Happy Halloween (& ultrasound)

Happy Halloween to all! We had such a great time, but I am glad that it is over and there are no more costumes/projects for me to complete for a little while. We ended up going out with a group...me & the girls, Carrie, and Nonie & Mark and their boys Darian and Deltha. I need to send out a huge thanks to all of you guys! Tonight would not have been anywhere near as fun if you all were not along to help me out...thank you so much!!! Caitlyn was very excited and wanted to go faster than what the rest of the group was (Allison walked almost the whole time!), but eventually got tired and slowed down. Allison was trying desperately to keep up with the big kids, but we didn't dare try and hold her candy bucket for her, even when it got so heavy that she couldn't lift it up to get more candy! She gave in and let us carry her for a while...as long as she got to eat a sucker! I think Maggie was a little disappointed that she didn't get any doggie treats, though she was very excited to get to go out (even in her pumpkin costume, thank you Mamaw), and all the attention from hundreds of kids made up for it! Caitlyn was afraid to wear a wig, so we tried that color hair spray...it looked cute, but after washing it out, I have a black bathtub. With as cold as it has been lately, we were all grateful for a warmer evening. The bad thing about having so many people living in government quarters is that they don't all pay attention to all the kids that are around when driving. Caitlyn and Darian almost got ran over because someone was backing out of their stall and wasn't paying any attention to their surroundings. Luckily nothing happened...except that Nonie and I probably looked like ghosts from being scared half to death!


The cutest witch ever!

My Allison puppy

Yeah, I'm a pirate.
Nonie & Mark as "The Incredibles"
Carrie, the scarecrow.
Allison, Deltha, Caitlyn, & Darian.



Today was our first real appointment and ultrasound. Questions about twins have been answered...there is only one baby! I repeat, only one baby! The heart rate was about 160 today, and everything looks perfect! I love being able to hear the heartbeat...it just makes me smile like crazy. I lost a little bit of weight from the last appointment, but it's probably due to the nausea...nothing to worry about. Here is our munchkins first picture!

My Bear is doing well. He is still in Djibouti, but will be moving soon for his missions. He has recently had the opportunity to see some hypnotist shows which, according to him, are absolutely hilarious. Our first package has finally arrived there...it only took about a week! Not bad when you consider that it took him longer to get there himself! His only complaint was that the banana bread smelled like my perfume that I sprayed on the letters I wrote to him and put in the box. Sorry! I sent out another package today with all the civilian clothes he needs for any evening outings. He said that anytime they go out in the evening, they are supposed to wear informal business attire. He may even need some business suits (as many as 3), as it is highly likely that he will be having meals with some ambassadors over there. All in all, he is doing well. We just miss him like crazy and can't wait til he comes home to us!!! Love you Bear!

Back again soon! (sorry this one was so long)

Pumpkin time!

Once it finally quit raining, it was time to get busy with our pumpkins! It turned into a two day affair, since I'm the only one who can do the carving (along with all the other Halloween preparations). Yesterday, the girls helped gut their pumpkins. Allison was pretty funny! She would reach in like she was going to touch it, but then pull her hand back and giggle like crazy as soon as the touched the pumpkin guts. Caitlyn was very eager to dig in, even with bare hands! That was all we got done with the pumpkins on Saturday, though I did roast some of the seeds, yummy! Today was the day to carve. The girls kept themselves busy playing with their light bright in their room. It's big fun with the lights off! When I went to bring the pumpkins in the house, one of them had been completely full of tiny ants. That took a while to clean out (again)! But I was finally able to sit down and get all three of them carved up, and it only took about 2 1/2 hours! And I was even able to finish our cute centerpiece for the table. The girls love their pumpkins! Bear, sorry, but I wasn't able to take pictures of myself while I was carving them!






And, for a little update about my Bear, he is doing as wonderful as can be expected! He has met the team that he will be going to Uganda with for their rebuilding projects. He found out that there will also be 5 medics coming with the same sort of assignment as his. He of course is worried about the redeployment process and how he will be getting his orders to come back home. He talked to someone in the unit he is assigned to, and they assured him that they will not do anything to keep him there any longer than he has to, and would even start the paperwork process 45 days prior to when his time is up, rather than the normal 30 days prior. It sounds like they are really going to take care of him like they should! I am so grateful that he is with some decent people over there!

All of your prayers are deeply appreciated! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Playdate at Anna's

Today was Caitlyn's first day back in gymnastics, but I couldn't get any pics of that because parents are only allowed to watch on the last day of the cycle, darn it. And being her first day back, she had to tell her instructor all about how she fell in the firepit at Mamaw's, oh how dramaticly she tells that story. After gymnastics we went out to her friend Anna's house so the girls could play. They all had a blast! They painted Halloween decorations, played princess, and Allison tortured their animals for the duration of the stay (she just wants to love them and hug them...). I knew it would have only been a matter of time before she climbed in the kitten's play house, and sure enough, she did!

I nearly missed talking to my bear today because of a major oops, but thank God he kept trying to get in touch and finally did (again Bear, I'm sorry!)! If only my cell phone got reception in the gymnastics building...! Anywho, for now he is still on the base, waiting to find out what will happen with all the missions (and enjoying crab legs for lunch)! I know all he can think of is coming home to his family, and that's all we want too. He learned that the civil affair teams missions are supposed to be completed by 08 Feb 08, which would put him on schedule to return by the 15th if it takes as long to come home as it did to get there. Every time the phone rings, the girls yell "daddy!" and come running. We just can't wait til the day he comes home!!!

Thank you all for your support and prayers!

Pics from Bear!

Hey all! Today Bear e-mailed me some pictures that another Soldier took while on their journey so far. He didn't say where exactly in the 7 countries they have been in these pictures are from, but they're still great! This person even managed to get Bear in one (not an easy task)! He is doing well...he was able to call again today, again on a DSN line. Going against everything you learn in the Army, he volunteered for a mission! But this one has potential to be a good thing. Apparently one of the colonels in charge over there was asking for a volunteer from the group of the 10 LPN's to stay in the base and prepare the medical packs that the ones leaving the base will need while out with their teams. A chance for stability (even if just for a little while), whodathunk? I sent out his first package today, and even had enough time to make a banana bread for him, so between that and the pics of the girls I sent, he should really enjoy it!!! Well, enjoy the pics that Bear sent!!!

Look!!! There's my Bear!!! Love you!!!

Thanks again for all the prayers...they mean so much to us!

Cute pics of goofy girls!

Here are some pics I thought everyone would enjoy! Caitlyn was having so much fun trying out her dance/gymnastics outfit all day long. I couldn't convince her to change into anything else, and she was having too much fun, so why not? And of course, monkey see, monkey do, so Allison was entertaining us by trying to dance like her big sis. Enjoy the pics!!!

Love you all,

Erin, Caitlyn, Allison, & Baby T#3

At last!!!

a very tired and hot bear was able to call quickly this morning. he has finally made it to djibouti (safely, thank you God!). he said the area outside of the post is incredibly dirty like they have no waste management plan, so there is trash everywhere. but for now he has a bed. an actual real bed! he is staying in the conex's (it would be like half of a semi trailer and no wheels of course!) and even has an air conditioner! he said the chow hall is pretty nice and they will give you as much of everything as you want. last night they were serving steak and lobster, and some Soldiers were eating like 3 lobster tails a piece! but of course, he's not much of a seafood guy and was afraid to try it. goober, but ya gotta love him! as far as his mission, he's just picking up bits and pieces for now. they will be inprocessing over the next couple days and will get the rest of the details. he deployed with 9 other LPN's and that's it! what he knows so far is that he will be going outside of the base (he doesn't know if it will be day trips or to stay off permanently) with a civil affairs team, and will pretty much be treating that team for whatever comes around while doing their rebuilding projects (building schools, drilling wells...). he will be the sole medical care provider out there! each of the 10 of them will be out with their own team for the same purpose. things that make you say hmmm! but he does not have an address yet, darn the luck. at least he doesn't have to pay for his room and meals this time! back in qatar, he was told he had to get this eagle card (to be used like a credit card that you put money on from your own account to use) as it will be the only source of acceptable money in the area. well, go figure, he can't use it in djibouti! but they do accept other debit/credit cards. so now he has to figure out how he can get the money that he put on the card back into our account! he has been told that no matter where he ends up staying while he's there, every place has communication abilities of some variety, so that is a big relief! thank you for keeping my Soldier in your prayers!!!

back again soon!

He'll get there someday!

After our crazy storms (& power outage) last night, I was surprised to learn that the power was back on when Bear called around 0630 today. I figured, once again, that he would be in Djibouti. Not the case. He flew from Qatar to Bahrain. It's a small island in the Persian Gulf between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He is at a naval base, home of the 5th Fleet, that has no chow hall! I didn't think that was possible!!! I guess there are places where you can buy food, maybe like a shoppette kind of thing. And he's staying in a "hotel" which is really more like a barracks that he has to pay $5 a night to stay there. He was told he will be staying there until Sunday. This is becoming goofier by the day!!! That makes it now 7 countries he has been in since leaving the US, and he still hasn't made it to his final destination! Maybe he'll get to travel by boat this next trip...gotta love the Army!

We sincerely appreciate all the prayers!
Back again soon...

Fall Festival!

Today was the Fall Festival at Caitlyn's school. It proved to be a much needed evening out with lots of laughs! Caitlyn's friend Anna (& her mom) came out with us. There were all kinds of activities for them all to do...face painting, fishing for candy, pin the nose on the punkin, limbo, monster dance, and more! Plus when we were done and heading out the doors, there were a couple of hummers (the military variety) parked out front that the kids can climb on and check out. They even got to look through the scopes of their guns!

Allison loved the duckie game!!!

Caitlyn won the cake walk and got to take home the cake of her choice (all chocolate of course!)

Caitlyn & Anna with their vampire teeth after doing the monster dance.

Even Allison got some teeth!

I think Caitlyn liked holding on to the big gun a little too much!

Bear was able to call the other day, and either he heard wrong, or was told wrong, but he will be flying to Djibouti on Friday, not Thursday! He said he will be leaving very early in the morning (no breakfast!) and will hit the ground running. He may be in an area away from the main post, and therefore not have much for communication means...we'll see.

Until next time...

thank you all for all the prayers!!!

Qatar or Vegas?

Bear was able to call again this morning...thank God for modern communications! so far he hasn't had to use a calling card either. he's been able to get on a DSN line (kind of like a toll free military only phone line), and even though the lines are monitored so that you get disconnected if you talk for longer than 16 minutes, it's still great! he does have access to the internet as well, but for only 20 minutes at a time. i figured he would have been in djibouti by now, but he said he'll be stuck in qatar until thursday! something along the lines of that they're waiting for a bigger plane instead of a leer jet full of colonels! in the meantime, he has been putting his "spare time" to good use. he woke up this morning and went to the gym for an hour or so, then went to breakfast in the ginormous chow hall. after that, he shot pool for a while and even played in a texas hold 'em tournament! he ended up in 6th place out of 6 tables of people! even he was thinking "i can't believe i'm getting paid to be out in the desert like this!" all in all, he's doing pretty good!

our window is finally getting fixed today! this window repair guy has the absolute worst follow-through skills i have ever seen! our window got broke back in july when bear was weed-eating. that's the second window he broke this year while weed-eating, what bad luck! anywho, they refused to replace the first window (on our front door), so i went to a vacant set of quarters, and took the window off their door. we needed something, and were refused help! the other window broke sometime in july, yes july. the guy came out and measured it, and ordered some new glass, assuring us it would be in within a week. a month and a half later, i called and wanted to know what was going on. the repair man called back, and said that he never came to the house, and that he has no record of it. well, when he came to the house for the second time, he said that he found the order, but that the glass had broken in his truck and had to be reordered, so he had to measure again, and reassured us that it would only be a week or so. now it is october (starting to get cold!!!) and something really needs to be done! i called this morning, slightly irritated about the situation, and low and behold, the man came over with the glass, saying he finally got the glass in (like he really just got it in this morning!). at least it is getting fixed! now if i could just figure out how to replace a bad belt on my vacuum cleaner, i would really be happy!!!

have a great day :)

I'm sure he'd rather be fishing...

this is the one picture he let me take of him while we were camping a couple weeks before he deployed. i'm sure he would much rather be fishing, even with the girls throwing huge rocks in the water and swimming around him.

but, bear has landed safely in Qatar!!! he will be there for not quite a full day, and then very early tomorrow morning, they will be flying to djibouti. at least he got a chance to get a hot shower, and eat a good meal. he landed at an airforce base, and he said the chow hall is incredible! it's bigger and they have many more options than the chow hall in the hospital here! he said they had the usual main line and short order, but they also had a deli bar (for sandwiches), an enormous salad bar, a dessert bar, an asian cuisine bar, all kinds of protein bars and gatorade and more! a full belly can have a big effect on Soldiers when they are tired and missing home, so i know he was greatful for that. the last time that bear talked to me before he left fort benning, he was told they were going to fly to germany, and we didn't have a chance to talk much about anything until he called early this morning (around 0440). i guess it's a good thing that it was another nearly sleepless night for me because i was actually awake when he called! we got to have a real conversation instead of him having to keep saying 'are you still there?' thinking that i fell asleep on him. his flights went completely different than i thought! he went from ft. benning to newfoundland, canada, then to budapest, hungary, then to kuwait, and is currently at Qatar waiting to go to djibouti. overall he seemed to be doing very well, except for being tired. he said he didn't sleep much on the flights, except the hour long flight from kuwait to qatar. he said he crashed as soon as he sat down...he didn't know they had taken off or landed! now that is one pooped out Soldier!

back again soon...
erin

The eagle has landed (for now)!

Bear was finally able to call home a little bit ago. he only had a couple of minutes to talk since there was a long line of Soldiers trying to call home and not much time to do it in. it has taken 17 hours of flight to make it from ft. benning to germany and then to kuwait, but they landed safely, and may be leaving very soon to fly to Qatar! he will eventually make it to djibouti. at least this time he got to fly on a commercial plane instead of a c-130 (imagine flying in a very large and noisy soup can)! thank God he is safe and everything has gone well thus far! i can only imagine how tired he is, and the scenery doesn't help much either.

until next time...
erin

Bear's journey continues and Baby T#3 update!

Bear has been in Fort Benning, GA since 06 Oct to get ready for his deployment. After misreading his orders, the infamous "they" have finally got things straightened out as to where he will be going, and they even managed to get him on the right plane! He left somewhere around 1900 (7 PM for you civilian types, he he) on a 9 hour flight to somewhere in Germany. He didn't know where in Germany, but hey, he didn't need to know that much, right? Hopefully he won't get stuck at the airfield to fix the plane every time they land like he did on his first deployment. After Germany, he has a 5 hour flight to Kuwait, and one last flight into Djibouti, Africa (I'm guessing it will be maybe a 2-3 hour flight). Djibouti is where he will spend his deployment of "120 days or until relief arrives". We're praying for the 120 days, or less!!! His orders said that he should be leaving on his birthday, 15 Feb. What better present could you ask for than to be coming home?!?! Please keep him in your prayers as he goes through this journey, whatever it may be. We need him to come home safely!!!

As far as the pregnancy goes...I will be 9 weeks tomorrow! Our little munchkin is about an inch long from the top of it's head to it's butt (about the size of a green olive) and is now able to start moving around! I have been feeling very nauseated for a few weeks now, but as usual, I avoid puking at all costs! I'm just afraid that if I start, a habit will be formed! I am still favoring salty foods, which is odd for me being pregnant...I have always gone for the sweet stuff with the past 2! Bear says he's convinced it will be a boy, but we'll have to wait til it's born to find out. I guess I'm just too old-fashioned to find out early with ultrasounds. Whatever it is will be perfect! We're just praying for a healthy little munchkin, and a later delivery! I tend to deliver earlier each time. Allison was considered a premie because I was barely 36 weeks along when she graced us with her presence. This one is due 18 May 08, but I pray that we can at least make it to May!!!