Girls on the Beach

Ready for Summer

Rehoboth beach was empty except for me, Katie & a few other shoppers, which was nice but it was odd we were standing on the beach as it flurried. I cannot wait for summer to spend it at the beach with the kids running in the waves & across the sand. They had such a great time last year, maybe, just maybe I will achieve a tan...but I doubt it.

Today was a perfect Sunday. We slept in until 9am, and then Katie and I had the perfect girls day while Chachi was at work. She has been begging to go to the beach lately so I thought why not, we could grab lunch & do some outlet shopping. It was brisk to say the least but it was nice that it wasn't crowded. We stopped at the Candy Kitchen to get some treats and then Grottos for some Pizza on the boardwalk. Afterwards we hit up the outlets and got shoes for all 4 kids and some outfits for Kaiden & Ryan. We didn't spend too much time up there because Katie has tutor today. This week's Japanese word is Tamago, egg. She also wrote her name in Japanese for the first time.

After the tutor the blizzard craving finally got the better of me so we hit up Dairy Queen. Then came back to the house and watch Snow White together, I have to say Snow White is the ugliest most annoying of all the Disney Princesses, I actually think the Queen was the fairest in the land. You know your having a good Sunday when you have dessert before dinner. Now I am about to make dinner, which will be a pork roast over rice with veggies.

Oh & it is a good thing I have always hated the coasters I have had for the past 7 years, because they were all eaten by my dogs. No matter how many toys I buy they love to eat weird things in my house. Too bad those big bones are bad for them & Lucy eats them too quickly because it is the only thing that they seem to like. I need to make a trip to the butcher. This is my last week at the age of 30...um yay?

Here is your Katie quote of the day, it was at Grottos as we sat a booth behind a family with a 7 year old boy.

"Mommy do you see that cute boy, wait, no I don't like boys, they are stinky!"

All You Can Eat

Hungry Hippo

Today has been one of those days where I just can't get full! I hate these days, the constant hunger makes me feel so bad about myself. I have been doing so well with my weight gain & don't want to blow up right at the end. I even had to fight myself & Chachi from letting him go get me a blizzard!! Tonight for dinner I made this awesome veggie potato side with a perfectly seasoned fillet for me & pork chop for Chachi.

Sleeping through a night is no longer an option for me, I am constantly shifting from one side to the other, usually because my arm falls asleep. I am a belly sleeper, which of course I cannot do anymore. Today was super nice, not only did Katie sleep until 9am, the puppies left us alone until then too. Funny thing is Chachi thought I put Lucy in the kennel but I thought he would, and they were both out last night with little damage and no accident. I was super proud.

After we had breakfast Chachi & I tackled the house together getting it cleaned faster than I am used to. It was so nice to have his help and even more that he wanted to help. He has been an awesome partner, and I couldn't be more appreciative. After that it was pretty much a boring day, but we like that. Chachi played video games online with his mom & brother, while I remastered some pictures and Katie colored and chatted my ear off. Then Katie and I took a shower and laid down for a nap, not knowing how late it was we slept a little longer & later than we wanted, but oh well that is what the weekends are for and we both needed it.

Now we are going to go watch some television, play some Rockband while Katie dances and sings & just have some awesome family time at home. Nothing beats it. I cannot wait until it starts getting nicer outside. I want to take pictures, I want outdoor adventures and exercise! I have hit the part in this pregnancy where I am really starting to feel big & lazy, I want to move and do stuff but for someone that has to watch how many times I walk up our stairs a day there is no easy fix. I have a feeling in a couple weeks I might even be on bed rest, which should be interesting.

Hope your weekend is going as splendid as ours! Here is your Katie quote of the day:

"My baby kitty eats Macaroni & Cheese all day"

Color My World

Inside the Lines

Katie has been coloring since she was like 10 months old, now on the verge of her 4th birthday she has really mastered the art of coloring inside the lines. It's the small things like this that really show me how much she is growing up and super fast too. Next thing you know she will be driving...

Today was an ordinary day at work except for the snow which wasn't bad it was just annoying. It was so light & dusty which combined with the strong winds we have been having it created very thick fog like conditions. Fridays are Chachi & Katie days, he has off so he keeps her home and they seem to have a good time together. Around 1500 Chachi had a volunteer function he had to attend so he dropped Katie off at work with me, which I always love having her there with me. She was doing great & entertaining the troops like always. She even called a few of my boss' fat when they asked for one of her cookies (they spoil her with treats when she comes in)

I was just about to leave work when someone told me that one of my troops failed yet another dorm inspection. Now when I say failed I don't mean there was some dust here and there, I mean failed. Like I would be scared for my health to go into his room. The sad part is this is like the 5th time he has failed this monumentally and I had just asked him the other day if he was keeping his room maintained, and he lied straight to my face. I was furious!!! Katie had to be watched by some of the guys in the shop while I sat in on his counseling sessions but honestly there is nothing we can do for this kid. At 22 years old I call him a kid because he can't take care of himself apparently. So disappointed and grossed out by people like that. I was tempted to call his mother!

Tonight was Pizza night in the Roper house, which we love!! Technically we were able to have dinner together last night just later. Katie has been doing really good at meal time, still talking our ears off and eating her entire meals. Right now I am working on remastering some pictures, Katie is lying on the floor beside me coloring and Lucy is at my feet, Lucy is always at my feet. I don't understand it but she will not leave my side, she is such a mommy's girl!! This weekend is all about the house for me, I just want to tend to it and get some things set up. Next weekend is my birthday & my mom is coming down, I am really excited we have a whole day of me planned!!

Katie impressed me by knowing all the words to a real song. It is Paramore's "That's what you get" as it plays she recites each word in her cute little voice! I love my little girl!!

Here is your Katie quote of the day:

"Mommy your work is no fun, we can't show our butts"

Life Marches On

Military Mama

Yes I know what I signed up for, I was there. I do not need reminders. Just because you know something is coming doesn't make it any easier to deal with. All of this is just really bad timing. I love the benefits of the military & I have an option to get out right now but I won't, this is what is best for my family. Am I sad? Yes! Will I survive & excel at the challenges ahead of me? Damn straight!!

So of course today pretty much sucked! First I was notified that I had to PT test next week which of course I cannot do so I had to go to another agency to show them my medical profile so they could put me on another profile to exempt me from the test. Then I have to sit through the most annoying training session ever full of people that cannot public speak. One guy would actually shut his eyes for long periods of time while he was up there talking to us and another girl that said UM at least 15 times in one phrase. Then there were non stop question askers that could have waited until the whole thing was done to do that. Once that crap was over I walk out just in time to find out that my husband will probably have to report to Iraq right on the scheduled due date of our baby...GREAT!!

We are still waiting to hear but it really does not look good. I am very upset that Justin might miss out on Ryan, he already missed out on Kaiden and this is our last child. I am allowed to be upset. Everyone keeps saying this is the military life you know this which of course I know but does that mean I am suppose to show no emotion of my husband missing such an important event? The two people I am worried about the most are Alexis & Ryan. Alexis starts kindergarten this upcoming year and can only come out in the summer, I don't want her to miss seeing her daddy and Ryan should be able to meet his daddy before he leaves. I have rights to be upset!! There is an out and they are trying very hard to get it for him, which I appreciate. We are not ones to back down from our responsibilities, we might not be super excited but we go, do our best and make it through. He will gladly go in September, missing every holiday, those events will happen again, this one will not. I just hope if he does go we can get some time off for Christmas to get the kids to Louisiana or something, we cannot go two years without being with them, it is not fair to any of us.

On top of all of this Justin is still at work, not waiting on the official word if he is going or not but doing some job that apparently the night shift can't finish like he did so many times for the day shift while working nights. So dinner is running late, I really want to wait but Katie is getting hungry. We have had dinner together every night this week, I would hate for today to be any different. Plus I really felt like cooking up something special but now it will have to be something quick & easy to get Katie to bed on time. Oh well, it has been that kind of day.

Apparently that "snowicane" and 8/9 inches we were suppose to get today was a big lie! Finally!! I am so sick of the snow, and that is a weird thing coming from me because I love it so freaking much!! I am actually ready for spring time.

Well that was my unpleasant day, I can only hope that tomorrow is better. I will hold him just a little tighter and a little closer, enjoying every moment we have together. That is all I can do!

Katie quote of the day:

(talking to my belly) "Baby Ryan your big sister has fingernails."

Please Mr. Postman

Mail Time

Every day when we get home Katie needs to check the mail. Even if Chachi gets home before us he will leave some in there just for her to get. It is a new experience having a mailbox by our house, it has always been miles away from where we actually lived.

Today was an ordinary day. Work was going good, I finished a few projects & even got some praise for some of the work I accomplished. Chachi came by my work to have lunch with me today, which I always love!! Ryan was super active all day, well until his daddy came by. He kicked him once & then stopped. After lunch I started to feel really bad, sick even but it has pretty much since passed, now I am just overly tired.

The rumors are flying around base that everyone is getting deployed and that they can expect to be shipped out anywhere from next week or a month from now. No one has said anything for sure yet but it just keeps feeling more and more like Justin is going to leave us soon, miss his son being born & miss seeing his kids. But we just pray, wait and see.

I got my glucose results back, passed with flying colors, perfect even. So that does not explain the extra amnotic fluid. I will just have to wait and see where we are on the 12th of March which is the next ultrasound.

My phone is getting worn out & I haven't even had it a year. Their is a piece that is broken on it, but it still works it is just really annoying. So I called the company because I have insurance on it, which I was so happy I had!! Nope, I am canceling that service. It is like $5 a month and just found out today there is a $130 deductable!!! That is freaking insane. So my friend had my same phone, the sidekick, for a month & then turned it off. He offered me his phone for $80 bucks. Screw you T-mobile & your insurance!!

We think we finally sold the gold car after so many people have been interested but no one follows through, so that is good. I will be happy to have it out of our driveway. That cheaper vet bill I was excited about yesterday just went out the window. Aeva's paw started to swell so she had to go back into the vet tonight (Chachi is with her there now) so who only knows how much this bill will be.

With the busy day we might not be able to have dinner all together, but there is always tomorrow. Just as long as we enjoy the time we do have together to the fullest I am one happy lady!!

Hope all of you are doing well & staying happy!! Here is your KateKate quote of the day:

"Aeva looks like a spaceman"

(She has to wear the cone so she won't chew at her cast"

Rainy Days

Melt Away

I am so happy the rain has come! It is finally melting down the piles of snow & we can see grass again. There are some parts of the area expecting another 12 inches of snow tomorrow or Thursday but not us, it will continue to rain all week & I couldn't be happier. Spring is on it's way!

Work went super fast today and I had a good day but that is because I made it that way. I kept good company and finished a lot of projects. I have taught myself that if you hold on to things you are only hurting yourself, and why waste the time on stuff you can't fix? I cannot change how people live their lives, I can only live mine!

Aeva had a vet appointment today and it went very well. She is in a soft splint now but still has to go back in two weeks but this appointment only cost 1/4 what the first one did and that was only because I had to get medications for the kitties. Wally is sick for the first time in his life...thanks to Neko but oh well he will survive. It has been kind of nice that he hasn't had a voice the past 3 days, do you know how annoying that meow is at 0530? Shhh, don't tell him that! Good thing he can't read...well. Lucy will continue to kennel train as we let Aeva run free during the day, that is until she pulls a stunt like Lucy did. Lucy just must be going through a huge teething spell because she just tore a 3 foot bone apart in 30 minutes!! She is not ready for run of the house.

Every night we have been having dinner together around the table and I have loved it so much! I want to enjoy it for as long as I can before they put him back on another night shift or deploy him, which we still haven't heard anything about and it is driving me crazy! Katie tells us about her day and keeps us entertained throughout dinner. It is a wonderful family time that I cherish a lot. If you don't do it, I would honestly try because it is worth every minute.

Katie's quote of the day:

"I like your room, it smells like girls. Kaiden's room smells like boys, boys smell yucky"

Hungry Like The Wolf

Lots O' Meat

This is what $500 in meat looks like. We buy our meat from a wholesale dealer & get a great deal and awesome cuts of meat. This will most likely last us through the summer grilling season. The only real problem it causes is there is no more room in my freezer for anything else.

Today should have been a horrible day but I pushed through & refused let it. The military has so many perks and I need to remember that and not let it get to me like it does. I am just tired of working in this "Do as I say not as I do" attitude and separate standards. The only problem is this time I have no out, I am here for the rest of my career except for a deployment here or there so I just have to wait out some of these people leaving and pushing through. Prove them all wrong and not let them get to me. I am not going to let them ruin my days and make me dread going to work. I work hard no matter what they think.

I was tested a lot today, because when I got home Lucy had decided to go on a rampage. She dug through the kitty litter so much that she actually moved the box around the kitchen with her head. Then on top of that she pulled down a couch cushion off our not only a week old couch, bit a hole in it & peed on it. Luckily the tear was in a place that could not be seen when on the couch & my magic steam cleaner fixed the rest. Needless to say she has been in the kennel the rest of the night & I am highly considering muzzles for both of them when we are not around them. I feel so bad about doing it but what other options are there? I have bones and toys for them to chew on, there is no reason they should be doing this. I will do some more reading on it but it looks like a solution for now, either that or kennels all day. Plus I have to keep Aeva from chewing her cast, which she gets replaced tomorrow. Can't wait to see how much that is going cost.

As always my family improved everything. We came together and cleaned up the house. I have been so impressed & appreciative of what Chachi has stepped up to do. Things are really coming together in the house. There is still so much to do but we have been sidetracked by so many unexpected bills, some for fun stuff & some for stuff like Aeva's leg. I cannot wait until our tax refund gets processed but it is going to take like 2 months & then mailed! I am so scared Ryan is going to come early and the tax return won't be here. I need to get the kid's rooms all done before they come up here for the summer, Katie's room isn't even done yet. Hopefully we can finish the painting this weekend & get her some furniture. It really helps that we have a truck now.

I wrapped up the evening by making an off the cuff dinner that turned out so good for being so last minute. I made onion bagel burgers with green beans fries. It was a big hit!! Katie ate all of her "crabby patty" which always makes me happy.

Keep your head high no matter what people throw at you & the Katie quote of the day will always make you smile!!

(Wally is sick & can't meow)

"Wally can't find his voice. I will help him find it, it is out in the snow."

Over & Over

Puppy Approved!

If you have or are even thinking about getting a puppy, you need this device! It will get out any & all pet stains, plus it aids in normal kid stains too! I got mine on Amazon & I highly suggest everyone getting one. I would probably go insane without it.

We arrived home from the concert at 0200 & went straight to bed! Chachi woke up & went to work around 0600 & I rose at 0700. My morning is not what you would have called nice; Aeva ate a lot of her cast off & it was scattered throughout the house, which jammed my vacuum, then she refused to go to the bathroom, I had to spot bot like 5 spots just from when we were gone Friday night even though we had someone coming over to let them out, I left my keys & wallet in Chachi's truck which was at work & the computer didn't want to work with me today. Luckily my husband & I compliment each other so well, when one of us is stressed the other stays calm, which he did. He also improved my mood so much just by being him! I'm a lucky girl.

After all of that I had to go get Katie from Pennsylvania & bring her back to Delaware. I made better time than usual even though I still hate every other driver on the road. Left at 1100 & returned at 1730 with dinner...impressive. During the trip the Jetta surpassed 100,000 miles, which is pretty impressive since she is a 2001. I am sure the next 100k will pop up in no time. I visited with my mom for a little while, where Katie entertained us & a balloon was murdered...all & all a good time.

Now I am home, going to relax & enjoy my family. I feel so blessed that I have the life that I do. I never imagined I would be in this place, owner of a beautiful home, mother to awesome children, wife of an amazing man but still an independent woman that is ready to take on anything! I have seen so much, done so much & have so much more ahead of me!! Yeah I am turning 31 in two weeks, I'm pep talking myself!

Lots of love from the Roper House, Here is your Katie quote of the day (& trust me there were many to choose from today but this one won out)

"My panties smell like Nana"

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Retail Therapy

It was so nice to just get out today & go shopping. I don't do it very often as I hate crowds but going early in the morning on a weekday, the mall is quite nice. Even got a little work out with the mall walkers! Plus it satisfied the Aunt Annies craving I have been having for a long time!!

So today was an ultrasound to see Ryan & we have a couple of updates. First of all we had to wait to get in there for over an hour but it all became worth it when we recieved these amazing FREE 3d pictures of the most adorable little boy ever!! I cannot believe how cute he is! We will post those pictures to Facebook soon.

Anyway there were some concerns, I have slightly elevated fluid levels, but we have no idea why. I took the glucose test today so until I get those results I wont know if that is the reason why. Also the mass is the same but it has also developed its own sack of fluid. They still dont know what it is. They offered me and amnio but I declined. He is doing just fine and until it shows real cause for it I wont do it, it is too big of a risk. They are now just worried about preterm labor with the extra fluid so I will be going in even more often for observation. Other than that, he is beautiful, healthy & very active!!

I will not be able to post a blog tomorrow but you all know why. I am up in Pennsylvania right now & going to go enjoy my busy anniversary weekend with the love of my life!!

Katie's quote of the day:

"I like our circle table, it's like a shape"

Step into a World

My Ball & Chain

As a girl with super uncontrollable curly hair I have highly depended on many hair products over the years. Today I discovered these are the only three I need! What used to take me a good 30 minutes to an hour to do, took me literally 5 minutes today!! My hair was perfectly straight & ready to go in record time! I love these three things & cannot live without them!

Today was my Friday & it was a good day!!

Work went wonderfully because I was able to finish at least 5 more projects & get everything updated before I started my long weekend. Chachi and I actually went out to get lunch today to spoil ourselves & to see how the puppies would do all day without us. They did amazingly well too, I am so freaking proud of them. Lucy was in the kennel today & Aeva was out and about. The only problem was that Aeva chewed on her cast a bit but we redneck rigged it with duct tape lol. But the best part is neither of them had any accidents!!!

This three day weekend is going to be super hectic but so much fun! I most likely will not be posting anything on Saturday but I will make up for it on Sunday. Tomorrow we have a few errands to run when Katie goes to story time, and then we get to go see Ryan, YAY!!! After the appointment we will head up to Pennsylvania. Katie is going to be staying with my mom the whole weekend & I really hope that she does well. Saturday is our 1st wedding anniversary & I can't believe how fast it has gone by. We head to Reading Saturday afternoon for the Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin & Flyleaf concert where before the show I will finally get to meet Adam Gontier!! I really hope he is cool. That all rocks but right after we get out of the show I have to drive Justin back to Delaware (2 hours) so he can be at work the next morning at 7am. His stupid job of course could not let him off or even allow him to take leave. He will be dead tired but I think it will be well worth it. I know that he is not as excited as me but this will be his first real concert, with a real good band & he is about to enter a whole new world. Sunday is the day that will suck for me! After I wake up on Sunday morning I must drive all the way back up to Harrisburg (3.5 hours) to go get Katie, hang out for a bit and then drive all the way back home!

Katie is at the tutor tonight and is doing really. Today she told me all her Japanese words she had to know & counted to 5. I love it because I am learning right a long with her. Well this is getting really hard to do because I have a curious kitten that just loves this computer, so until next time here is your Katie quote of the day:

"Can I see the poop? I like poop!"

(Aeva ended up having an accident at the end of the day...)

Go Your Own Way

The Candy Dish

I have this dish on my desk and usually fill it up with candy daily but once I open a bag it is gone before the day is out, so I decided to fill it with something else as a little experiment. Well it went even faster! Oh well they are cheaper....

Today was a productive day at work; projects that I had weeks to do I wrapped up in hours & the day went at a very nice pace even though I didn't get home until 5pm. Chachi & I had a wonderful morning together and an even better lunch. The puppies are doing great. We have one out of the kennel at at time, switching them at lunch.

Speaking of my animals, most days I feel like Noah himself for everywhere I go I am followed by a line of animals. Neko is usually right on me with Lucy & Aeva in toe. Wally keeps his eye on me but distances himself from the puppies. I do not know what it is like to go to the bathroom alone in this house anymore, if I don't have a cat or a puppy in there, I have a little girl asking me 100 questions a second! But I wouldn't have this any other way, I love them all, they really complete my family.

Ryan is kicking more and more & is super active throughout the day (hope he stays on this schedule!). The braxton hicks have started which are really annoying, I never really had them with the KateKate. I cannot wait to see him again on Friday!

Tonight I made homemade spaghetti which is a favorite in this house! It was so nice to sit at an actual table & have a family dinner. Katie talked our ear off & tried to show us her buns during dinner, we actually had to say, no butts at the dinner table.

Well that was our day, hope all is well out there in the world! Here is your Katie quote of the day, "Chachi your hair is so stylish!"

I need to start writting in this more

I have decided to adapt a project that my friend Deb is working on. She is taking a picture a day to sum up the day & it has really inspired me. So in addition to my daily blurps you will get to see some pictures, plus any excuse to take pictures is awesome by me...

The Keys!!

I have not driven my car since LAST Tuesday because of the snow & today I couldn't either because I couldn't find my keys! So we got home & I was just on the verge of freaking out when my husband finds them in his coveralls, why they were in there we will never know but at least I have them. At one point in time I was shaking trash bags just hoping I didn't throw them away...

Today I had an OB appointment & everything is good, Ryan's heartbeat is at 134. We scheduled my c-section officially for the 20th of May & I will be going in at 0730. I will not only be having my baby boy that day but will also be getting "super fixed". That is what my doctor & I are calling it. She said she will tie, then cut & then burn, YAY! She keeps trying to talk me out of it & always starts it out by saying, your only 30. I keep telling her we have 4 kids, 2 girl & 2 boys plus after the 3 losses I couldn't put my heart through that again. I just hope Ryan takes his sweet time growing up!!

While Chachi & I were in the waiting room we went over his name, because I keep second guessing myself, "should it be Ryan?" or "Is that good enough of a name?" which is so weird because I never had any doubts about Kathleen's name. We didn't tell many people this but we were also considering Samuel David, but I really think Ryan is going to stay especially since Katie already calls him baby Ryan. But who knows, maybe what I keep teasing Justin about what will actually happen: We will go to the ultrasound on Friday and his thing would have fallen off & we will have an Adalynn lol. I have yet to see this penis they keep saying he has, they quickly say oh yeah its a boy & move on so my fears are still there that it could end up being a girl. He swears he has seen it...so we will see. I want a boy so I really hope not.

Oh & today we found out we are on standby waiting to hear if Justin will deploy within the next 3 weeks which means he will miss Ryan being born & only get to see Alexis & Kaiden for about 2 weeks while they are here. It's scary but I am pretty sure I can handle it all, i have a wonderful support system but it's the not knowing that is killing me. I am a planner, I need to know!! The other thing is if he escapes this one, he might get tagged in April anyway & honestly I would rather him go now because he would miss the kiddos all together but we have to wait & see. His next projected deployment is over Christmas which sucks that he will miss the holidays with us but its better then him missing his last child being born, he already missed Kaiden's birth. Plus with me being high risk, what if something happens, what if I go on bed rest? just so much to worry me....ugh just tell us already!

I have much more to update on & talk about but want to keep this short (and have something to write about the rest of the week)

I will leave you with a Katie quote of the day: I sent her to clean the playroom & she came back up going, "Mommy I want to play, cleaning is BORING!!!"

Lots of love from the Roper house!!