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

Marine Corps Fun

Kevin's finally home from Afghanistan!

I'm so glad that I got to join his family for his homecoming.

It was full of emotion, happy tears, and joy!

WELCOME HOME 1/5!

This is the Gilbert clan minus Dore...he was still in Afghanistan when Kevin got back!

SO EMOTIONAL

Anticipation...

Lastly, the 5/11 Tango Battery ball was last week.
This may be the last Marine Corps Ball that the "original" Tango Battery ladies might get to spend a ball together.
This year it was held at the Pechanga Casino and Resort.
We had an absolute blast celebrating the Marine Corps' 236th Birthday with our closest friends.
A special thank you to my friend Kim for doing my amazing Hollywood make up!

Nick and I have never been into the way they pose us for pictures at the ball...it always looks so "prom-ish". We like to change it up a bit.

The D's!

 The R's!

Lindsay and Brittany's husbands are both deployed to Afghanistan but it wouldn't have been a party without them! Lucky for Shon and Steve, they got to tag along :-)

The ladies

Our handsome guys

The Kim Kardashian...minus the whole 72 days of marriage thing...

I've never met Steve until the night of the ball! Nice to meet you!

We salute our Officers....

Nick and DJ Pretty Ricky...aka...SSgt Santiago

We're gangster.

Nick as Shon's stand-in for a photo

Tango Battery

Myspace picture.