One Favorite Thing About Motherhood

There's a million things I love about being a mom...

I love that Dannika will finally sit still through an entire story book while I read it to her. 

We read 3 whole books today cuddled on the couch.

It was pure bliss...

Christmas Time Is Here...

First off...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE ROMER FAMILY!

We've been extremely blessed this year as a family, and we are looking forward to 2012!

Because of Nick's deployment coming up next month, and with the dates being so shaky, we decided not to go to Alabama or Texas like we had originally planned.

I kind of enjoyed the small family Christmas though even though we really miss our families back home.

Unfortunately, Dannika and I have been sick with colds, and mine has just gotten progressively worse so I think it was best to stay home either way.

As always, Miss Dannika Jane was spoiled beyond belief.

Nick and I have officially decided we need to have more kids or our only child is going to be a spoiled rotten brat! lol.

Every year, Nick and I always say we're not gonna get anything for each other, or that we set a spending limit.

Nick never pays attention to this agreement, and I was way too spoiled beyond belief as well.

I guess I'm just a lucky girl to have such an awesome husband.

Christmas was way more fun this year than last year.

Dannika actually "got it" and it was exciting to watch her rip open all her gifts. 

I think I got more joy out of that than anything else.

She's been going insane with all her new gadgets and toys. 

With that said, our Christmas was great (minus the colds).

We are so blessed to have such amazing friends and family.

I'm so thankful that Nick is deploying with a group of Marines he has deployed with before and so thankful that he's had every opportunity to train the new guys.

I'm extremely thankful for the wonderful Tango Battery wives (and former Tango Battery wives) that have become my sisters that I can count on for anything.

I'm excited to get this deployment underway because I know that I have the amazing support of awesome friends and family.

I'm thankful for our deployed troops who are spending their holidays unselfishly and willingly over seas so that I could be here with my family. 

Happy Birthday, Jesus! 

Thank you for sacrificing your life to free me from my sins. 

Kate Spade wallet, Ipad cover, and blackberry case :-)

Her third pair of Toms.

What man doesn't like power tools?!

Seaworld Adventure & Piggy Tails

The last time Nick and I went to Sea World, I was 7 months pregnant with Dannika.

As a momento, we bought a stuffed Shamu and Baby Shamu.

We decided to go back today for the first time with our 2 1/2 year old!

Here she is with the original Shamu we bought her when she was still in my tummy!

The Dolphin Tales show was AMAZING! Dannika was mesmerized by all the cool tricks the dolphins did and to cool acrobats by the actors!

I can finally get Dannika's hair into two little pig tails. She begs me to put them in her hair all the time now!

It was 70 degrees in San Diego, but we managed to find some snow at "Snow World" at Seaworld! 

It's tradition to always get a caricature done when we go to Seaworld. This is our first as a family of 3!!!

Catch Up Time

Sorry I've been MIA for a while!

I know I'm pretty good about keeping up with my blog, but lately with the holidays and Nick's deployment coming up, things in our lives have been crazy hectic!

So to start, here's an update on our family...

On December 7, one of my bestest friends, Kim went into LABOR!

I was soooo honored to have been asked to be in the delivery room with her mom and her older sister.

Kim's husband, Sunny is currently deployed to Afghanistan with 2/4 and unfortunately couldn't be home for the birth of their 3rd son!

She was scheduled to be induced on December 12, but babies are so unpredictable!

She found out on Wednesday that they were going to induce her THAT DAY!

I was so excited, I drove like a maniac to make it to the hospital on time!

I can't even imagine what a fathers go through when they get the unexpected news....

My heart was racing and my mind was all over the place....

"We're going to have a baby!"

The coolest thing was Sunny's timing in calling Kim on her cell phone RIGHT as she was about to start pushing.

It's like the stars lined up and God was really looking out for Kim

Sunny got to hear the ENTIRE birth (complete with play by play) on the phone all the way from Afghanistan!

Let me tell you, experiencing a birth from the other end was the most amazing thing I have ever been a part of!

It was absolutely beautiful, and it made me appreciate being a woman even more than I already do!

I just couldn't believe what our bodies were capable of, and I couldn't imagine that I had just done that 2 1/2 short years ago!

So in the early evening of December 7, 2011, Logan Joseph was born weighing in at an astonishing 9lbs and 9 ozs and measured 20 1/2 inches long!

He is absolutely the most beautiful baby!

 Thank you, Kim for letting me be a part of Logan's entrance to the world! It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

So in the recent months, I've been in total denial about needing glasses.

I kept giving myself excuses like "Oh, I'm just really tired so my vision is blurry."

Recently, I started experiencing serious eye strain when trying to see things far away and mild headaches from straining to see so hard. 

I finally got a wake up call at work when I realized everyone that I worked with could read this sign on the wall at the other end of the room and I couldn't even make out a single letter. 

So I caved in and made an appointment at Lenscrafters and found out I am nearsighted and have slight astigmatism.

So here I am with my new Tiffany & Co. spectacles :-)

I was certain that Dannika would cry this year when we went to go get pictures with Santa.

We all remember her Easter Bunny pics...

So the past few weeks, I've been "preparing" her for Santa.

I showed her lots of pictures of him, and everytime we went to the mall, I'd tell her to wave to Santa.

I was certain that all this "preparing" wouldn't work, but it was worth a shot!

Well....

Here

Are

The

Results...

She was a little shy, but warmed up to him quickly. 

SUCCESS!!!!

Hope everyone is doing swell!

Until next time!!!

ROLL TIDE HOLIDAYS!

Biggest weekend in college football...

And an AH-MAZING...THANKSGIVING...

 with our adopted family, the Gilberts :-)

Cornbread Sausage stuffing....

Christmas in in the air...

It's a Romer family tradition to pick out an ornament for our tree every year...

Dannika's 2011 ornament

MY 2011 ornament...

 

Daddy's 2011 ornament...

Thankfulness

I am thankful for...

God

for blessing us with a beautiful, healthy daughter who gives us purpose and meaning for life....

for putting Nick and I together and giving us His love....

for giving me such a patient, loving, and understanding husband who has been there for me through the best of times and worst of times....

for allowing me to spend the holidays with my husband and letting me keep him just a little while longer before he deploys...

For our Military for allowing me to raise my daughter in a free country to grow up to become whatever her heart desires....and risking their lives without asking for anything in return to keep us safe...and for sacrificing time away from their loved ones to protect our country....

for blessing us with a beautiful home that we can call ours...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

When Life Happens

Lately, I've been questioning myself on how I got to this point in my life.

I've always been the strong person, and lately, I feel anything but that.

I've hit just an all time low and trying to piece everything together is emotionally draining sometimes.

Just when I think I'm not gonna make it...

My handsome prince charming (Nick) comes to my rescue.

I am the luckiest wife and mother in the world. 

These two are my world and my reason for living and my reason to stay strong...to have faith in God that he'll get me through this...

Time Out, Betty!

As far as disciplining Dannika, Nick and I choose the "time-out" in the corner method.

It's been EXTREMELY successful for us, and when she does something wrong, it is absolutely DEVASTATING to her if we put her in her time out corner.

I've gotten used to hearing her bawl her eyes out in the corner.

The first few times when we started time out, it was more devastating to me than her (I think).

It's been a rainy day, and I feel the verge of becoming sick, so we've stayed in all day.

It gave me a chance to sit back and watch Dannika play.

It's amazing the imagination a 2 1/2 year old has!

She has a doll named "Betty" after "Ugly Betty" (the doll looks just like her), and she treats it like her child.

I was watching tv when...

I heard her yell, "No Betty! Time Out!"

I don't think I've laughed so hard in a while.

I am currently watching Dannika try and "change Betty's diaper".

She been baby wiping her for the last 10 minutes now.

It's amazing the imagination a 2 1/2 year old has. 

She does something amazing every day to absolutely take me by surprise. 

War Heroes, Daddy Dolls, Welcome Home, and Hello Kitty?

On top of Nick's unit's ball this year, Nick had a mandatory 1st Marine Division Ball.

While we complained at first at the fact that we had to pay for ANOTHER set of ball tickets (they are NOT cheap), I was really glad that we got to go!

We met up with Kari's husband Matt (he's with 3/5), and it ended up being a pretty decent time.

 I'm just honored to have been in the presence of some of 1st Marine Division's AMAZING war heroes. 

We saw a Lieutenant there with FOUR purple hearts!!!!!!

We saw a countless number of Marines with awards for valor (to include my hero, Nick and Kari's hubby Matt). 

Here are the pics!

 

This is Nick and I with Kari's handsome guy, Matt!

 

*****************************************************

 Before Sunny deployed, I got Kanoa a 'Daddy Doll' for his 2nd Birthday.

It's really funny cause this 'Daddy Doll' has become the 'Real Sunny'.

Kim takes him places and takes photos of him hanging out and being "here" with us.

Last weekend, Devon and 'Sunny' came to hang out at our house while Kim and Kanoa went to a 2/4 baby shower.

Dannika really enjoyed hanging out with her Uncle Sunny!

****************************************

In MORE exciting news, LtCol Gilbert...AKA Dr. Gilbert...AKA...Dore...just got home from Afghanistan last Friday! 

We got to have our FIRST dinner with the entire Gilbert family the first Sunday he was home.

Dannika was THRILLED to get to be with ALL of them once again!

She was also excited to show them her pink cowboy boots!

 *************************************

Lastly...

My friend Becca of MooseINK is one of the most talented and creative people I know!

She makes the most adorable crochet hats EVEEERRRR!

She was so sweet to make Dannika her very first Hello Kitty hat!

Dannika is slightly obsessed with it!

Thanks, Aunt Becca!

Up to no good...

Her "model" pose