I only have a moment but I wanted to do a very quick update...

We were not able to put Isaac in the CDC last week as we planned.  We called and they said to just bring him by and we could do the paperwork and everything right there... when we did just that they said their rooms were full and we needed to make reservations...  So it was an epic fail on their part and a less emotional day than planned on ours.  We were going to call and get him in this week and then teeth happened so we put it off.

Yes that's right I said teeth.  Isaac got his bottom front teeth at four months and then nothing happened...  About two weeks ago I noticed a little swelling in his top gums and thought maybe his top two were finally going to make an appearance... Fast forward to this weekend and suddenly all FOUR top teeth are coming in... FAST... as in, where there were merely swollen gums two weeks ago there are two broken through teeth and two HUGE swollen tooth buds today.  This has made for some miserable nights for all three of us and one tired mommy.  In fact when I'm done here I'm going to go grab a cup of coffee...

Never mind... why wait?  Okay to finish this with coffee in hand!

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon to have my thyroid checked.  Thank you ladies!  I don't know why in the world that had not occurred to me.  I have a history of hypothyroidism pre surgery and it is common after having a baby and I have all the signs.  So a huge DUH for me.  I'm really hoping this is it and I can get back to feeling a bit more normal...

That's about it... My days are consumed with Isaac, laundry, cooking and cleaning...  I almost never watch movies or adult TV anymore and things in the family are calm for the moment... We leave in three weeks for Phoenix but other than that there is little excitement. What is there to talk about? 

I'll try to visit if I have the time but for now I need to get some chores done while my kiddo sleeps!

All my love,

Courtney

The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

In 1910 the top Four hundred families rule society in New York and Olivia is privileged to be a daughter of one of them.  Or is she?  When her sister mysteriously dies out west, Olive boards a train to Mercy Falls, California to find out what really happened to the beautiful Eleanor and to ascertain if her sister's betrothed had anything to do with it.  Harrison is not what Olivia expects and after several attempts on her life she is forced to trust him.  Circumstances find them in an engagement that Olivia would like to make permanent... but does Harrison feel the same way.  Will they live to find out what life holds for them?

This book gripped me from the first page.  I have never read Colleen Coble and was reluctant to try this book out.  I have to be honest the cover drew me in...  It's fabulous!  I was swept away by the characters, the intrigue, the very world depicted expertly in words.  I could not put it down.  My only disappointment was in the two female characters that become Olivia's close friends.  They were obviously important but so completely underdeveloped... Imagine my delight when I reached the end of the book to discover that this book was the third in the series and the first two books were about these two women!  I bought them for my Kindle immediately and have managed to read through all three books in less than a week.  I highly recommend this series and this author!  In fact I'm currently reading a fourth book by her and may just go broke collecting her in the next few months.  I can not get enough... you will not be disappointed!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I sat down at my computer this morning with glee... the kiddo is sleeping and I have a few free moments and nothing to do!  I came to blog... I've sat here with an open blank screen for 20 precious minutes... It has occurred to me that I no longer know how to blog.  I have fallen into this trap of thinking that if I have a moment to sit down what I write needs to be email to the family worthy as well so I can kill two birds with one stone.  I have forgotten how to blog for ME.  I have forgotten how to just visit with YOU.  I miss it so much.  So I've decided to just talk...

Things are nuts around here.  When are they not? 

We are crazy busy doing a thousand little chores and projects around the house.  Imagine that you are about to lose your husband for 7 months and be left alone with a new toddler and then think of all the things you won't be able to get to and you have an inkling of the list we've been whittling down!

We are preparing to take a whirlwind trip home to Phoenix so Ryan can see the family again before he leaves.  We have about 4 weeks until we head out for that. 

Just a few short days after we return home from that trip Ryan leaves for a class out of state. 

A few weeks after he returns home from that class he'll (if all goes well because he REALLY needs to finish this course work before he deploys) be leaving for another class out of state.

When he returns from that class we'll be on a very short countdown to his departure date and then Isaac and I will be alone.

I'll be here on my own until late September when my friend Emily comes for a visit and then we'll road trip with her back to Phoenix where I'll stay through Christmas.  I've never been one of those 'go home during a deployment' types but I can't pass up the help in the car on the way home and I can't stomach the thought of going back and forth with Isaac for holidays all fall so once I'm there I'm staying put!

I'm doing okay in the mean time.  Just a little worried about how I'm going to do it all without help.  I don't talk about it much but my surgery left me with certain handicaps.  I don't complain because HELLO I'm alive and I don't regret it for one moment but it makes life a little difficult sometimes.  There are a few little things but the big one is this... Post surgery I am a super low energy person.  It has to do with how my body now processes nutrients, vitamins and minerals.  I take huge horse pills of vitamins and iron supplements every day.  It wasn't really a huge deal until I got pregnant...  Now I'm exhausted all the time and struggle with having any energy when a sleepless night hits (which is often lately!) so the thought of going for 24/7 for almost 7 months just makes me... well... TIRED!  But I'll get through it... If there is one thing I've learned over 8 deployments and TDY's it's that you adapt or die. 

It would help if I could get this blasted baby weight of.  I have about 15 pounds I need gone.  I know that doesn't sound like much but it's keeping me from getting into my clothes and making me feel crappy about myself so you know what?  It needs to get gone.  We have a family/deployment photo shoot on May 1st.  I would like to be well on my way to having a handle on it by then so that maybe I could fit into something pretty for our first official family photos! 

A huge big terrible thing staring me in the face is happening tomorrow.  We are putting Isaac into the CDC for a few hours for the very first time.  (Child Development Center basically the bases version of Day care)  They allow us to do an hourly drop off and after much discussion Ryan and I decided that I need to put him in once a week for a few hours to clean house and prep meals and just rest since I won't have any kind of a break with him gone.  I HATE to do it but as I said I'm so low energy that I just can't see how I can do it all.  We decided to start now so that he's used to it by the time Ryan goes and I just am having such a hard time with it.  Isaac has had a babysitter exactly three times in his whole life.  My mom twice for an hour when we went to put each of the boys to sleep and Emily once for an hour when we took Yoda to the vet when he got sick.  That's it...  Major separation anxiety going on here... We decided tomorrow would be the best day since Ryan has a mental health day and we can do work around the house and stay close in case we are needed...  Say a prayer for me if you think about it... I'm not excited about this... I recognize logically that this is a necessary step but I'm just not happy about it...

Oops the kiddo is up!  Should not have wasted those 20 minutes! 

I'll be back soon to chat your ear off again I hope.  Sorry if this was all over the place!

Courtney

Eat Your Peas
Faithfully

Eat Your Peas Faithfully Simple Truths and Happy Insights by Cheryl Karpen is part of the Eat Your Peas collection of gift books.  It's a collection of inspirational sayings paired with Bible verses, God's promises, and insights about day to day life made to life your spirits and send you smiling into your day.  The book encourages you to keep your faith even in times of hardship, to hold on despite the stumbling blocks that life throws your way.  The book encourages you to hold on to the belief that Faith give us hope and apply it to your daily life for with faith in God anything is possible!

The book is a really cute gift book.  The art is fun and whimsical and full of soft springtime colors.  The paper it's printed on is a heavy texture which just feels rich and soft.  The pages are set up in such a way that you could make this a fast read or savor it by reading one little devotion a day.  I love everything about this little book!

The only disappointment for me is that it was really advertised as a kids book and this isn't something I would give to my child until he was a teenager and then I don't know that it would be an appropriate gift for a boy.  That however is neither here nor there as I benefited by receiving a nice surprise in this beautiful little book.

I would recommend this as a lovely little gift for a loved one or for yourself.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Good Morning!

Daylight savings time has taken effect.   Can I just tell you how much I hate spring forward?  Fall back is not so bad... you get an extra hour of sleep!  But Spring forward is the devil!

Yet another reason why I'm an Arizona kid all the way!

We had a bit of fun this weekend going through photos of Ryan and I as babies and comparing them to Isaac now.  We have come to the conclusion that our child is a total MUTT! 

He looks so much like Ryan.  When people see them together they always comment on how much he looks like his daddy.

Ryan couldn't deny him if he tried!

This is one of Ryan's baby pictures and I swear it could be Isaac!

But then he makes this face...  and suddenly he looks just like me!

I think it has to be the fat dimpled cheeks and the fact that he has my eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather here has been beautiful.  As in, low to mid 80's!  We've definitely taken advantage of it and spent a lot of time outside!

Isaac loves the grass...

I mean LOVES it!

We go out most afternoons and wait for daddy to come home.

We spread out his blanket from Mimi under the huge oak tree by our house and play.

He loves to look up into the tree...

He's getting to be such a big boy! 

He loves to be tossed and daddy is always happy to oblige!

These two were made for each other!

Isaac loves to watch the planes in the afternoon with daddy too.

Another new joy in his life are swings!  We discovered his love of them this past week and now make a point to go every day.

Look at that face!

Hey momma give me that camera!

He has also started riding shoulders!  So cute!

I love his baby rolls!

What a face!

He loves his daddy!  They are the best of buds...

In fact this weekend Ryan had some work to do on his bike and decided that Isaac wasn't too young to learn.

Hmmmm... what's this?

Can I eat it?

At the end of the day our busy bee turns into a cuddle bug... 

Captain Awesome!

I love his cape...

That's about all the news from our part of the world.  We're just enjoying the fine weather and each other! 

Not good...  It's 9am and I need a nap... Darn you spring forward...

Courtney

Good Morning!

It has been so long since I had the time to sit down and update!  As sad as it sounds... I don't have all that much to say!

Spring has sprung here in very south Texas.  We've been having gorgeous 85 degree days for a few weeks now.  I'm loving all the sunshine and new leaves but there is a part of me (the part that grew up in Phoenix, AZ) that has a bad feeling about July!

Isaac and I are taking full advantage of the beautiful weather and walking 2 to 3 miles every day.  We take the puppy with us but he's not too fond of walking and insists on riding in the cargo basket of the stroller! 

Ryan is taking advantage of spring in his own way by riding the Harley at every opportunity. 

It's been grand!

Isaac is doing wonderfully.  For those of you that don't know, (and considering I'm never around anymore that's probably a lot of you!) he is now completely off all medication and is doing beautifully.  We're really hoping that his milk protein allergy was a result of him being a preemie and that he's growing out of it.  His pediatrician says we'll try introducing milk proteins at 12 months and see what happens. 

He'll be 10 months old on the 9th of this month.  I honestly can't believe how fast the time has flown by.  Just yesterday I was looking at a positive pregnancy test in absolute disbelief. 

I haven't shared any current pictures in a while so here are a few...

At last count this little guy was just a hair under 20 pounds and 27 inches tall.

He is crawling like a fiend, pulling up on anything that sits still long enough, eating almost all table food now and babbling like a brook.  (So far his only real word that he uses with intent is Mommy *MELT*)

He has a smile that lights up a room and a laugh that is infectious.

He has his two bottom teeth, is working on the top two, tippy out ears, dimples and a natural gunny cut!    Oh and I really can't forget those amazing pinching cheeks! 

We are so in love!

Even though this is a bad picture something about it just grabs my heart... There is nothing in the world like watching Isaac reach for me with a smile!

In other news...

We are gearing up for another trip home to Phoenix at the end of April to celebrate Isaac's first birthday, Ryan's 32nd, and for Ryan to see everyone before he leaves in the summer.  It won't be a long trip but we're hoping to make it a great one!

We find out mid March if we have orders to leave Del Rio this cycle.  If we do we would be moving next spring.

I think that's about it!  All I can think of in any case.  If there is anything I forgot to update on feel free to ask!

All my love,

Courtney

God’s Promises Devotional Journal

This book is a devotional journal with scripture and inspiration for every day of the year.  Each page has a scripture and then a devotion written by one of 20 leading Christian authors.  The devotions are geared toward encouraging the reader with the promises of God in scripture and how they apply to your daily life.  At the end of each devotion is a question designed to help you reflect on how this scripture is active in your life and how you should apply it more deeply.  The second half of the page has space for you to record your thoughts or your answers to the questions provided.

I have been searching for a way to fit a true devotion into my days since bringing my son into the world ten months ago.  This book fits the bill exactly!  I am so excited to spend the next year exploring the promises of God and applying them to my daily life as well as delving more deeply into scripture.   I love the layout of this book and its ease of use.  I can see many mornings (or five minute breaks) filled with a cup of coffee and this book.  I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to spend quality time with God and in scripture but finds that their time is short!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

God’s Promises Devotional Journal

This book is a devotional journal with scripture and a short devotional for every day of the year.  Each page has a short scripture and then a devotion written by one of 20 leading Christian authors.  The devotions are geared toward the promises of God in scripture and how they apply to your daily life.  At the end of each devotion is a question designed to help you reflect on how this scripture is active in your life and how you should apply it more deeply.  The second half of the page has space for you to record your thoughts or your answers to the questions provided.

I have been searching for a way to fit a true devotion into my days since brining my son into the world ten months ago.  This book fits the bill exactly!  I am so excited to spend the next year exploring the promises of God and applying them to my daily life as well as delving more deeply into scripture.   I love the layout of this book and its east of use.  I can see many mornings (or five minute breaks) filled with a cup of coffee and this book.  I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to spend quality time with God and in scripture but finds that time is short!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

It has been so long since I've had a chance to write... I truly do not know where the time goes and I miss being here so very much...  I just can't make any promises these days.  So for now posts from me will be sporadic... I'll try to update anything big going on and I'll try to keep up with everyone.  It may be weeks or months or years before I'm back... I suppose it just depends on military life and the kiddo...  So if you need to delete me I'll understand... just know that I will be back one of these days... This is important to me... it's just when something's got to give these days it's my spare time... 

Okay so to update as quickly as possible during naptime! 

We found out that Ryan is deploying to Afghanistan this summer so we're gearing up for that.  I won't lie... it's hard when it's just Ryan and I and it's going to be so much harder with Isaac a part of our lives.  But we'll manage as we always have and come out stronger for it! 

We had a lovely visit home for Christmas... there will be pictures of that soon.  We also had a visit from my mom and dad for a few weeks.  They went home on Wednesday.  And that's where my time has gone lately.

And now my big insane news...  (Insane because here I am complaining about lack of time and then I did this!)

We adopted a puppy last week. 

My parents and our little family went to San Antonio for the weekend just for fun and while we were there we visited a pet store...  Ryan and I had every intention of waiting a year or two to get a dog again so that Isaac was a little older and the hurt of losing the boys wouldn't be so fresh... and for the past month I've become increasingly aware that it wasn't happening!  We have never lived a day of our married life with a dogless house until Yoda died... and I could not abide it!

So in a truly insane move we fell in love with this little guy. 

Meet Spock. (And yes, I, the ever nerdy Trekkie named him.)

He's a 9 week old Schnoodle (which is a miniature Schnauzer/ miniature Poodle mix) He has a spunky personality and loves to play (Oiy I forgot how sharp puppy teeth are!) and he's stolen my heart.  He does little things that remind me of the boys... the way he tilts his head and plops to sit remind me so much of Gandalf that my through burns and then in a flash he'll look at me from up under his eyebrows and growl in a puppy version of Yoda's voice and I'm giggling like a loon.  He's a little bit of both and all his own at the same time... PERFECT!

He loves to explore ("Where no man has gone before!")

And even has Spock eyebrows! "Live long and 'paws'per."  Hi-yuck! 

More sleepless hours to the night... cleaning up dog pee... finding favorite belongings mauled in an unguarded moment...  may sound like craziness (and it is) but I just look at this little face and see years of Isaac and Spock romping in the yard and hours of cuddle time with me and Ryan...  We brought home trouble and a lifetime of memories all in one crazy little hairball!

I owe an Isaac update as well! 

He is doing great!  He'll be 9 months old on February 9th and I can't believe how the time has flown by!

He's sitting on his own and rolling all over the house.  He pulls up on us and stands to play.  He babbles and coos and loves to yell!    He is 19 pounds and 27 inches long and all boy. 

I have to do a picture update soon but for now I have a set I have to share.  My Mom held Isaac up to the glass slider a few days ago and we discovered something truly amazing... A GLASS LICKER!

What a character!

Squashed nose!

Happy face!!!!  Okay here come the good ones!

Smear!

I think this may be my favorite picture of all time!  Oh how I wish I'd had time to set all the settings on my camera and fix the lighting... but when they do something like this you just grab and go!

Okay I had better get going... Laundry, dishes, a new puppy that's been quiet for too long and dinner all await me during this naptime and it's probably all over the way this kiddo has been lately!

Courtney 

Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman

This is the story of a young Amish widow named Sadie.  She rents her guest cottage to a man named Kade and finds her life full of unexpected changes.  With the addition of Kade’s five year old autistic son Sadie’s life is changed forever.  They work to overcome the differences of their faith and the way they see the world and both get more than they bargained for. 

I have never been a fan of Amish romances.  This book caught my attention and I thought it might be worth a look.  I was completely blown away!  The characters ran away with my heart!  I was engrossed from almost the first page and couldn’t put it down.  I fell in love with the story, the struggles, the joy and the way God just intertwined with this story.  I loved the way the author let you see how God looks the same from both perspectives and how He works in the lives of the characters as they strive to better themselves.  I am completely captured and have purchased the other books in the story.  I can barely wait to sink into a comfy chair and visit this world again!  Beth Wiseman has made a convert of me!