Baby Shower....

There are a few things about the Army life you can count on. 1. You never know what's going to happen next 2. Your hubby is always gone and 3. Everyone is or has recently been pregnant.....:)

 That being said, I attended a sweet little shower today and had a good time getting out of the house and blabbing about motherhood to a room full of moms. You would think me being the most seasoned mother in the room I would have a lot to say. But I didn't say much, just sat back watched the happy chaos and snapped a few pics here and there. 

I figure if I always make handmade gifts and take a few cute pics I will secure my invite to the party...Right?!?

 So  I made another baby bunting and knit up a little wurmy hat to go along with the outfit I found. I thought it was funny and oh so obvious that I was the only knitter/crocheter in the group because as soon as they saw my package they knew who it was from and the Mommy reluctantly asked if she could keep the bunting?!? To which I replied  "please don't throw it away" haha.....She is a sweetie though, and since I did embellish the bag with the bunting I can understand her questionings a bit. But more then anything I was just glad she liked it.

Wish I was going to be around to see the little guy when he is born but moving day is quickly approaching and 

us moms know how comfy those babies can get in their mommy's belly. 

So we will see, but either way I wish you the best Darline :)

Happy Halloween

Oh Halloween how we love thee...

OK I should clarify, I do love to steal a few sweets from the kids  grab bags but the reality of the situation is quite a nightmare.

Especially when you have several kids collecting the goods.

I feel like a bad mom hoarding the candy in my closet but the other option would be to let them eat it all as fast as they can while driving me completely batty in the meantime until it the sugar high wore off.

So I will have to listen to the whining and deal with the constant asking until only the unwanted candy is left. All in the name of my sanity....I think....

Here on post they did "trick or treat" on Friday. The kids had a blast of course and have been living on a slight sugar high for the past few days. Sophie dressed up for her first costume. She didn't participate this year but sat quietly in her stroller watching all the crazy costumes run by.

Shay was the cutest Hobo ever, and totally got the concept of Halloween this year which was so fun to experience.

The A's are getting to the age where they want to roam free for the night and I haven't quite gotten there yet so Alexis and Ayden dressed up and Andrew just followed us around on his bike pouting a bit. I told him next year if he can prove trustworthy. We are having the typical teenage issues around here with him and  I am keeping my fingers crossed that being tough now will give me a bit of a break in the near future.

Here's hoping..



 And as if they didn't get enough teeth shattering sugar, my dad showed up this weekend with a big box of random candy from gumballs to sour gummy worms that apparently came off one of his truck deliveries.

Seriously I could throw a party from just that batch and still have leftovers.

My teeth hurt just thinking about it.

All in all in was a good day and the kids "for the most part" had a great time.

And wouldn't you know last night I saw my first Christmas commercial.

It just about made me cry, I am just not ready for that yet...

Seriously people slow it down with the holiday mumble jumble.

I can't handle it...

Around here..

I know to most people living on a military base is pretty foreign. And without fail every time we are getting ready to move to a new one I find myself searching the Internet for as many photos that I can of our soon to be new home.

I have even gotten frustrated with several blogs that live on said base and don't post pictures of their surroundings. And then I realized the other day that I was pretty much one of those bloggers too.

So if your just curious to know what it would be like to live here at Fort Irwin or if you are a soon to be PCS'er and are looking for hints to your new home I thought I would take pics of our day to help you out.

We started out with a walk to Starbucks, now that pumpkin spice is in season it's a must have in my book...

During the lunch hour rush we headed to the PX so that I could buy yet another set of headphones for the Ipod since the A's keep taking off with my other ones. And Shay decided to prop himself up high so he could shoot down the Soldiers as they drove to get their grub on.

Of course every mom knows to have a few quarters handy when you step outside the store...

As we headed back we strolled past the Helicopter pad and waited a bit to see if we could catch one take off.

Near the barracks you can find many retired Army vehicles on display. Great for little boys to climb all over.

And of course one thing there is never a shortage of on a military post are parks.

Shay made sure we didn't pass up the neighborhood park before we headed back in the house.

There are of course a few big kid things to do like movies, bowling alley, basketball courts, pools and even a skate park. Which has prompted the A's to add new sskateboards to their Christmas list with a warning, " not the cheap ones you buy at Wal-Mart" Thanks for the clarification stinkers.

Granted we are about 30 miles away from the nearest city, but this post has much to offer and outside of the obvious desert heat that strikes during the summer, the weather is pretty nice as is the view..

Each and ever Army post is what you make it. And I hope I helped inform you what this one is like on an average ordinary day.



Moving along

Well the quiet around here is certainly not from lack of activity. But then usually that is why posts become sparse right? Seems future Poker Nights and the knowledge of a possible family visit for Christmas have sparked quite a bit of warmth under our tushes to check things off of our to-do list.

There has been a bit of painting, sewing and even power tool using, work going on around here.

And yes I did finish those curtains. Here is proof and the happy color to go along with it.....Which of course only entices me to buy more accessories for the room since Scott can not figure out why I would go with blue for curtains. But then he is a beige kind of guy so it doesn't surprise me one bit.

In the name of exercise I did manage to get out of the house with  the kids and climb a local hill Scott  often climbs for Army PT.  I wasn't sure it was smart bringing Shay along but he did surprisingly well and had a blast to boot. It was nice to get out of the house and exert energy in a different way for a bit. And since the Army uses Rucksacks as extra weight when climbing the hill I toted my own along.

Now who can say they have climbed a hill all while taking a nap???

Stinker...

I think we may have to make this journey a weekly thing. The view of the base is quite lovely.

Oh and I have also made a few bucks selling cheesecakes to the guys and a few Crochet hats to friends.

Can never have enough cash stashed away to help with the Holidays.

They seriously are approaching way too fast.

I will be back tomorrow with another project I have been fidgeting with.

Hope you all are having a great day..

Oh what fun settling in can be.

Slowly but surely we are settling in here at our new place....Today was my first full trip to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week. Lovely yummy FRESH food.

The A's are settling into their new rooms

And mommy has yet to get a move on in Shay's room...Shame on me....

not that he minds, really.......

I am just plain and simply enjoying the sunshine and my growing little Sophie girl...

31st......

This is our quoted "move-in" date......Scott went into the office yesterday and confirmed it with the maintenance supervisor. So we're pretty sure this date is gonna stick. YAY....

Today is my last day of driving 150+ miles a day and soon the kids will be able to walk to school....Next week is Spring Break so they will be hanging with Grandma while Scott and I along with the two little ones get settled in a bit before they come back.....Lot's to keep me busy next week so if I disapear you know where I am.....

Right here

I'm MAD

I just really need to vent........

So we were scheduled to move into a house this coming Monday, YAY right??? Well that's what I thought, but I got a call today. They basically told me that it won't be ready for another week. And that they aren't even sure if it will be ready by then. SERIOUSLY???

The reason, they are trying to tell me there are maintenance issues on the house. Which is fine but I have driven by the house twice a day this week and not one maintenance guy is in sight. I am just so irritated I could rip a phonebook in half.

The best part is Scott is scheduled to leave for a required school for 20 days on the day she estimated our new move in time. And the kids are on spring break that week too.  So basically it will be me with a truck full to unload and 5 kids to tend to.

To top it off the lady was completely unapologetic about the whole situation. Sit there on your high horse lady and get upset that my husband didn't call you back when you left a message on his phone. I'm sorry but he does have a job and he can't just pick up his phone to answer some random number. UGH...

It's just so incredibly hard to give up the date you had in your head to finally have a home and to be told they have no clue exactly when they will have one for you.

Excuse me while I scream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody save me....

Still here in this hotel room feeling beyond antsy. I don't know how much longer I can handle this living situation before I go mental. We have been stuck at position 4 on the list for just over a week now, and I can't tell you how many times I have checked the website each day to see that. blah...

The list of complaints and discomforts are way to numerous to even know where to start. The big ones are of course not having personal space from the kids, our obviously cruddy eating habits due to a lack of kitchen, dealing with bare necessities for a baby and of course not wanting to buy anything for her because it's all packed away. A very very huge handful of an almost 3yr old who is testing his limits with the (do it myself) behaviors, knowing my hands are full with baby giving him extra time to get away with things. And then of course spending soooo much money for everything especially the tons of gas we are burning through and Scott having to buy new equipment for work since everything is packed and he needs it "now".  That's just the top of the list....................

Anywho the one positive is that we have been sneaking away to Huntington Beach on the weekends to stay with my sister and give us a break from the hotel. So it's not all bad but I am definitely reaching my limit when it comes to patience, with this whole situation...

I do find time to see the blessings in my life even if it takes a bit to open my eyes to them. The A's are enjoying school and doing well. Me and the littles enjoy some alone time as well as getting a lunch visit with daddy here and there. And of course the beautiful beautiful Southern California weather can't be beat!!!



The biggest thing that brings a smile to my face beyond all others these days. Has to be the growing bond between Shay and Sophie. Shay has been a little standoffish about holding or being too close to his sissy. But yesterday he asked to hold her on his lap and has been holding her hand whenever she is fussy to help calm her. It just makes me so warm and fuzzy to see these two...:)

Kids in school again....

I finally got the kids back in school. They are enrolled on post and I am really happy with that decision so far. Despite the fact that it means until we get a house on base I am driving 40 mins each way twice a day to get them to and from. It's more important to me that they won't have to move again when we get a house on base and not to mention the city here leaves a lot to be desired. Don't know that I would be comfortable with the schools, it is definitely a lot safer on base.

Wednesdays they have minimum day so I am probably going to just hang out on post til they are done. Yesterday that is exactly what me and the little ones did. I bought  a few magazines and a soccer ball for Shay and headed to the park. It was a beautiful day and Scott was able to meet up with us for lunch which was nice because they have a mexican restaurant right where we were. Made life a little easier for me, I am wearing a little thin on all this in and out of the car with a toddler and newborn. Not to mention the half dozen "I have to go pee" stops a day lol.

Just trucking along here taking it day by day..