halloween!

I don't have much to say...just wanted to share with you how cute my kids are! Tregan had so much fun on Halloween and is SO excited with all the candy he got. we literally have a shoe box full...dont' know what i'm gonna do with it all since daddy isn't here to take it all to work!

I should have known better...

I wouldn't say I'm an expert at deployments seeing that its only our second. We have however seen our fair share of time apart, OBC, Ranger school, Airborne school, Korea, etc. But after Afghanistan I promised myself I wouldn't get my heart set on a "time frame" for when he was due home. Main reason for that is druing deployment #1 the time frame for him to come home changed like a zillion times. It got so bad we stopped talking about it. So when this deployment came I was optimistic that the 6 months wouldn't change much since he is in a different branch. Well, 6 months has now turned into 8 months...and we're hoping it will stop there. We have our fingers (and toes!!!) crossed that he'll make it in time for Christmas. And not really for me, but for him and the kids. He has missed so much with them already I hate for more memories to be missed. And yes, of course, I count my lucky stars that it is still a "short" deployment to a "not so bad place" but time away is still time away. This too shall pass and we will get through it and many more like it to come.

my brave little man!

Tregan had his first dentist appointment yesterday. I knew he would do pretty well because I always took him to mine to see what the dentist was all about but I didn't know how well he would do. So we were in the waiting room waiting to be called and he was sitting there so patiently. Let me tell you he got so excited when his name was called. I thought he'd be a bit shy going back but before i knew it he had followed the nurse back to the room before i had gotten taylor and all of our stuff ready to go! When I got to the room he had already hopped up in the chair and was happily tapping his feet! I won't bore you with all the details, but he thought being at the dentist like a big kid was the coolest thing on earth...and to top it off when he found out that he got a new diego toothbrush and a prize at the end he was just in heaven! Turns out he has great teeth...and hopefully they will continue to be so!
We've been gone a bit traveling to see grandparents so here are a few pics from the month!

halfway done...i love the sound of that!

I know I am a TERRIBLE blogger. I'm lucky to try to get one post a month. I'm working on it. We really haven't had too much excitment here...just doing some fun summer stuff...pool, library, water gun fights, you get the picture. Anything to make our days fun and go quickly. It is such a double-edged sword to wish for the time to go fast. On the one hand we want it to scoot along so Shawn will be home. On the other I blink and these kids just grow and grow and grow. I just can't wait to watch them grow...with Shawn home! So unless the Army pulls some hokey stuff, which they have proven they can & will, we're halfway done with this deployment. And hopefully the 2nd half will fly by faster then the first!
Here are a couple of pictures of the kiddos. And the one with Taylor, don't be alarmed, she isn't drinking the beer....just likes to lick the bottle!

taylor turns 1!!!

so this past weekend taylor turned one! time has FLOWN BY! it really does seem like yesterday that i was swimming laps in the pool followed by hours of walking and cursing her to "GET OUT!!!" oh memories! anyway, we had lots of fun for her birthday. the only thing missing was daddy of course! my sisters flew in for the week and we had a great little cookout with all of our friends.
i forget how quickly the kids grown up too...within that week my sisters were here taylor started standing up on her own...walking with the push shopping cart walker she got for her birthday, and calling mama and coming to find me...which is huge...she only used to call for me when she was upset! so that makes me happy. anyway, here are a couple of pics that summed up the week!

tregan's first fishing trip

let me start off by saying i have the most amazing neighbors. the women are great and their husbands are terrific too. the guys have been playing with tregan and taking him to do "guy" stuff ever since shawn left and it has been such a blessing. well today, mr. brad took tregan on his first fishing adventure. he took tregan up to the lake a few minutes from the house...the conservation dept was putting on a fishing event for the kids. he had so much fun and had so many stories to tell me from, the fish tried to bite me, to mommy...they are sharp! he even won a new fishing pole! so i guess that means more fishing trips!

ELMO!!!

For part of his birthday I took Tregan (and Taylor) up to Raleigh to see Sesame Street Live. They both loved it!!! I splurged and got floor seats which were right next to the stage and it made the experince even better because The characters came off stage and gave the kids high five and all that good stuff. This will definetly be a show that we continue to do!