5 things I was doing 10 years ago
1. Was going to Troy State University (Dothan)
2. Was working at McDonald's
3. Was studying
4. Was sleeping
5. I guess 1998 was a pretty boring year for me. I didn't do much of anything other than work and go to school. Didn't even really have any friends. Sad, huh? At least I had good grades! I eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude (and it's not because I'm smart).
5 things on my to do list today...
1. Took a shower
2. Washed Heidi's hair
3. Made tacos
4. Cleaned Kitchen
5. Bought a baby gift for someone
(The day is pretty much over, so I just gave a list of things I've already done.)
5 snacks I enjoy
1. fresh fruit (grapes, apples, oranges, pineapple, etc)
2. ice cream
3. cookies
4. crackers (sometimes with cheese)
5. chips
5 things I'd do if I were a millionaire
1. Buy a house
2. Buy my parents a house closeby to mine
3. Fly to visit family a LOT more frequently
4. Make nice college accounts for my kids
5. Give a lot of money to the government when I pay my taxes
5 places I've lived
1. Alabama (Fort Rucker & Enterprise)
2. Germany (Marktbreit, Geibelstadt, & Hanau)
3. California (Fort Ord)
4. North Carolina (Fayetteville/Fort Bragg)
5. Texas (Fort Bliss & Fort Hood)
(... and now in Washington, but still in transition)
5 jobs I've had
1. McDonald's
2. English Tutor at ESJC (sometimes math)
3. Substitute Teacher
4. Library Aide
5. Teacher/Reading Aide
People I Tag: Anyone who reads this...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Goodnight Heidi...
Every night, we have to go through the same routine before Heidi goes to bed.
1. Put on pajamas
2. Brush teeth
3. Get her sippy-cup ready (fill it with water) because she takes it to bed with her
3. Read 2 books (sometimes more if they are really short or if she wants to read one back to me)
4. Sing songs (usually a couple or a few that she picks)
We sing SO many different songs. I just thought I would try to make a list of some of the different songs that we sing to see how many we use, so (in no particular order) here it is:
1. Put on pajamas
2. Brush teeth
3. Get her sippy-cup ready (fill it with water) because she takes it to bed with her
3. Read 2 books (sometimes more if they are really short or if she wants to read one back to me)
4. Sing songs (usually a couple or a few that she picks)
We sing SO many different songs. I just thought I would try to make a list of some of the different songs that we sing to see how many we use, so (in no particular order) here it is:
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star *
- Rock-a-bye Baby *
- Frere/Frare Jacques *
- Are You Sleeping *
- You Are My Sunshine
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat *
- London Bridges Falling Down
- My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean
- Yankee Doodle *
- Where Is Thumbkin
- Kum-by-ya (not sure of the spelling)
- The Dinosaur Song (Me And My Dinosaur) *
- Five Little Hotdogs *
- Ten Little Indian Boys *
- Ten Little Indian Girls *
- ABC Song
- Two Little Girls/Dolls
- I Am A Child of God
- Popcorn Song
- Hush Little Baby Don't Say A Word
- Mary Had A Little Lamb
- Baa Baa Blacksheep
There may be more... I just thought I'd make a list. I put stars next to the ones that we've been singing the most lately.
If you have any suggestions of some other good ones we could try, feel free to let me know! :)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Missing My House At Fort Hood
I never really liked our house at Fort Hood very much. It was okay.... just an average-sized, 3-bedroom, 1-story home. We could have actually had a much nicer home if we had rented our bought a house just outside of Fort Hood while Brian was stationed there, but we decided to live in quarters because the utilities were free and we felt like it was just a little safer (with the gates/id card checks) while Brian was deployed (which he did end up doing for 15 months in Iraq). Now, though, Brian has gotten out of the army and we don't have a home or a job yet.
I really miss our fence-enclosed backyard. I used to be able to let Heidi go out and play by herself in our backyard without having to worry about her so much. Also, it was a pretty good-sized backyard, so there was plenty of room to run around... and we had lots of toys too (swing set, playhouse, a couple of slides, a Barbie car to ride around the yard in, a sand/water table, etc).
Heidi also had friends in the area at Fort Hood. She loved getting to play with Hazel & Annika (sisters from a nearby housing area), Amy (our next-door-neighbor), and some girls from church... like Abbie and Cloey. Since we've been in Washington, we've been moving between houses every 4 - 7 days or so for the last couple of months, so we haven't really gotten to know any families with kids for her to become friends with. Heidi really loves playing with other children. Her birthday is coming up next month and she's been talked about what she wants for her birthday... She wants: strawberry shortcake plates/cups/hats, a pink doll, a blue dress, pepperoni pizza, and for all of her friends to be there. She gets really excited when she talks about her birthday that is coming up... she keeps asking me if all of her friends will be there. Unfortunately, I don't think there will be any children at her party this year. I hope she won't be too sad.
At Fort Hood, we also had several playgrounds in and around our neighborhood. We even had one that was just 3 houses down the road from us. Here, there are several parks in the city of Bellingham, but you have you drive to get to any of them... so it's just not as convenient. It's also pretty cold and wet all of the time now (since it's October). I guess there might not be as many kids going to them to play now. We went the other day to the Whatcom Falls Park, which isn't too far away from Brian's dad's house. I think it is the closest one. It was a really pretty park, with huge trees, gigantic maple leaves (the biggest I have ever seen in my life!), an old bridge... it's kind of neat looking, a walking trail, and a couple of playgrounds. We were there for a while and there were just no kids around for her to play with. We brought a towel to dry off the slides with... because I guess this time of year here is just always very wet. I guess just not as many kids go to the playgrounds in the fall/winter here. In Texas, it was still pretty warm and was usually dry (unless it just happened to rain that day). Maybe we can try to go another day... and maybe there will be more kids.
I also miss just having all of our things. Heidi had been asking me when we were going to get our beds back... and has been asking me where some of her toys are. I keep telling her that they are in storage and that we will get them back someday when we get a home. I just don't know when that will be.
I had been hoping for a home at least by Christmas, but right now... I don't even know if we will have one by the time the baby gets here in February. We will have to take our things out of storage by February too... the army will only hold it until then. We will need all of our baby things too before the baby gets here, like: clothes, blankets, car seat, pack-n-play, etc.
I am just kind of sad today... thinking about how much I miss having my own home.
I really miss our fence-enclosed backyard. I used to be able to let Heidi go out and play by herself in our backyard without having to worry about her so much. Also, it was a pretty good-sized backyard, so there was plenty of room to run around... and we had lots of toys too (swing set, playhouse, a couple of slides, a Barbie car to ride around the yard in, a sand/water table, etc).
Heidi also had friends in the area at Fort Hood. She loved getting to play with Hazel & Annika (sisters from a nearby housing area), Amy (our next-door-neighbor), and some girls from church... like Abbie and Cloey. Since we've been in Washington, we've been moving between houses every 4 - 7 days or so for the last couple of months, so we haven't really gotten to know any families with kids for her to become friends with. Heidi really loves playing with other children. Her birthday is coming up next month and she's been talked about what she wants for her birthday... She wants: strawberry shortcake plates/cups/hats, a pink doll, a blue dress, pepperoni pizza, and for all of her friends to be there. She gets really excited when she talks about her birthday that is coming up... she keeps asking me if all of her friends will be there. Unfortunately, I don't think there will be any children at her party this year. I hope she won't be too sad.
At Fort Hood, we also had several playgrounds in and around our neighborhood. We even had one that was just 3 houses down the road from us. Here, there are several parks in the city of Bellingham, but you have you drive to get to any of them... so it's just not as convenient. It's also pretty cold and wet all of the time now (since it's October). I guess there might not be as many kids going to them to play now. We went the other day to the Whatcom Falls Park, which isn't too far away from Brian's dad's house. I think it is the closest one. It was a really pretty park, with huge trees, gigantic maple leaves (the biggest I have ever seen in my life!), an old bridge... it's kind of neat looking, a walking trail, and a couple of playgrounds. We were there for a while and there were just no kids around for her to play with. We brought a towel to dry off the slides with... because I guess this time of year here is just always very wet. I guess just not as many kids go to the playgrounds in the fall/winter here. In Texas, it was still pretty warm and was usually dry (unless it just happened to rain that day). Maybe we can try to go another day... and maybe there will be more kids.
I also miss just having all of our things. Heidi had been asking me when we were going to get our beds back... and has been asking me where some of her toys are. I keep telling her that they are in storage and that we will get them back someday when we get a home. I just don't know when that will be.
I had been hoping for a home at least by Christmas, but right now... I don't even know if we will have one by the time the baby gets here in February. We will have to take our things out of storage by February too... the army will only hold it until then. We will need all of our baby things too before the baby gets here, like: clothes, blankets, car seat, pack-n-play, etc.
I am just kind of sad today... thinking about how much I miss having my own home.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tagged (by Stacey)
Eight tv Shows That I Like To Watch:
1. House
2. The Office (probably my favorite right now)
3. CSI:Miami (even though Horatio gets on my nerves)
4. Heroes (just got into it this season)
5. ER
6. Different Home Shows (like when they remodel/buy/sell)
7. Supernatural (Brian watches this, so I end up watching it too with him sometimes)
8. Law & Order
Eight Things That Happened Yesterday:
1. Heidi, Karen, and I went to Whatcom Falls Park (pretty waterfall/nice playgrounds)
2. We had mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert last night
3. Brian and Bob drove over the border into Canada to drop something off
4. Brian and I watched Heroes
5. Heidi and I read a book about a witch who falls off of her broom a lot ... and some others
6. We decided that the moral of The Little Red Hen was that you should be a Republican... because you should have to work for what you get (no handouts)... Brian read it last night
7. We saw some gigantic maple leaves yesterday at the park (the biggest I had ever seen)
8. I voted and mailed in my election ballot (and yes, I voted for McCain/Palin)
Eight Favorite Places To Eat:
1. Red Lobster (good salad, cheese rolls, and shrimp)
2. Texas Roadhouse (yummy rolls and good honey mustard sauce)
3. The Canton House (was the best Chinese place, but has now closed)
4. Red Robin
5. Ruby Tuesday
6. My Parents' House
7. Dragon Garden
8. Pizza Hut or Papa John's (whichever has the best coupon)
Eight Things To Look Forward To:
1. Having a home again someday!!!
2. Brian to find a job
3. To having our baby (we might name her Hannah, due around Feb 16th)
4. To having my own bed back... Heidi's books/toys back... and everything else that we own
5. To not living out of a suitcase anymore (which we've done now for a couple of months)
6. To visiting my mom and dad
7. Heidi's birthday (but it might be kind of sad because she wants to have friends over, but she doesn't have any friends here yet... since we don't really have a home and have been moving around a lot)
8. Holding our new baby
Eight People I Tag:
1. Stacey (Can you tag someone who already tagged you?)
2. I don't know anyone else who reads my blog, so whoever reads this... and please let me know if you do, so I can add you to my list of friends/family :)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1. House
2. The Office (probably my favorite right now)
3. CSI:Miami (even though Horatio gets on my nerves)
4. Heroes (just got into it this season)
5. ER
6. Different Home Shows (like when they remodel/buy/sell)
7. Supernatural (Brian watches this, so I end up watching it too with him sometimes)
8. Law & Order
Eight Things That Happened Yesterday:
1. Heidi, Karen, and I went to Whatcom Falls Park (pretty waterfall/nice playgrounds)
2. We had mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert last night
3. Brian and Bob drove over the border into Canada to drop something off
4. Brian and I watched Heroes
5. Heidi and I read a book about a witch who falls off of her broom a lot ... and some others
6. We decided that the moral of The Little Red Hen was that you should be a Republican... because you should have to work for what you get (no handouts)... Brian read it last night
7. We saw some gigantic maple leaves yesterday at the park (the biggest I had ever seen)
8. I voted and mailed in my election ballot (and yes, I voted for McCain/Palin)
Eight Favorite Places To Eat:
1. Red Lobster (good salad, cheese rolls, and shrimp)
2. Texas Roadhouse (yummy rolls and good honey mustard sauce)
3. The Canton House (was the best Chinese place, but has now closed)
4. Red Robin
5. Ruby Tuesday
6. My Parents' House
7. Dragon Garden
8. Pizza Hut or Papa John's (whichever has the best coupon)
Eight Things To Look Forward To:
1. Having a home again someday!!!
2. Brian to find a job
3. To having our baby (we might name her Hannah, due around Feb 16th)
4. To having my own bed back... Heidi's books/toys back... and everything else that we own
5. To not living out of a suitcase anymore (which we've done now for a couple of months)
6. To visiting my mom and dad
7. Heidi's birthday (but it might be kind of sad because she wants to have friends over, but she doesn't have any friends here yet... since we don't really have a home and have been moving around a lot)
8. Holding our new baby
Eight People I Tag:
1. Stacey (Can you tag someone who already tagged you?)
2. I don't know anyone else who reads my blog, so whoever reads this... and please let me know if you do, so I can add you to my list of friends/family :)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Princess Heidi Story
Before we left Fort Hood, TX, I made up a princess story that Heidi has been asking me over and over since to retell to her. I just thought I might write it in here (since I will probably print this all out someday for her to have). Most people probably wouldn't find this very interesting, so you can just skip down to the next blog entry if you want...
The Princess Heidi Story
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Princess Heidi Elizabeth Blum. (This is when she usually will say that she is not "Blum.") Princess Heidi has long, beautiful, curly, blonde hair... and sparkly blue eyes... and pretty pink lips. She also lived in a gigantic castle that was covered in diamonds and sparkled so much that people could see it from miles away.
Everyone in the kingdom loved Princess Heidi. She was so kind to everyone that she met. If anyone ever needed anything, she would always do her best to help them out with whatever they needed. She also gave people candy and flowers all of the time. (I put that in there because Heidi loves picking flowers... and she loves candy, too.) Everyone loved the princess because she was so kind.
One day, a mean, evil, cruel witch came to town and saw the beautiful, sparkly palace and decided that she wanted it for herself... So, this mean witch went to the door of the palace and knocked (then I make the knocking sounds). Princess Heidi came to the door and said "Hello, is there something I can help you with?" The mean witch said in a very mean, grouchy, scratchy voice (and I make the voice when I say the next part) "Yes, I want your castle!" Princess Heidi then said "I'm sorry, but I cannot give you my home. If there is anything else I could do to help you out, I would try, but I just cannot give you my home." The mean witch then said in her mean, grouchy, scratchy, very loud voice "Abra cadabra alacazam" ... and POOF! ... Princess Heidi turned into a cute, little, fluffy, white bunny rabbit with a little, pink nose and a fluffy cotton tail. The mean witch then walked right in and took over the palace.
Nobody in the kingdom liked the mean witch who took over the palace. They didn't know what happened to Princess Heidi... and everyone was so afraid of the mean witch who had moved in.
Meanwhile, Princess Heidi just hopped around the town as a cute, fluffy, little bunny rabbit for a long time. Nobody knew who she was when they saw her.
Then oneday, a handsome prince, who had blonde hair and blue eyes came riding into town on an enormous white horse. He just happened to see a cute bunny rabbit hopping along the side of the road and he stopped to pick it up. He started petting the cute, little bunny he found and said "I think I would like to keep you for my pet because you are so cute." (Not that many guys would say anything like that... I know it's kind of a cheesy story, but Heidi really likes it.) Then, as he was holding the bunny in his hands, he brought the bunny closer to himself and gave her a kiss on the nose. Then... POOF! The cute, fluffy bunny rabbit magically changed back into Princess Heidi!
Princess Heidi then told the prince who she was and what had happened to her. They then rode on the prince's white horse to the sparkly palace to get rid of the mean witch. When they got there, the prince knocked on the palace door. When the witch came to the door, he took out his gigantic sword and stuck her with it (I usually make a kind of "ugh" noise... and kind of show the motion of moving the sword). Then, the witch died instantly and her body just magically disappeared!
Everyone in the kingdom was so happy to see Princess Heidi back. The prince and Princess Heidi also got married... and they had 10 babies... and they lived happily ever after.
The End
It's kind of a silly/cheesy (lacking in character development, plot, etc.) story that I just made up one day (sometime last August), but she has asked me over and over to keep telling her this story, so I thought I would write it down.
Oh, also... at the end of the story when I say that they had 10 babies, Heidi says that she's only going to have 1 or 2 when she grows up.
Sometimes, she talks about marrying a prince someday. She was even telling Karen about her prince about a week or so ago. She says that he's just a little boy right now. Then, oneday after they "grow bigger," they will meet and get married... and then she also says that they will go to the ball after they get married. ... She does watch a lot of princess movies...
The Princess Heidi Story
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Princess Heidi Elizabeth Blum. (This is when she usually will say that she is not "Blum.") Princess Heidi has long, beautiful, curly, blonde hair... and sparkly blue eyes... and pretty pink lips. She also lived in a gigantic castle that was covered in diamonds and sparkled so much that people could see it from miles away.
Everyone in the kingdom loved Princess Heidi. She was so kind to everyone that she met. If anyone ever needed anything, she would always do her best to help them out with whatever they needed. She also gave people candy and flowers all of the time. (I put that in there because Heidi loves picking flowers... and she loves candy, too.) Everyone loved the princess because she was so kind.
One day, a mean, evil, cruel witch came to town and saw the beautiful, sparkly palace and decided that she wanted it for herself... So, this mean witch went to the door of the palace and knocked (then I make the knocking sounds). Princess Heidi came to the door and said "Hello, is there something I can help you with?" The mean witch said in a very mean, grouchy, scratchy voice (and I make the voice when I say the next part) "Yes, I want your castle!" Princess Heidi then said "I'm sorry, but I cannot give you my home. If there is anything else I could do to help you out, I would try, but I just cannot give you my home." The mean witch then said in her mean, grouchy, scratchy, very loud voice "Abra cadabra alacazam" ... and POOF! ... Princess Heidi turned into a cute, little, fluffy, white bunny rabbit with a little, pink nose and a fluffy cotton tail. The mean witch then walked right in and took over the palace.
Nobody in the kingdom liked the mean witch who took over the palace. They didn't know what happened to Princess Heidi... and everyone was so afraid of the mean witch who had moved in.
Meanwhile, Princess Heidi just hopped around the town as a cute, fluffy, little bunny rabbit for a long time. Nobody knew who she was when they saw her.
Then oneday, a handsome prince, who had blonde hair and blue eyes came riding into town on an enormous white horse. He just happened to see a cute bunny rabbit hopping along the side of the road and he stopped to pick it up. He started petting the cute, little bunny he found and said "I think I would like to keep you for my pet because you are so cute." (Not that many guys would say anything like that... I know it's kind of a cheesy story, but Heidi really likes it.) Then, as he was holding the bunny in his hands, he brought the bunny closer to himself and gave her a kiss on the nose. Then... POOF! The cute, fluffy bunny rabbit magically changed back into Princess Heidi!
Princess Heidi then told the prince who she was and what had happened to her. They then rode on the prince's white horse to the sparkly palace to get rid of the mean witch. When they got there, the prince knocked on the palace door. When the witch came to the door, he took out his gigantic sword and stuck her with it (I usually make a kind of "ugh" noise... and kind of show the motion of moving the sword). Then, the witch died instantly and her body just magically disappeared!
Everyone in the kingdom was so happy to see Princess Heidi back. The prince and Princess Heidi also got married... and they had 10 babies... and they lived happily ever after.
The End
It's kind of a silly/cheesy (lacking in character development, plot, etc.) story that I just made up one day (sometime last August), but she has asked me over and over to keep telling her this story, so I thought I would write it down.
Oh, also... at the end of the story when I say that they had 10 babies, Heidi says that she's only going to have 1 or 2 when she grows up.
Sometimes, she talks about marrying a prince someday. She was even telling Karen about her prince about a week or so ago. She says that he's just a little boy right now. Then, oneday after they "grow bigger," they will meet and get married... and then she also says that they will go to the ball after they get married. ... She does watch a lot of princess movies...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sunday
Today is Sunday, so we went to church. We went to a different ward today here in Bellingham(one that Brian used to go to when he was younger). Heidi seemed to have fun in the nursery. She seemed to become good friends with a little girl named Sofia. Her new friend even wanted to give her a kiss when I came to pick her up. The people working in the nursery were super nice too. She told me that a lady came in to sing with them and that she put a "beautiful, blue blanket with stars on it" on the ground for them to sit on while they sang..."and it was sparkly... and the lady said that she made it, too." I asked her what they sang and she said that they only did two songs: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star & The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
When we got home from church, I let Heidi play for a little while before we took a nap together. (I got kind of sleepy after reading her a couple of books, so I fell asleep with her.) Grandpa Bob has some soft, fluffy sheep skin things on the back of a small couch upstairs... Heidi likes to call them her turkeys. I don't know why she calls them turkeys. I've told her that they are from sheep. They don't even look like they are from a turkey. I think she just thinks it's funny to call them that. She likes to pull them off of the couch and lay down on them.
When I woke up from a short nap, I put the King Ranch Casserole (that I put together last night) into the oven. Brian's grandma and her boyfriend came over to eat with us tonight (at Brian's dad's house). We also had some salad, green beans, and garlic bread. I think the garlic bread was Heidi's favorite part of the meal. She won't eat the casserole, so I left some chicken out for her when I was putting it together.
I guess this is might be kind of a boring/uneventful blog... oh well. Maybe I'll have something better to write about later this week.
When we got home from church, I let Heidi play for a little while before we took a nap together. (I got kind of sleepy after reading her a couple of books, so I fell asleep with her.) Grandpa Bob has some soft, fluffy sheep skin things on the back of a small couch upstairs... Heidi likes to call them her turkeys. I don't know why she calls them turkeys. I've told her that they are from sheep. They don't even look like they are from a turkey. I think she just thinks it's funny to call them that. She likes to pull them off of the couch and lay down on them.
When I woke up from a short nap, I put the King Ranch Casserole (that I put together last night) into the oven. Brian's grandma and her boyfriend came over to eat with us tonight (at Brian's dad's house). We also had some salad, green beans, and garlic bread. I think the garlic bread was Heidi's favorite part of the meal. She won't eat the casserole, so I left some chicken out for her when I was putting it together.
I guess this is might be kind of a boring/uneventful blog... oh well. Maybe I'll have something better to write about later this week.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Cravings, Heidi, and Fall in Washington...
I am almost 23 weeks along now with the pregnancy and have really been wanting some fruit lately. I have especially been wanting oranges, pineapple, grapes, or apples. When I was pregnant with Heidi, it seems like I ate a lot of grapes and cantelope... and pizza. Pizza sounds pretty good too right now. I haven't had that in a while.
Heidi didn't take a nap today. I hope she won't get too grouchy. She just cried in her bed for about an hour before I let her finally get out of bed. I guess I should get her to bed early tonight. She is usually hard to be around if she hasn't had her nap.
Today, we're staying at Brian's dad's house. Heidi and I have played barbies a lot today and she was just pretending to talk to Genevieve (her cousin in San Antonio) on her Dora telephone that her friends Abbie and Cloey gave her for her birthday last year. She was saying something like "Hello... this is Heidi... I am at Grandpa Bob's house..." and then she said something about Genevieve's new baby sister Aubrielle (not sure if I have the name spelled right). I think she misses having other kids to play with. There aren't really any other kids around here to play with... unless she is at church in the nursery, but it seems like most of the kids in the nursery here might be younger than her... and it seems like there are a lot of boys, too. In Texas, most of the nursery was girls (with only one or two boys). They were all within two or three months of Heidi's age too, so I think she really enjoyed played with the kids in our old nursery in Texas.
Today has been kind of cold, wet, and rainy here in Washington. I guess this is what fall is like here. It is a big change from Texas weather. Heidi and I were watching the leaves on the trees fall from the trees in Grandpa Bob's backyard today. We talked about how the leaves change color from green to yellow or orange and then they fall off of the trees... and that's why this time of year is called fall. Then, we also talked about summer is the time of year when it is hot, like when we were in Texas.
I talked to my mom on the phone today. They left Maryland (where they were visiting my dad's side of the family) and are on the road back down to Alabama. I tried to call my sister too to find out how her move from Colorado to Alabama went, but didn't get ahold of her.
I need to go for now, so that's all for today...
Heidi didn't take a nap today. I hope she won't get too grouchy. She just cried in her bed for about an hour before I let her finally get out of bed. I guess I should get her to bed early tonight. She is usually hard to be around if she hasn't had her nap.
Today, we're staying at Brian's dad's house. Heidi and I have played barbies a lot today and she was just pretending to talk to Genevieve (her cousin in San Antonio) on her Dora telephone that her friends Abbie and Cloey gave her for her birthday last year. She was saying something like "Hello... this is Heidi... I am at Grandpa Bob's house..." and then she said something about Genevieve's new baby sister Aubrielle (not sure if I have the name spelled right). I think she misses having other kids to play with. There aren't really any other kids around here to play with... unless she is at church in the nursery, but it seems like most of the kids in the nursery here might be younger than her... and it seems like there are a lot of boys, too. In Texas, most of the nursery was girls (with only one or two boys). They were all within two or three months of Heidi's age too, so I think she really enjoyed played with the kids in our old nursery in Texas.
Today has been kind of cold, wet, and rainy here in Washington. I guess this is what fall is like here. It is a big change from Texas weather. Heidi and I were watching the leaves on the trees fall from the trees in Grandpa Bob's backyard today. We talked about how the leaves change color from green to yellow or orange and then they fall off of the trees... and that's why this time of year is called fall. Then, we also talked about summer is the time of year when it is hot, like when we were in Texas.
I talked to my mom on the phone today. They left Maryland (where they were visiting my dad's side of the family) and are on the road back down to Alabama. I tried to call my sister too to find out how her move from Colorado to Alabama went, but didn't get ahold of her.
I need to go for now, so that's all for today...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
We're In Washington Now...
It's been a while since I've written anything on here, so I thought I would do a quick update...
Around the 20th or 21st of August, we left Fort Hood, Texas. Brian is getting out of the army and is technically still on leave until 1 November.
Our first stop after leaving Texas was at Brian's sister's house in Kansas. Heidi had fun playing with her cousins while we were there for a few days. They played dress-up a lot, we went to a park, they fed ducks, and had fun playing with neighborhood kids.
Next, we stopped in Colorado to visit my sister, Blair, who has since moved to Fort Rucker, Alabama. Blair's husband is in the army and they had orders to go back to Fort Rucker. I'm sure my parents will be glad to have one of their kids closeby again.
After visiting Blair, we stopped in Utah to visit Brian's step-sister Lynsey and her family. I had never met them before. Heidi enjoyed playing with their youngest daughter, Mia (who is a little younger than herself).
The day that we left Lynsey's house, we stopped in Bountiful to visit Brian's Aunt MaryAnne and her family. We enjoyed a big lunch at their house and visited with them for most of the afternoon... and then we had to get back on the road again. We left their house maybe around 4pm or so and made it up to Ontario, Oregon that night to spend the night in a hotel. It was a brand new Holiday Inn Express and was very nice! I think we were they first people to have stayed in our room. The breakfast was actually pretty good too! They had eggs, bacon, bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, juice, and some other things. It was really pretty good for a free breakfast! Our room was sooo nice too! It had a big screen tv, granite counter tops, and everything just smelled so new.
The next day, we drove up to Maple Valley, WA and stayed the night with Ben and Jenny. Heidi had fun playing with their 5-year-old little girl, Ella.
Now, we are in Bellingham, WA. We have been staying with Brian's parents since we got here (with a couple more visits down to Ben and Jenny's house).
Brian is still looking for a job. He has gone to a couple of job conferences in Seattle for ex-military guys. He has had a couple of offers, but nothing we were really interested in. He is thinking about flying down to another job conference in San Antonio, TX next month that will have jobs from all over the country. They will be looking for ex-military academy graduates that have gotten out of the army. Hopefully we will find something soon. It would be nice to have a home when the baby gets here in February. Oh yeah, we also found out a couple of weeks ago that we are expecting a baby girl. We were excited. That's what we were hoping for. We also found out, though, when the doctor looked at my ultrasound, that I have a tumor at the top of my uterus. Hopefully it won't grow too quickly while I'm pregnant. I guess since I'm pregnant, I am producing more estrogen... and that is what makes them grow quicker. The doctor said we will just have to monitor it. I guess it could affect the position of the baby if it gets too big. They can sometimes lead to miscarriages, but I don't think mine is that big... but I guess if it grows too quickly, it could possibly lead to an early delivery. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Well, I guess that's enough for now.
Around the 20th or 21st of August, we left Fort Hood, Texas. Brian is getting out of the army and is technically still on leave until 1 November.
Our first stop after leaving Texas was at Brian's sister's house in Kansas. Heidi had fun playing with her cousins while we were there for a few days. They played dress-up a lot, we went to a park, they fed ducks, and had fun playing with neighborhood kids.
Next, we stopped in Colorado to visit my sister, Blair, who has since moved to Fort Rucker, Alabama. Blair's husband is in the army and they had orders to go back to Fort Rucker. I'm sure my parents will be glad to have one of their kids closeby again.
After visiting Blair, we stopped in Utah to visit Brian's step-sister Lynsey and her family. I had never met them before. Heidi enjoyed playing with their youngest daughter, Mia (who is a little younger than herself).
The day that we left Lynsey's house, we stopped in Bountiful to visit Brian's Aunt MaryAnne and her family. We enjoyed a big lunch at their house and visited with them for most of the afternoon... and then we had to get back on the road again. We left their house maybe around 4pm or so and made it up to Ontario, Oregon that night to spend the night in a hotel. It was a brand new Holiday Inn Express and was very nice! I think we were they first people to have stayed in our room. The breakfast was actually pretty good too! They had eggs, bacon, bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, juice, and some other things. It was really pretty good for a free breakfast! Our room was sooo nice too! It had a big screen tv, granite counter tops, and everything just smelled so new.
The next day, we drove up to Maple Valley, WA and stayed the night with Ben and Jenny. Heidi had fun playing with their 5-year-old little girl, Ella.
Now, we are in Bellingham, WA. We have been staying with Brian's parents since we got here (with a couple more visits down to Ben and Jenny's house).
Brian is still looking for a job. He has gone to a couple of job conferences in Seattle for ex-military guys. He has had a couple of offers, but nothing we were really interested in. He is thinking about flying down to another job conference in San Antonio, TX next month that will have jobs from all over the country. They will be looking for ex-military academy graduates that have gotten out of the army. Hopefully we will find something soon. It would be nice to have a home when the baby gets here in February. Oh yeah, we also found out a couple of weeks ago that we are expecting a baby girl. We were excited. That's what we were hoping for. We also found out, though, when the doctor looked at my ultrasound, that I have a tumor at the top of my uterus. Hopefully it won't grow too quickly while I'm pregnant. I guess since I'm pregnant, I am producing more estrogen... and that is what makes them grow quicker. The doctor said we will just have to monitor it. I guess it could affect the position of the baby if it gets too big. They can sometimes lead to miscarriages, but I don't think mine is that big... but I guess if it grows too quickly, it could possibly lead to an early delivery. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Well, I guess that's enough for now.
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