Saturday, August 27, 2011

Happy 2nd Birthday Kanoa Sunshine!

Dannika and I spent the night at Kim's house last night.
Kim's hubby, Sunny left for Afghanistan earlier in the morning, and I didn't want her to be alone the first night.
I know that the first few nights are always the loneliest and saddest after your husband deploys.
Kim's one of the strongest women I know, so I know she'll be fine, but sometimes...even the strongest just need a friend around.
We didn't do much, just hang out, watch tv, and facebook on our ipads (cause we're cool like that...don't hate!)
Dannika wanted to give her buddy Kanoa some moral support.
 Kim's also an amazing cook, so I used "moral support" as an excuse to go to her house so she would cook for me...haha.
Tonight she made us BBQ chicken pizza....yummy!



Yeah, I've been slacking on the photo taking....so all I have are my crappy Blackberry photos.
SAWWY!
Nick's 2 uncles are flying in tonight all the way from ENGLAND!!!!!!!!
I am so excited I can hardly sleep!
It will be my first time meeting them, and ever since Nick and I have been married, all he has talked about is how much fun they are!!!!
Nick will be in the field till Tuesday, but it'll give me a good two days to become acquainted with the British!!!!!!!!
Oh...
And not to brag or anything...
But this is how awesome my husband is...
All the way from the middle of nowhere on Camp Pendleton....
He never ceases to amaze me :-)
Ups and downs, lefts and rights...
After all we've been through...
I couldn't imagine life without him :-)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Silly Faces

Nick's in the field this week.
Pre deployment has OFFICIALLY begun.
It's "single mommy" time for me.
In the words of my good friend Becca..."Just brought out my single parent shoes!"
Nick's Uncles from ENGLAND are coming this weekend.

Work depresses me.
Work stresses me out.

FIGURATIVELY speaking...

I had a full loaded combat pack 3 years ago.
After I became a mom...that combat pack turned into a day pack...
and since I've checked into my new command...
that day pack has turned into a camelback...


And now..

I am dragging that camel back by it's hose.....


I am ready to "not" be a Marine anymore.

I just want to be a mom...

Wouldn't you if you got to see this face everyday?!?

When I tell her to make a "silly face"...this is the face I get.







Silly Faces

Nick's in the field this week.
Pre deployment has OFFICIALLY begun.
It's "single mommy" time for me.
In the words of my good friend Becca..."Just brought out my single parent shoes!"
Nick's Uncles from ENGLAND are coming this weekend.

Work depresses me.
Work stresses me out.

I had a full loaded combat pack 3 years ago.
After I became a mom...that combat pack turned into a day pack...
and since I've checked into my new command...
that day pack has turned into a camelback...

And now..

I am dragging that camel back by it's hose.....


I am ready to "not" be a Marine anymore.

I just want to be a mom...

Wouldn't you if you got to see this face everyday?!?

When I tell her to make a "silly face"...this is the face I get.




Saturday, August 20, 2011

The Potty

Nick and I have not officially started potty training yet.
You can read about our views on potty training here (just click under "Dr. Shannon's Recommendations - Potty Watching).
I have very strong opinions about potty training, but I feel every parent has their own way of doing things.
This is straight from our pediatrician whom we absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE!
I wish he was my doctor.

ANYWAYS,
The most we've done is take her to the bathroom with us everytime Nick or I go and just sit her on her potty with her diaper on and let her watch and learn.

Well today...

She went #2 in her potty!

all by herself.

She just told Nick, "poo poo"
So Nick took her diaper off...she sat on her potty and did her business.
No struggles.
No rewards.
She just simply went where she was supposed to.
Closed the lid...and used her potty as a stool to brush her teeth....

Did I mention, we did no formal potty training?
Oh and she just turned 2.






Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Bad Fashion and Cheap Wine

I always knew that the man who could put up with my craziness would be the one to marry.
So when I met Nick, I knew in an instant that this guy was the one for me.
Here's why (in no particular order):

1. When I suggested on a Wednesday (or maybe it was that Monday??) that we fly to Vegas THAT Friday night to get married and fly back Saturday so he could make it to work on time....he agreed.

2. After talking about and anticipating the Sex and the City movie for WEEKS, he agreed to take me...even though he fell asleep snoring during the middle of it (I blame the fact that he was up with recruits all evening and not cause the movie was boring)

3. In an effort to impress me on our first date, he bought 2 bottles of "good wine". As he presented me with the bottle, his exact words were "I know you're a wino, so I got us some wine"....guess what kind it was?? Lambrusco....might as well be Boone's Farm....but the thoughtfulness was so adorable...I drank it all :-)

4. He was always bringing home some spectacular art project that his recruits were forced volunteered to do for him. Like range flags and cover blocks that were elaborately painted with "Oorah Marine Corps" stuff all over it. I told him I was jealous, and the following week, he had forced asked his recruits to paint me a footlocker. It was the "recruiters' footlocker" complete with red blood stripe, Iwo Jima Scene, and my MOS's ordnance wings painted on it.

5. The year I won Rookie Recruiter of the year, I was going to be called up in front of my whole command to receive an award. He wanted me to look my best...and while I chose to take a 2 hour nap before the ball, he spent the ENTIRE 2 hours IP'ing my uniform for me and ironing it.

6. When I went into labor at my house and was screaming in agony on my bathroom floor...I asked him to please call an ambulance cause I couldn't get up. He told me to "quit being so dramatic" and forced me to get up and walk the painful 50 feet to my car. He taught me that I have a much higher pain tolerance than I thought with this experience....

7. His impeccable fashion sense. Like the Doc Martens that he had for like 8 years before I made him he got rid of them. Or the time he took my daughter to daycare in a hot pink dress with white polka dots on it and black leggings with silver horizontal stripes on it....with light pink mary janes....yeah.......

8. He is quite the handy man. When he was putting our daughter's nursery furniture together, he put the changing table together completely backwards and had the disassemble the entire thing and reassemble it. It only took 4 hours. (lol) No but in reality, he REALLY is handy. He did our entire kitchen backsplash himself, he tiled our backyard, he fixes cars, he hooks up electronics...he's a man alright....and he's allllll mine.

So the list could go on and on, but I thought I'd spare you the long reading. 
I guess the point of this is...
I love the guy I married...through our ups and downs, lefts and rights, good times and in bad times, sickness and in health...

Today is his special day, but I figured I'd just let y'all know exactly why he's so special :-)

Happy Birthday to the "hippest' dad on the block and to the sexiest 28 year old in this house (until I turn 28...of course) ;-)