificed and done so much for our little family.  I couldn't be more grateful for him! 

We love you Marty/Daddy!!

The ramblings of a pregnant lady on the edge

Before I begin, I feel as though I need to clarify something...because it kind of makes me feel like I'm a huge cheater McCheater pants.  (My husband in response to me using that phrase is going to say "you've been around me way too long".)

You see, my baby countdown/ticker/gadget/thingie would lead everyone to believe that I'm actually a week further along than I technically am.  There is an explanation however.  The countdown is to my scheduled c-section day {November 30th}.  They do repeat c-sections right around 39 weeks, so really my due date is December 6th.  This will be our second baby born the month before they were due...in case you were wanting to know some more random crap about us.

ANYWAY, seeing as I can't go further than that, I changed it to be that day so that I knew how long I had until the c-section.  I'm actually going to be 38 weeks along tomorrow...I like to confuse people...and I like to see a shorter amount of time there, because nobody wants to be pregnant forever.  Anyhow...

I began panicking the last couple of days realizing that if this little baby is to follow the example of her older two sisters, she would be making her appearance sometime between today and Tuesday. 

But do not fret...I didn't have her today.  In case you were wondering.

Anyway, when I realized that she could come any time now I was all - uh, I don't think I'm ready to have a baby today.  I have some things I'd like to get done before the baby...which I can't think of any at this exact moment but I'm sure there is stuff that should be getting done pre-baby.

So I went to my doctor's yesterday...without my kids mind you.  THAT phone call to a lady in my ward sucked.  "Hey, you may not know who I am but I was told you would be someone who might be willing to help with babysitting?"  Luckily she was more than nice and even though I felt DUMBER than DUMB, I was able to go to the doctor's and not have to explain to my 4 and 2 year old what the doctor was doing. 

I sat there with my gorgeous pink paper-towel skirt, sweating up a storm and tapping my fingers like a mad woman while waiting for the doctor to come in, nervous about what he would say.  I had things running through my mind like, "Yeah, you're at like a 2, I don't see you making it past this weekend" or "Holy cow, your water just broke, you must be rushed to the hospital ASAP!"  I was unnecessarily freaking myself out for the worst.

The doctor checked me yesterday...and in his somewhat southern accent I heard "Yeah, you're close."  I froze...I said, "Uh..what!?!?"  He seemed surprised at my reaction and said again, "You're closed." 

I breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, good!"  I think the nurse was shocked at that response - as I'm sure the majority of women at this point would have been disappointed at the lack of progress.  But I was glad.  For now I can breath knowing that unless things go freakishly fast in the next day, this baby will probably be gracious and at least wait until my mom can get here on Tuesday night.

So, to help keep me from going nuts, I have made a new goal. 

My goal is to have a 9 pound baby.  That's right people, I'm shooting for the stars here!

Both of my girls have been over 8 pounds (8lb. 12oz., and 8lb. 4oz.) and I figure if I get until at least Thursday then there's no way the baby won't be bigger than those, right?  That's my goal...I plan on making it a reality by eating a lot of Rocky Road ice cream (a new thing since being pregnant as it's not a normal favorite).

I am getting very anxious for my mom to be here.  Not only because it's been FAR too long since I've seen her (or any of you other people's back in Utah) but because it means I can go ahead and have this baby, because the side of me that has to get out of bed 4 times a night to pee and another 4 times to take Tums is DONE with being pregnant.  Bring on the 2 a.m. feedings with a newborn!

Little Inventor

Because it's worth documenting I have to share what Brielle told me the other day.

"Hey mom, I have a big idea!  I am going to make a machine.  Here are the things I will need: plastic, some fishy crackers, chocolate, skin and some shampoo." 

When I inquired as to what this machine was, she said...

"It will do all my chores for me and pick up all my toys.  Although it is going to need arms and hands to do that, so I guess I will also need some paper that I can roll up to make arms and hands for the machine."

I can't wait to see how that turns out for her.

What is "Texoma"?

Lately I have had a hard time seeing the funny in things. I'm sure I could rattle off a good sized list as to why, however I will blame it mostly on one thing...the one inside me trying to karate chop her way out.

But there are some bright spots in this world, especially now that we have entered in to the land of "Texoma".

Yes, you heard me correctly, Texoma. Apparently I was wrong in believing that we were moving to Texas.

I feel like such a fool!

"Texoma" is the combination of Texas and Oklahoma, because we're near the border. We happen to live in one of the two "major cities" in Texoma, and let me tell you it's something major!

Every restaurant this side of Oklahoma boasts to be "Voted Texoma's Best____" and we know that it will be a winner if we eat there, because if all of Texoma voted it the best, it MUST be worth my time and stomach.

The kicker? There is a city around here named Texarkana - as in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas all rolled in to one, because it happens to be near the border of all three. The people around here are ridiculously creative.

The news - for instance - reports only on things happening in Texoma, with their 80's camera's and visual effects and even 80's hair do's and clothing. It's very small town things like, "Today our Texoma neighbor's plowed their field!" Okay, maybe not THAT small town...but you get the drift.

The commercials in Texoma are the stuff movies are made of. Big Bob out front of his car dealership with his cowboy hat and mascot yelling "Come on down to Big Bob's today and get a REAL 4-wheeler or ATV with your purchase of a new Ford pickup-truck!" Besides the name of the dealership, I swear that is a real commercial!

But in the words of some of the people I've come in to contact with: "We may not have much around here, but at least the people sure are nice."

This is true, I will give Texoma that.

Marty has helped heighten my enjoyment of Texoma by pointing out things that are just so very fantastic.

A couple weeks ago I was sitting on the base waiting for him and there were so many birds that I was actually afraid to get out of my car. I have NEVER seen so many in one place in all my life. I mentioned to Marty that it was odd and wondered if maybe the landscaping crew had been fertilizing the lawn with bird seed on accident. Then Marty said to me, "No, this IS south for winter."

Wow, mind blowing I tell you!

So although I miss Utah - for now I am going to sit back and enjoy the comical nature of Texoma's finest....it can only get better from here!

Korea Projection Explained - kind of

When Marty wrote his Korea post I let him know that it was a bit abrupt.  I liked his soldier conversation because - seriously - they REALLY do talk like that, and it's weird because I kind of feel like they may as well be speaking Korean sometimes.  Anyways, I told him that most people would want a few more details than what he gave.  So, me being the very detail oriented person I am will take it upon myself to try and clear a few things up regarding Korea.

It's a place very, very, very far from here.

Does that help at all?

Yes, that about sums up all my knowledge related to that part of the world. 

But now I will actually clear up a few things.  For instance, soft orders are not set in stone.  There are no dates or details or anything.  In fact Marty keeps telling me he technically hasn't received any soft orders at all and that he was just PROJECTED to be going to Korea.  I don't know the difference...but whatever.  "Hard orders" - a.k.a. set in stone - won't happen until MUCH closer to his graduation date.

The thing about Korea that really has me scared though is that depending on which base they want him to be stationed at we may not be able to go with him. Families are not allowed in certain parts. He would have to go for 1 year while me and the kids stayed back.  It would, however, be considered a deployment.  After that year we would get stationed somewhere else for the 2 remaining years.

There are a few things that could change the projection to somewhere else though.  Those things would be:

1. He is taking a 10 day paternity leave after the baby comes.  This will push his graduation date back by about 2 weeks which would change when he could be available to even go to Korea...maybe they want someone the exact day they originally thought he'd be available.

2. Speaking of graduation, he doesn't graduate until June or July...that is still a long way away and so things could change.

3. Claire is technically supposed to see a pediatric eye specialist at least one time a year*.  Because of this there is a good chance that when we take her to her annual appointment in January they will put her on the EFMP (exceptional family member program) thing Marty mentioned, which basically means that we can't go anywhere that doesn't have a speciailist for her...which usually includes anywhere over seas, because really why would an army base in Korea (or any other country) need a pediatric eye specialist?  She is not already on this because A. I had no idea that it even existed.  B. She hasn't been due for an appointment while we've been in the military life.  C. We haven't gone in to the base hospital to get the referral for her to go to the eye doctor.

*QUICK explanation, basically her eye muscle in her left eye "didn't wire correctly" so she has limited ability to move her left eye to the left.  It has nothing to do with vision or anything else.

So, for now we are doing nothing but waiting.  I am not worrying/dwelling on it and am making no plans around it.  We are going to continue living life as normal and we will just have to wait and see what happens!

Korea? For me-a?

Everyone loves a good acronym right? Let me just give you a brief example of how it works in the military.

Soldier 1: I got my soft orders.

Soldier 2: How did you see that?

Soldier 1: I just checked my ERB on AKO.

Soldier 2: Are you excited?

Soldier 1: I don't know what to think. With how long our AIT for BMET is I don't know if that will change. Plus my kid might be put on EFMP. I just hope with an OCONUS station I get good PCS leave.

Soldier 2: Did you hear about the IET formation?

Soldier 1: Yeah, I heard we're just going over SOP's and some UCMJ stuff. Plus one of the toon sergeants is on TDY so it shouldn't be too long. Just make sure you know the Army song and LDRSHIP values and requirements for the APFT.

Soldier 3: I like turtles.

Believe it or not we actually talk like that. It's disgusting, really.

Anyway the real reason for the post is to let the masses be aware that I have been projected to be stationed in Korea. To be more specific, 18th MEDCOM. Of course things can change between now and then. Camille is definitely hoping so. Otherwise she'll have to find some recipes with Nureongi.

Happy Halloween - Part II

Who gets sentimental over Halloween? 

Answer:  ME!

*Side note - yes, Brielle is a princess this time.  She decided last minute she would rather use her original costume.  Also, Marty was in charge of getting Claire dressed...thus the awesome Elmo socks.*

Strange as it is, I found myself fighting back tears as my little girls went out the door with Marty to trick-or-treat in our new neighborhood tonight. 

It felt weird for a lot of different reasons.  But basically what it really boils down to is that it wasn't Utah.  Things were different.  Traditions weren't in place.

But as Marty keeps reminding me, this is how life is now.  We aren't always going to be surrounded by family and the things we are "used to".

The thing that is important is that the girls had a GREAT time.  They were so excited to sort out their candy and see all they had gotten.  Best thing is they're still so young that a small amount of candy seems monumental! 

I would say we did really great for our first holiday that carries traditions away from home.

Plus...how can you be sad when you get to be with those two beautiful faces every day?

An Early Halloween

Last night was our ward chili cookoff/trunk or treat.  The girls had a great time and we enjoyed not having to cook interacting with our new ward members.

Yesterday morning I let the girls know that it was the trunk or treat and they were going to be able to wear their princess costumes they had chosen over a month ago.

Claire froze in her tracks and just looked at me like I was crazy.  She said, "No!  I am NOT going to be princess!  No princess costume, I not be a princess."

I asked her what she wanted to be and she - without hesitation - says, "I want to be a SUPER HERO!  I want a cape!  I fly around and be a super hero!"

Crazy kid - I couldn't resist it though and we went back to the BX to see what our options were. 

Brielle felt that this was very unfair and that she too should have a second costume. 

So, in the end even though I had TRIED to plan ahead by getting them princess costumes, they both ended up being super hero's and were just absolutely adorable in every way.  They still won't take the costumes off and have spent all day flapping their capes and running around being super hero's who are saving the world.  It's so cute!

I have to say that this whole Halloween thing sure gets more fun as they get older!

Happy Halloween!

Living in a foreign land

One thing I like to do with my blog is to offer my knowledge as a public service to all those who my be reading.  Today I would like to share the things I have learned while living abroad - because Texas is basically like living in a foreign country right? Plus, my nearly 2 months away from Utah makes me an expert in all things foreign and I am here to help and share my knowledge with all.

- People do not find it comical when you drive down the wrong way on a one-way street.

- Turning left on a red light from a one-way street to another one-way street never feels normal.  What is this, England??

- The All-Way-Stop is gravely underused in Utah. Stop lights are overrated and SO time consuming.

- For some reason people do not find it comical as you run a stop sign because you had no idea there were going to be 42 of them on your way to the store down the street.

- Driving the speed limit or below is actually normal! 

- Official freeway onramps are also overrated. A simple little split off a normal looking street with no type of markings whatsoever will suffice. If you miss it…good luck circling the block for an hour navigating through one-way streets to try to pick the right one to line you back up with the “entrance” that looks a lot like an alley way.

(I'm realizing these are all having a lot to do with transportation issues...interesting.)

- Lifting your Lincoln Towncar and putting huge spinner rims on it DOES make you even more cool than you already are.

- Approaching a stranger in a parking lot to give a sob story of being stranded 50 miles from home with only $1.25 to your name and your car is out of gas is not creepy, especially if you call that person “ma’am”.

- Standing and walking on the shoulder of the freeway is acceptable and gets you to where you want to be so much quicker than walking on slower paced streets.

- “Ma’am” and “sir” do not imply you think the person is elderly, it’s actually a sign of respect…who knew?

- Iced tea is the new lemonade. Don’t even ask for lemonade at a restaurant as they may think you are speaking a language from the African bush.

- Texans (although I’m sure it is this way with all foreign lands) LOVE kids. Outside of Utah the population of children is drastically smaller, they are more of a novelty.  Be prepared to have strangers approach you on a daily basis to say hi to your kids.

- While painting houses, there is no need to stay ON the walls with the paint. Painting over the thermostat so it can’t be changed to heat is totally acceptable...okay, maybe this one has nothing to do with Texas so much as the retards who painted our house.  I had to actually get out a razor blade to cut the thermostat button free...foreign living is so hard sometimes!

There are many other things but for now I have at least begun to prepare you for if you are to venture in to the big and crazy world. 

Big sister's concerns

Brielle is starting to have the weight of being an older sister to TWO little girls sink in.

The other day at dinner she was so sweet and helped Claire say the blessing on the food. I told her she was such a great big sister and that she was going to be such a great big sister to the baby when she was born.

Never short on dramatics around here, she threw her hand up against her chest and said "Oh. My. Gosh. How am I going to be able to help TWO little girls say their prayers when the baby is old enough to say prayers? I don't know how I'm going to do that! I guess I will keep helping Claire and you'll just have to help the baby, or we could switch off taking turns."

On top of wondering how she is going to be able to be a good big sister to two little girls...much like my uncertainty of being able to wrangle three little girls...she is worrying about a few other things baby related as well. Some quotes since the talk of baby sister has increased:

"How is Eliana (her cousin) going to be able to fit in our car with us when the baby is here? The car will be almost all filled up, there will not be room for Eliana!" Um...I'm not sure how big she thinks the baby is going to be. We do have a minivan.

"How is there going to be room on your lap for the baby after she's born when we're reading books at night in the rocking chair? Maybe we'll have to sit on my bed so that the baby can be in your lap and me and Claire can sit on the bed."

"Where is the baby going to sleep? We only have one bed and one crib?!" (This was pre-Texas when we didn't have the bunk beds set up though...that has since been remedied.)

"Can we go to a baby store...just so I can look at baby stuff. We don't have to buy stuff yet, I just want to look at the tiny cute stuff."

My personal favorite "Can we just keep some of the presents we bought for Aunt Emily's baby? I like that stuff for our baby."

Claire on the other hand - obviously - has no idea what is about to happen to her little life. Every time the word "baby" is mentioned, she simply points at herself and says "I'M a baby". When asked if she wants a little sister, she tells us, "I'M the little sister". She doesn't get it...poor dear, I feel bad for her.

I felt bad for Brielle when Claire came, the dethroning process can be rough on them...plus I've seen the way Claire treats cats, toys, her older sister and baby dolls and I'm a bit worried for the safety and health of this new bundle. Claire isn't purposefully mean or rough, she just loves REALLY enthusiastically sometimes.

Maybe I should take a lesson from Claire though...I'm sure the world would be a much better place if we all learned to love a little more enthusiastically.

Processed Blogging Product

I recently went to the store to purchase sliced Tillamook cheese. Unfortunately the Walmart that I was lending my patronage to carries inferior cheese. I perused the assortment of cheeses and found the small difference on the packaging between the fake cheese and the real stuff: the word product. That’s right cheese is good, cheese product is bad. This is blogging product.

For those of you who come to this blog searching for the delicate eloquence of my loving wife, you may be sorely disappointed with this post. I am her charming and muscular husband. Those who have followed this blog since the beginning may remember my stunningly witty posts from the year two thousand and seven. However, since then I have delved into other things and have neglected the blog reading masses. My goal is to try to be a regular contributor from here on out with a little bit of military perspective of our life, seeing how we kind of have something to do with the military at the moment. Now when I say regular I don’t mean three Fiber One bars a day kind of regular, more like two blocks of cheese product a day regular, once a week if you’re lucky.

For those of you who do not know, I am currently stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in tech school to become a BMET (Bio Medical Equipment Tech). Sheppard AFB is in the armpit of Texas Wichita Falls, Texas. I am already a quarter of the way through my training, but i have already been through training longer than just about anybody else I graduated from Basic training with.

The Army is definitely a different way of living, I'd be lying if I said I haven't already taken on a few of the speech traits of the army and maybe even some southern slang, but I am definitely not fixing to do anything. Or fittin' to do anything. At least not yet.

The jump from Wells Fargo to the U.S. Army was a drastic one, but I must say, so far I'm happy. I'm still writing books, but I don't have nearly as much time on my hands. Things change a bit when you have PT formation every morning at 4:40. Camille has been quite the trooper about all of it and the girls have done surprisingly well. I'm actually more worried about all the people going through withdrawals from losing the favorite daughter/sister and the favorite grandchildren. I doubt anybody misses me that much, even with my new and improved muscles, really, they're that big.

Another change is going from a Utah ward to a mostly military self proclaimed transient ward. There are so many people at the base on TDY and for training that nobody really considers themselves permanent.It's also a little different to hear the bishop tell the congregation that when he asked an eight year old boy a baptismal interview question he was given the response, "I'm sorry bishop, that's classified."

So I'll chuck some deuces until next time, but beware in the future of more blogging product.

Busted

The other day my sister jokingly asked me if living with my husband again - after nearly 5 months apart - was starting to cramp my style.

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I thought about it and realized that now that he was around he was not allowing me to spoil my kids rotten. I mean, hello, he wanted them to go to bed at a normal time, be respectful, not expect a treat and toy every time we went to the store and be nice to him and stuff.

Style totally cramped.

In all reality though I was just too happy to have him around to even think about the things that were lovely that had changed - not that there really were any things nice about the time apart, except that distance really DOES make the heart grow fonder.

But then it happened. I TOTALLY busted myself and put myself in a pickle that only someone who wasn't used to having their husband around to check up on her would do.

On Facebook (in case you aren't in with that crowd) I posted - what I thought to be - a funny/harmless update stating:

Do I order the car seat slip cover I want and ask for forgiveness even though Marty already said "we have a perfectly good car seat, you don't need a slip cover". Or do I suddenly start being a better wife and listen to my husband?

photo of car seat cover from http://www.hipncozy.com/

The comments came in about how I should order it anyway and I was feeling very validated about it. Because as we all know, Facebook is where the answers are! Plus, we all know that asking forgiveness is easier than asking for permission.

The truth of the matter is that I HAD already ordered the cover but was just working on the best ways to butter him up so that he would agree that it was a great idea to get the cover. I know...it was a stretch but I was willing to try.

Of course that night he came home from school and got on the computer...to check his Facebook. I started to panic knowing full well what he would read and that he would have something sarcastic/mean to say:

Negative, negative, negative. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. trying to get my wife to deliberately disobey her loving husband who only says no so he can use the money for more productive things like food and oxygen and maybe a guitar, a used one.

I was totally trapped. He had no idea that I had already ordered it and probably thought he was actually being obeyed! Poor guy.

I laughed it off as he said, "It's a waste, you don't need it. If a slipcover shows up here you're going to have to return it."

He was being somewhat sarcastic and was - at least I think - trying to just torture me and make me feel guilty. But you could see the fire in his eyes that seemed to be saying, "Don't you dare defy me, because I am a SOLDIER for goodness sake and I know some combat moves you'll wish never existed."

I thought I'd give him another day before breaking it to him that I had already ordered the cover.

That or I was going to pretend it never happened, hide the cover when it got to me and wait until I was in labor/about to go under the knife to bear him another child and be like, "Oh, grab the car seat and cover for the hospital" and then deal with explanations. Because who can argue with a woman who is in labor or about to endure surgery to bring another of your seed in to the world? (Yes, I'm hoping he reads this paragraph). Plus then I could totally say, "Oh that? I've had that for a long time".

The next day he came home from school. There was a box on the porch. I knew full well it was the super duper screaming deal of a bouncy chair I had ordered online. He however immediately said, "If that is a car seat slipcover in there you're in big trouble! You'll have to return it."

At this point he was just being mean.

I assured him it wasn't and that it was the bouncy chair...as I held my breath hoping there was no way the lady made the slipcover and shipped it that fast.

Again he added "If a slip cover shows up here you're in trouble."

Apparently my nervous giggle doesn't fool him anymore.

"You already got it didn't you?"

Darn my inability to lie to my husband! Again, I nervously giggled. All I could say was "How was I supposed to know you'd be so opposed to it?"

He just responded with, "Oh brother, you're going to be sorry."

I'm pretty sure that means that while I'm asleep he is going to use my toothbrush to clean the toilet.

Actually I'm pretty sure it means he thinks that he "out ranks" me now. What is the Army teaching these men? We all know the wife still runs the house.

Poor guy...apparently I'm cramping HIS style since being back together.

Lesson learned though. As Marty told me himself "Next time you're going to order something that you know I will think is useless...just don't ask." So basically that means I have free reign to do whatever I want! Etsy here I come!

Are you happy?

The kids were listening to the song "If you're happy and you know it" today, enjoying a little dancing.

Claire got so far as the "if you're happy and you know it stomp your feet" part and then just stomped around in circles the rest of the song while Brielle followed the directions (clap hands, shout hurrah, blink your eyes etc.)

When the song ended Brielle put her hands on her hips and looked at Claire. I was fully expecting her to be upset with Claire for not following the instructions.

Brielle looked at me then and said:

"Well, I guess Claire is happy, she just must not know it."

Reconnected!!

Reconnected and it feels SO good!!

Today the cable company sent a guy out to install our phone. We were very confused as to why they were doing the phone today and the cable and internet tomorrow...some things will never make sense. However when the guy was here he said, "Why wouldn't I do it all at once? I'm here, so might as well." And we have now re-entered the world of internet and cable TV in our home! The kids have already watched an hour of cartoons and I have spent an equal amount of time on the internet...am I not so awesome?! Don't worry...we're just so excited we can't stand it, we will not let this become a habit.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a couple pictures of the girls and how they are adjusting to life here in Texas.

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Claire has fallen in love with the backyard....particularly the dirt pile you can see behind her.In case you didn't see the joy she had in the dirt well enough...Brielle has upped her fashionista moments and kept asking me to take her picture while she posed. She also chose the headband as her perfect accessory for the day, I personally think she looks smashing!Here is the joy this child felt over the new little puppy we had.

Yes...HAD. Unfortunately due to some unforeseen allergies (okay, really I'm just allergic to Texas but it did put me over the edge) and a bit of a wake up call, our little puppy only lasted in our house 2 days before we admitted defeat. He whined a lot...which I can't blame the poor guy, he had been living with a TON of dogs and then - BAM - all alone in a cage. It hit me one day while listening to him whine that in a little less than 2 months we will have a newborn in our home and that between crying and puppy whining I was pretty sure I'd lose my mind.

The girls have accepted it well. We told Brielle that the puppy had just come to have a sleepover with us and to have some fun but that he was crying so much because he really needed to go back to be with his mommy.

Marty then promised her that if she worked hard and filled up her GIANT piggy bank with gold dollars he will take her to Disneyland when it's full. Poor thing...she has two gold dollars, I'm pretty sure it's going to take a few hundred at least to fill it up. But it seems to be just the distraction she was in need of.

So that about sums it up. Besides the multiple bug bites (seriously, what's with all the bugs?!) things are going well. I am glad we are back in business here with the computer and internet and will now begin a little bit of updating WITH pictures....of course after we finish unpacking and actually TAKE the pictures. :)

I'm addicted, it's true

You know what is sad? The fact that at this moment I am about to pull my hair out because I am not sure I can go on living without internet and TV at my house. Saturday is when the wonderful angels from the cable company will descend upon our house to once again connect us with the outside world. I am really getting tired of having to go to the free WiFi spots around base with my kids if I want to use the computer. That and I have NO idea what is going on with my favorite shows I used to religiously watch...the anxiety of knowing what I might be missing may just be the death of me!

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I don't necessarily miss the constant nagging of "can't we watch ANOTHER show?" that used to happen, since really there are no options besides movies...and really I hate that if my kids watch a movie it takes over an hour to finish.

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But I definitely miss the time after my kids are in bed where I used to catch up on blogs, or watch my shows and DO NOTHING.

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Hello...my name is Camille and I'm an internet and TV addict.

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I really have no problem with admitting that, I've never denied it. Especially as this pregnancy progresses - which I have to ask, how did I get this far in to the pregnancy without realizing it?! - I find myself more and more exhausted and unable to keep up with the laundry and dishes and cleaning etc. and want to be able to sit and relax and surf the web or something. But alas, I have to find other ways to spend my time and it's getting harder and harder.

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I also must apologize to anyone who may be wondering...usually when I do use the internet somewhere it's for a short period of time and I really just have enough time to quickly read blogs or what not and then leave. I do still love everyone...I just haven't commented on anything for almost a month.

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I haven't forgotten you!

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Now...excuse me as I have to clean up the mess my kids have created at the base's play room and leave before any more people come in and look at me like I'm a crazy person.